Bradley basketball at Indiana State: What to watch for
PEORIA — The Bradley men’s basketball team had a lot to wrap its collective mind around Friday.
A double-overtime loss to Valparaiso the night before.
A four-game losing streak in Missouri Valley Conference play.
How to leave Valpo behind them and find a second wind mentally and physically for a weekend road trip to Indiana State.
The 2020-21 pandemic-forced schedule has no mercy.
“When it rains it pours, and it’s pouring on us right now,” Bradley coach Brian Wardle said. “So it’s very important we learn how to dance in the rain.”
They’ve seen this before. In the 2018-19 season, Bradley opened the Missouri Valley Conference schedule with five straight losses. The Braves hung in, turned it around, and won the Valley title at Arch Madness.
“It’s a different year, different roster,” Wardle said. “We had seniors on that team. It’s hard to compare every season. But Elijah Childs and Ja’Shon Henry and Ari Boya have been through it. You just have to stay the course, don’t panic, don’t get too high or too low. Address all the issues … then you move on.
“This season has dragged more than any season I’ve ever had. We can right this ship, there’s no doubt. We can get there, we can get to where we’re playing at a high level every possession and playing smarter and not fouling too much, too.”
Valparaiso: One final look back
“We had some silly fouls, we didn’t block out, all things we can control,” said Wardle, whose team took 30 fouls to Valpo’s 16. “For some reason we get frustrated and we just start fouling. I keep showing film, keep practicing, but hopefully there comes a time when it clicks. Some of the new guys, the effort level has to go up.
“We just had too many mistakes. They shot 38 free throws. We had 15 turnovers again.
“We had eight or nine consistent guys last year. Right now, we have two.”
And there were some outlier performances on the Valpo side, at Bradley’s expense.
Freshman guard Sheldon Edwards came in as a 21% shooter from beyond the arc, then hit four 3s in the game and three in the second overtime.
Big man Ben Krikke made a crucial shot — over Elijah Childs — he hasn’t made all season.
“It’s frustrating because Valpo had a guy (Edwards) hit four 3s against us who shoots (21%) from 3 (before his 4 of 8 night),” Wardle said. “They had a post player (Krikke) shoot a fade away over Elijah who does not go to his left shoulder ever. I went back this morning and watched every single shot of his, he’s never shot a fade away over his left shoulder, ever, and he makes that against us.”
In the huddle
If the COVID-induced special MVC conference schedule holds up, Bradley will have just 30 scheduled non-game days in 2020-21. Last season, under a traditional format, BU had 43 days to practice or rest in the conference portion of the schedule.
It’s a big difference.
“We look tired right now,” Wardle said heading into the weekend series at Indiana State. “Mental fatigue is just as big as physical fatigue.
“I demand a lot. Standards are high. Right now we might just be a little tired. So we got to be smart. We do eight games in 16 days and then five in nine. (BU freshman) Darius Hannah and Jayson Kent and Connor Linke are probably sitting there, ‘Man this is crazy.’
“There’s days off normally built in that we don’t have. There’s a million excuses but we have to play better than we have.”
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing is expecting Bradley to do just that.
“I know they stubbed their toe, but you’re going to do that a lot against Loyola,” he said. “Bradley led most of the way in that second (Loyola) game, but Loyola has a way to just do what they do and control the game at both ends of the floor.
“Henry was out, Boya was out. We’ve all had our bumps in the road with COVID and injuries. Bottom line, Bradley is good. Two-time defending champ.
“I used them as an example this year, because of the way we started (0-4 in conference play): I think they started 0-5 (in Valley) a couple years ago but they won the tournament.”
About Indiana State
Tre Williams, a 6-foot-7 sophomore center, Tyreke Key, a 6-3 senior guard, and Cooper Neese, a 6-4 junior guard are the guys to watch. Big man Jake LaRavia is a second on the team in scoring (12.2 points per game) and pulls 5.9 rebounds per game.
Either Williams or Key has led the Sycamores in rebounds in 10 of their 15 games.
Key leads the team and is fifth in the MVC with 15.4 points per game.
Williams leads the team and his eighth in the Valley with 6.4 rebounds per game.
Neese hits 46.8% of his 3s, fifth in the Valley.
The Braves had best reduce their fouling, because Key (86.8%) and Neese (81.8%) are fourth and seventh, respectively, in the Valley in free throw shooting.
“They have two bigs who can really play, they have Key, they are playing really well right now,” Wardle said. “We just have to go in and play 40 minutes with a mindset we can do it.”
How to watch Bradley vs. Indiana State
Sunday’s game
3 p.m., Hulman Center, Terre Haute, Ind.
TV: Fox Sports Midwest, NBC Sports Chicago
Web: Fox Sports Go, ESPN3
Radio: WMBD-AM 1470.
Monday’s game
4 p.m., Hulman Center, Terre Haute, Ind.
TV/web: ESPN3.
Radio: WMBD-AM 1470.
Records: Bradley, 9-8 (3-5), 7th in MVC. Indiana State, 8-7 (5-5), 4th in MVC.
Coaches: Bradley, Brian Wardle. Indiana State, Greg Lansing,
All-time series: Bradley, 54-39. BU 23-9 in Peoria.
In 2019-20: Bradley L 61-53 on road; Bradley W 72-61 at home.
NET Rank: Bradley No. 147. Indiana State No. 119.
Bravely speaking
Bradley forward Ja’Shon Henry missed three games while recovering from a concussion before returning to the lineup against Valparaiso. He absorbed a blow to the head during overtime in that game, and was seen on replays holding his head. BU took him out of that game. On Friday, Bradley coach Brian Wardle said the team is watching Henry carefully, and hopes he’ll be able to play Sunday at Indiana State. “We’re going to be overly cautious and and then see how he feels,” Wardle said. … Bradley looks like a tired team, and Wardle did not not stage a practice on Friday. They’ll practice Saturday and head to Terre Haute, Ind. … Indiana State has won four in a row, sweeping Illinois State and Southern Illinois back-to-back. … BU guard Terry Nolan Jr. is seventh in the Valley in 3-point shooting at 42.5% … BU forward Elijah Childs’ 16.4 points per game is third in MVC. He is fourth in rebounding at 8.4. … The Sycamores have won 10 of the last 11 games against Bradley at Hulman Center. … Childs is the first Bradley player to score in double figures in the team’s first 17 games since Jerome Robinson (2000-01).
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 [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.