Here are the most memorable moments in the Bradley-Illinois State basketball rivalry
PEORIA — The Bradley vs. Illinois State men’s basketball rivalry began more than a century ago, but didn’t really hit its stride until the Redbirds joined the Missouri Valley Conference in 1980.
Recently retired sports writer Dave Reynolds covered most of those spirited matchups — for six years as the Journal Star’s area college basketball writer focusing on Illinois State and 30 more in a more expanded role covering Bradley.
Below is an updated version of a 2019 story Reynolds wrote about the Bradley-Illinois State rivalry.
Bradley vs Illinois State in the 1980s
In the 1980s, Bradley coach Dick Versace’s flamboyance and colorful comments in the media always contrasted nicely with ISU coach Bob Donewald’s stern persona and taciturn approach during interviews.
That contrast defined the early days of the rivalry as both fumed in their own way on the sidelines.
A few years ago, both coaches long since retired, reminisced to me about the rivalry.
'Living large': Coach Dick Versace remembered by Bradley players, coaches, friends
“Dick would always have a press conference prior to playing us and I would tape it,” Donewald said. “Inevitably, he would say something (inflammatory) about my team or one of my players. Then we’d have a team meeting and I’d play it over and over and over again. Dick would always help my team.”
Versace countered by describing those antics as his way of getting an edge on ISU.
“If I could upset you and get you thinking about something else, that’s what I’d do,” he said. “I used to make fun of Bob being a Bobby Knight clone, right down to the gestures and the postures.” (Donewald was a former Indiana assistant under Knight.)
One of the most memorable moments involving Versace came one night when Illinois State was playing another team. In those days, coaches could scout their upcoming opponent in person. So Versace sat and watched at a courtside table in Horton Field House.
Illinois State’s mascot, Reggie Redbird, stopped by to visit him during a timeout, mussing Versace’s trademark silver perm.
Versace was not amused. He pushed the mascot away and summoned ISU athletics director Bob Frederick to complain.
“I think the mascot got fired for that,” Versace said. “It was kind of playful and you could spin it any way you want. But it was good theater.”
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Bradley vs Illinois State: The Games
There have been 134 matchups all-time between the central Illinois rivals. Bradley leads the series 70-64.
Since ISU joined the Valley officially in the 1981-82 season, 36 of the rivalry games were decided by six or fewer points. Eight needed overtime, including three in a row from 1999-2000. Ten were determined by a single point.
Here are several games that stand out:
When Jim Les went coast to coast
Jan. 23, 1986: Bradley posted a 67-63 overtime win before a sold-out Carver Arena, preserving the Braves’ unbeaten MVC record that would reach 16-0 by season’s end.
Jim Les’ coast-to-coast drive, in which he scored in the final seconds on a left-handed layup in traffic on the right side of the basket, capped the Bradley victory.
The Horton Field House farewell
Feb. 20, 1988: The final meeting at Horton Field House between the teams was a classic. Bradley won 78-71 in overtime, a key late-season victory for the Braves en route to an MVC title.
As always vs. the Braves, Horton was sold out at 7,745. And the rabid fans witnessed a back-and-forth emotional battle before Hersey Hawkins took over the game in overtime and finished with 34 points.
“When you have so much at stake, it’s usually a sloppily played game,” said BU coach Stan Albeck. “Both teams, though, really played very aggressive basketball.”
The David vs. Goliath game
Jan. 23, 1993: Rebuilding Bradley took defending MVC champion Illinois State to overtime at Redbird Arena before falling 70-68. ISU got 18 points from Mike VandeGarde and 17 from Richard Thomas to escape the upset.
“Bradley wasn’t a young or nervous team,” said ISU coach Bob Bender. “They were a solid team that gave us fits.”
The Redbirds would go on to win an outright league championship, their second of four titles in the 1990s.
