Bradley basketball coach Brian Wardle picks 5 big moments in the rivalry with Illinois State

PEORIA — Brian Wardle has a lot of memories in the annual rivalry games against Illinois State during his reign as Bradley basketball head coach.

"Mostly, coaches remember the losses," Wardle said. "There are great moments, but when it comes to your rival, you're bothered by a game you didn't win."

Wardle is 5-7 with the Braves against Missouri Valley Conference rival Illinois State. His teams have won five of the last seven meetings, and have a 2-4 record at Redbird Arena, where they will renew their series at 7 p.m. Sunday.

Tough start for new coach

"We played them with 10 freshman on our roster and lost over there (75-60) in my first year," Wardle said, referring to the 2015-16 season. "That was hard. There was a game when they beat us bad in Carver Arena and left their starters in until about two minutes left.

"I'll never forget that. You come out of that thinking, 'Our time will come.' "

History: 11 memorable moments in the Bradley-Illinois State basketball rivalry

It did, too. The Braves won five straight in the series, capped with a 74-71 overtime win at Illinois State on Feb. 26 of the 2019-20 season. That win remains one of Wardle's favorite memories of the rivalry.

Bradley's big wins in Normal

He also remembers a 2018-19 game at Illinois State when Bradley, down 11 points in the first half, rallied to win 65-59 in front of 9,011 to sweep a two-game season series from the Redbirds for the first time with him at the helm. Elijah Childs' emphatic dunk with 28 seconds left put that one away.

Wardle also remembers the Feb. 26, 2020, overtime win at Illinois State when forward Ja'Shon Henry iced it with a jumper in the paint with three minutes left and then a pair of free throws with 17 seconds to go.

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Big ones at Carver, too

There was also the game at Carver Arena on Jan. 22, 2020, when the Braves, missing Childs and Darrell Brown, still beat ISU 75-63 as Nate Kennell and Ville Tahvanainen stepped up to score 18 points each.

"I think rivalries were damaged by COVID, with fans separated from their teams, and schedule formats changed," Wardle said. "I hope it's recovering now. Illinois State and Bradley, we respect each other."

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Three of Bradley's starters — guards Terry Roberts and Connor Hickman and forward Malevy Leons — will play in the rivalry for the first time.

"It's a really fun game to play in, and I'm glad our (new players) will get the chance to experience it," Wardle said. "You can throw records out the door in these games, anyone can beat anyone. You go out there and make sure you play better than the other guy for those two hours."

How to watch or listen, and what to know about Bradley at Illinois State

When: 7 p.m. Sunday

Where: Redbird Arena, Normal

Watch: ESPN+.

Listen: WMBD 1470-AM, 100.3-FM

Records: Bradley 8-9 (2-3), 6th in MVC. Illinois State 8-8 (1-2), 8th in MVC.

KenPom ranking: Bradley No. 122. Illinois State No. 202.

NET ranking: Bradley No. 119. Illinois State No. 221.

Head coaches: Bradley, Brian Wardle. Illinois State, Dan Muller.

All-time series: Bradley, 68-64. BU lost 71-56 and 88-71 in 2020-21.

Bradley: FG 44.2%. 3-point FG 34.9%. Top players: Guard Terry Roberts 15.5 ppg (6th in Valley), 4.4 apg; Ja'Shon Henry 11.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg; Malevy Leons 10.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 45.3% from 3, team-best 22 blocks; Rienk Mast 8.1 rpg (1st in MVC).

Illinois State: FG 46.2%. 3-point FG 38.6%. Antonio Reeves (6-foot-6 guard) at team-best 20.8 ppg, leads MVC in scoring. Forward Sy Chatman next at 15.3 ppg (7th in MVC) and team-best 6.3 rpg. Guard Josiah Strong at 48% from 3-point range. Guard Mark Freeman with team-best 3.9 apg and makes 89% at FT line.

Bravely Speaking

Bradley senior forward Ja'Shon Henry remains day-to-day as he recovers from a concussion. He's missed the last six games over a 29-day stretch. ... Bradley is 6-15 in games without Henry, and 1-13 without him against Valley teams. ... ISU has played one game in 14 days, an 11-point loss at Drake on Wednesday. Home games against Loyola and Evansville were wiped out by COVID pause. ... Redbirds have scored at least 81 points in nine of their 16 games. ... Bradley's 32-point win over Evansville on Wednesday was just their second margin of at least 30 points over a Valley opponent in the last 22 years. ... Bradley center Rienk Mast is averaging 18.7 points, shooting 48.9% from the field and 40% from 3-point range in the last three games. ... Braves forward Malevy Leons is shooting 53.3% from the field and 45.3% from 3. No player in BU history has shot at least 50% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc in the same season. ... Illinois State is ranked No. 1 in the Valley with an 80.1 points per game offense. Bradley's defense is ranked No. 4, allowing 66.7. ... Illinois State's Antonio Reeves and Josiah Strong are 1-2 in the Valley in 3-point shots made.

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. Reach him at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Bradley vs ISU: BU coach Brian Wardle reflects on basketball rivalry