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'The challenge': How Bradley Braves will defend 17-game home streak vs Belmont

dave eminian, journal star
·6 min read
Bradley's Rienk Mast, top, and Evansville's Kenny Strawbridge Jr. scramble for a loose ball in the first half Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023 at Carver Arena in Peoria. The Braves defeated the Aces 91-46.
Bradley's Rienk Mast, top, and Evansville's Kenny Strawbridge Jr. scramble for a loose ball in the first half Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023 at Carver Arena in Peoria. The Braves defeated the Aces 91-46.

PEORIA — The Bradley Braves got a Missouri Valley Conference road win in the books Wednesday, a big decision at Indiana State.

But now they have to turn the page quickly and set their sights at home on a Belmont team that is the hottest in the Missouri Valley Conference.

"The Indiana State win gives us confidence, but at the end of the day it's one game and we got to realize that," Bradley center Rienk Mast said as the team shifted to all things Belmont. "We have to enjoy this one and get ready for the challenge that is coming at home (Belmont on Saturday)."

The Bruins have won five straight and own a share of the Valley lead with Southern Illinois. The race has six teams separated by just one game, with Southern Illinois and Belmont both 7-2 at the top, followed by a 6-3 pack that includes Bradley, Indiana State, Missouri State and Northern Iowa.

The Braves are 3-0 against those other 6-3 pack teams.

More:By the numbers: Bradley is a different basketball team when it hits the road

17 and counting

Bradley comes back to Carver Arena to a 17-game win home winning streak, the third-longest active home streak in the nation and ninth-longest in Bradley program history.

Auburn leads the nation with 28 home wins in a row, followed by UCLA at 19 and Bradley at 17. The previous leader Gonzaga had its 76-game home win streak snapped on Thursday night with a loss to Loyola Marymount.

Into Peoria comes Belmont, one of five teams to be at or above .500 on the road in the Valley. The Bruins are 2-2 in Valley road games, joined by Missouri State (3-2), Southern Illinois (3-1) and Indiana State (3-1).

"We're all winning at home," Bradley coach Brian Wardle said before the Indiana State road game. "So it looks like hold your home court advantage and try to steal a few on the road. Our league has beaten each other up pretty good."

Drake's 12-game home win streak ended Wednesday night with a 65-62 decision by Missouri State.

Valley teams are winning on their home courts at a 73.8% clip this season. Those top six teams in the standings are a combined 23-5 at home.

More:'Oh my goodness': Bradley loses to Belmont after dramatic sequence in final seconds

Belmont 63, Bradley 60

On Dec. 28 in Nashville, the Braves held a nine-point lead with 11:01 left against Belmont in the first-ever meeting between the teams. It was all gone 4:30 later, as Drew Friberg hit a pair of 3s and three free throws to help take the game away from Bradley.

Bradley tried three 3s in the final 8 seconds and missed them all in a bid to force overtime. One of those attempts, by Connor Hickman, was nearly halfway down in the basket, then spun around the inside of the rim and out.

Bradley guard Connor Hickman's 3-point try looked all but in, before spinning out of the basket and no good in a bid to tie the game against Belmont with 4.6 seconds left in a Missouri Valley Conference game the Braves lost on the road, 63-60, on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022.
Bradley guard Connor Hickman's 3-point try looked all but in, before spinning out of the basket and no good in a bid to tie the game against Belmont with 4.6 seconds left in a Missouri Valley Conference game the Braves lost on the road, 63-60, on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022.

Friberg made six 3s in that game and the Bruins made 11 overall.

The Braves held Sheppard to 11 points in the game. He's had seven games of at least 20 points this season.

Bradley got 12 points and four rebounds from Rienk Mast in that game, and 11 points and five rebounds from Malevy Leons.

The Braves were just 5 of 20 from 3-point range in that game.

Belmont basketball player Ja'Kobi Gillespie leaps to bring in a pass in a game Wednesday against Bradley in Nashville, Tenn. Belmont won the game, 63-60.
Belmont basketball player Ja'Kobi Gillespie leaps to bring in a pass in a game Wednesday against Bradley in Nashville, Tenn. Belmont won the game, 63-60.

Bravely Speaking

The T-shirts were back Friday at Carver Arena during Bradley's practice. Head coach Brian Wardle was again wearing a custom-made T-shirt that read; "Bradley. 86-61. ESPNU." It was a reference to the team being beaten badly at Drake last weekend. The coach debuted the T-shirt in practice on Monday and his team responded with a big win at Indiana State on Wednesday. ... Belmont (40.2%) and Bradley (36.0%) are a matchup of the top two 3-point shooting teams in the Missouri Valley Conference. … Belmont holds three of the four top 3-point shooters in the MVC in Drew Friberg, Ben Sheppard and Cade Tyson. … Belmont leads the Valley with 15.3 assists per game. … Bradley and Belmont are back-to-back in multiple category rankings in the Valley, but one place the Braves have a clear advantage is in rebounding, where they have two of the league's top 11 rebounders in Rienk Mast and Malevy Leons. BU is a league-best 36.05 rebounds per game, while Belmont is 10th at 31.3. … Bradley forward Christian Davis is out with an ankle sprain. He was out of his walking boot on Friday and went through a workout, indicating progress in his recovery. … The Braves have regained the No. 1 seed in analytics expert Matt Hackman's (@mjhackman) weekly Missouri Valley Conference Tournament seeding probabilities chart. SIU is No. 2, Belmont is No. 3 and Indiana State has slipped to No. 5. … Bradley guard Ville Tahvanainen ran his free throws streak to 34 consecutive made before missing one in the second half Wednesday at Indiana State. He finished tied with Roger Phegley (1975-76/1976-77) for the fourth-longest free throw streak in Bradley's history. … Saturday marks the midway point of the MVC schedule. Since 1992-93, all 41 MVC teams in the lead (or co-lead) at the midway point have reached post-season play. The last Valley mid-season leader to not reach post-season play was Tulsa in 1992.

Belmont at Bradley

  • When: 3 p.m. Saturday

  • Where: Carver Arena, Peoria

  • Watch: Bally Sports, NBC Sports Chicago.

  • Listen: WMBD-AM 1470, FM 100.3

  • Records: Belmont, 14-6 (7-2), 1st in MVC. Bradley, 13-6 (6-3), 3rd in MVC.

  • All-time series: Bradley, 0-1.

  • On Dec. 28: Bradley L 60-63 at Belmont.

  • NET ranking: Belmont, No. 131. Bradley, No. 69.

  • KenPom ranking: Belmont, No. 121. Bradley, No. 82.

  • MVC preseason poll: Belmont, No. 6. Bradley, No. 2.

  • Head coaches: Belmont, Casey Alexander (4th season). Bradley, Brian Wardle (8th season).

  • Players to watch: Belmont Bruins: 6-6 G Ben Sheppard 18.25 ppg 3rd in MVC, 42.5% from 3 (2nd in MVC); 6-7 F Drew Friberg 12.8 ppg, 49.4% FG (5th in MVC), 48.3% from 3 (1st in MVC); 6-7 F Tyson Cade 12.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg; 6-9 C Even Brauns 31 blocks. Bradley Braves: C Rienk Mast 13.1 ppg and 8.3 rpg (2nd in MVC), 51.7% FG (4th in MVC), an MVC first-team preseason pick; F Malevy Leons 11.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg and MVC-best 33 blocks, plus 33 steals (4th in MVC), and 38.4% from 3; F Ja'Shon Henry 9.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg; G Duke Deen 11.1 ppg, team-best 58a, 37.6% from 3.

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. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Bradley basketball vs. Belmont preview: BU has 17-game home win streak