Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Championship Sunday
The Bradley Braves and Illinois-Chicago Flames will take the floor Sunday at Credit Union 1 Arena. Tip-off from Chicago is at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Bradley, 14-8 SU and 11-10 ATS, beat Illinois State on Wednesday. The Braves are 3-2 in their past five overall and 7-4 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Illinois-Chicago, 9-13 SU and 12-9 ATS, lost to Missouri State in its last game. The Flames are 0-5 in their past five overall and 1-10 in conference competition.
Bradley defeated UIC 79-45 last season. The Braves have won four of the past five meetings between these teams.
At 7-4 in MVC play, the Braves are two games back from first place in the conference standings. That said, they're tied with two teams and still have three others ahead of them in the standings, so it will take a multi-game winning streak to pull into the lead.
Bradley picked up a four-point overtime win over Illinois State in its latest game. Senior forward Malevy Leons was the catalyst, scoring 16 points with 11 rebounds, four steals, and three blocks. The Redbirds shot 43.1 percent from the field, but the Braves outshot them (47.4%). Illinois State controlled the glass 44-25 and shot a much higher percentage from the foul line (21-for-26) than Bradley (18-for-32) but turned the ball over 24 times.
WeBeatState.mp4
??? Tik Tok ?? https://t.co/em9oDkyC12 pic.twitter.com/DjPwyzvGQb
— Bradley Basketball (@BradleyUMBB) Jan uary 27, 2023
Bradley averages 71.4 points per game on 46.1 percent shooting, including 35.5 percent from three-point range. The Braves convert 66.8 percent from the free-throw line and average 33.1 rebounds with a +3.2 rebounding margin. They're 157th nationally in schedule-adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom.
Bradley surrenders 62.1 points per game (23rd) on 39.8 percent shooting (30th), including 31.6 percent from behind the arc. The Braves are 52nd in schedule-adjusted defensive efficiency and 155th in assist-per-turnover ratio.