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The one for the Valley title
Feb. 24, 1996: Before Carver Arena’s largest crowd in history at that time — 10,926 — Bradley squeaked past the Redbirds 65-64 thanks to some late-game heroics by junior Anthony Parker. The win clinched a tie for the MVC title for the Braves, who would win it outright two days later at SIU.
Parker scored 11 second-half points, including a contested jumper at 1:20 that gave BU a 61-60 lead. ISU re-took the lead before Dwayne Funches’ driving shot put the Braves up for good.
“I told Anthony I was going to kick his butt if he let those seniors down in the second half,” said BU coach Jim Molinari. “And he stepped up.”
Hundreds of Bradley students stormed the court after the final buzzer.
The most poignant moment
Feb. 22, 1997: In a series of high emotions came this sentimental moment.
Bradley won a hard-fought battle at Carver 69-64, before another sold-out crowd. But Illinois State would go on to win the MVC regular-season and tournament titles.
When the game was over, BU star Anthony Parker kissed the Bradley script at mid-court. It was the final home game of his illustrious career.
“It was just a symbol of what Bradley means to me,” said an emotional Parker.
Living up to the hype
Jan. 23, 2008: One of the greatest back-and-forth battles in series history was won by Bradley 76-75 at Carver, sparked by the return of guard Daniel Ruffin from a long injury absence.
Eleven lead changes, 11 ties and a heart-stopping final minute when the only point scored was the game-winner, a free throw by Theron Wilson with eight seconds left.
“A great college basketball game,” said ISU rookie coach Tim Jankovich.
The BU triumph was the sixth in a row for the Braves in the series.
The clock controversies
Feb. 25, 2012: Part 2 of the clock controversy saga at Carver Arena. The previous year, the game clock didn’t start on Bradley’s final possession, enabling the Braves to tie the game and send it into overtime before ISU won 79-78.
This time, as the final horn sounded and the Redbirds seemingly winning 54-53, BU coach Geno Ford complained the clock had started too early after a missed ISU free throw at :02.2. Officials checked the monitor and put four-tenths of a second back on the clock.
The Braves’ inbound pass was deflected and the final score stood at 54-53 ISU. But the usually calm Redbird coach Tim Jankovich was livid, comparing the situation to the U.S. team's loss to the Soviet Union in the 1972 Olympics.
“I was frustrated because it was an awfully big game with a lot of ramifications for us and we had a similar scenario last year here,” he said. “Almost the exact same thing: a clock incident late after a free throw. I’m not saying it’s intentional. I’m sure whoever’s operating the clock is doing the best job they can. It’s just very ironic.”
The win ensured a No. 4 seed for ISU in the MVC tournament. The Redbirds reached the finale, losing to Creighton in overtime and earned an NIT bid.
Another overtime game ...
Feb. 26, 2020: Bradley clinched its third 20-win season in a row — but had to work to get it.
The Braves overcame double-digit deficits in each half to post a 74-71 overtime victory at Redbird Arena. BU battled foul trouble and its worst shooting night of the Missouri Valley Conference season, one capped by a second consecutive MVC tournament victory.
The start of a tough stretch
Jan. 20, 2021: This installment of the rivalry was memorable for multiple reasons.
First, it was the first time in memory the two meet in front of no fans, kept away by the ongoing COVID pandemic.
Secondly, the 71-56 victory by Illinois State started Bradley on its late-season slide; the Braves' loss here began a six-game losing streak. BU lost the second game to ISU this season and finished 12-16 overall and 6-12 for eighth place in the Valley.
... and another OT battle
Jan. 25, 2023: Bradley won another overtime installment of the rivalry, rallying to defeat the Redbirds at Carver Arena.
BU's 79-75 comeback over the Redbirds produced moments and numbers at times for which there were no words. Although Bradley coach Brian Wardle had one word to sum up a night in which 6,046 stood at Carver Arena through the final 4:30 of regulation and all of OT as the Braves desperately clawed back from 10 points down to force overtime and eventually win it.
"Relief," Wardle said.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Bradley vs Illinois State: Memorable moments in the basketball rivalry
