BU-46 SIU-59 -Championship Game

[Big Mike]

Well here's to keeping the train running, we want it all so don't stop now......don't even look back just keep on rolling...........GO BRAVES!

[Big Mike]

Just saw this on CBS...........NCAA rpi has the Braves @ 31! :-o :mrgreen:

[Big Mike]

They were showing the TOP 50 NCAA RPI's and stopped at Bradley but here's what they had:

#17-MS
#21-WS
#29-UNI
#31-BU

[Big Mike]

Nice start by the Braves.......cheap foul called on PO'B for over the back? :roll:

[Big Mike]

BIG PAPPY is on early! :mrgreen:

[Big Mike]

BU....22
SIU...16.........time -out dogs on a MS trey.......PO'B with 13! :mrgreen:

[Big Mike]

BU.....24
SIU....20

My only concern right now is that we are forcing our own T/O"s..........slow down and take it down low they can't stop it! :idea:

[Big Mike]

BU......24
SIU.....23...half

Braves need to settle down on the O'..........way too-many unforced T/O's and soft passes! This game is the Braves to be had but they have to value the ball way more than they are now!

Let's get serious in this 2nd half and take back this game!GO BRAVES! :mrgreen:

[Big Mike]

OK.........they just ran off the TOP 50 NCAA again and here's the rub:

17-MS
21-WS
29-UNI
31-BU
35-SIU
36-CU

Not too-bad! :-o

[Big Mike]

The play on offense this 2nd half is very bad........bad choices all around......settle down and play smart before it's too-late! :?

[SpfldBUAlum]

Its sad that we are looking almost pathetic on national tv! Hope some shots will finally start falling!

[Big Mike]

Total meltdown by the Braves........all unforced! :oops:

[SpfldBUAlum]

SIU is playing a very good game but right now I think ISU would give them a better fight that we have been.

[Big Mike]

Is there any good reason to not go into PO'B in the 2nd half? :roll: He has ZERO points this half! :?

[SpfldBUAlum]

It is almost a shame we did not lose yesterday. Looking this bad on national tv is WORSE than not playing! Too bad such a nice run led to this.

BU is still playing decently on defense but just totally lost when they have the ball and outhustled by SIU.

[Big Mike]

I don't know but I wouldn't think we helped ourselves out any today as far as the Big Dance? The same SR leadership that got us this far in the last few games did not show up today....a couple of very dumb fouls by Cellus in this game to go with some very lazy D' played by him! :?

Why did we stop going to PO'B in the 2nd half? :-o :evil: It just doesn't make any sense.......NOW WE SIT AND WAIT FOR WHAT WILL BE THE LONGEST WEEK EVER! :roll:

[Big Mike]

By the way...................how long were the Braves stuck on 24 in the 2nd half..................I know it was a very long time....maybe 5, 6 or 7 minutes if I remember right? :-o

[Big Mike]

Congrats to SIU..........they really wanted it and played by their game plan .........the best team won today! :idea:

[BTID]

Congrats to SIU..........they really wanted it and played by their game plan .........the best team won today! :idea:

Yeah, the better team won today. SIU owned the boards in all 3 of their games this weekend. I think we got in trouble when Boogie didn't have some shots drop after he came in today. He made early baskets against Creighton and Wichita which not only sparked his game, but the rest of the team too. POB got little to no help from everyone else in the first half. Another key was the first half turnovers. Of the 8 Bradley had, I think 6 were un-forced. Like Dick and Clark said, SIU was fortunate not to be down by 6-8 points by halftime. The start of the second half was reminiscent of our start at Carbondale. It was like watching surgery performed with a butter knife :-o! Now, we wait.

[Big Mike]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=260640079

[Big Mike]

IMO........losing to SIU really hurts the Braves chances for the Big Dance.........it was almost like fighting for the last dance card.........hope I'm wrong? :(

[Big Mike]

http://www.bubraves.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3400&ATCLID=245566

[Big Mike]

This is more complete:
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/boxscore?gid=200603050528

[Big Mike]

http://www.valleyledger.com/

[Big Mike]

FWIW..........realtime has this down for today:

21-MS
26-WS
28-UNI
30-SIU
32-BU
42-CU

[MacabreMob]

BM, Bradley is IN.

Belly laugh at anyone in the face that says differently.

Next Sunday, we will be watching to see where we are playing and who we will be playing in the NCAA.

No suspense.

Book it.

[Big Mike]

Hey MM............I sure hope your right! :idea:

[Big Mike]

Does anyone know why DR was on the bench at the end of the game? Was he hurt or something? :?

[Fetz86]

my guess would be the unusually high amount of turnovers for him.

[Da Coach]

Does anyone know why DR was on the bench at the end of the game? Was he hurt or something? :?

According to Jim Les, Daniel had a case of the stomach flu. He has been sick all weekend, but he couldn't go any more today and had to be taken out.

[Big Mike]

Thanks DC..........I was too-upset to listen to the post game show! :oops:

[thefish7]

Yeah I was wondering what happened to Ruff. I'd been wondering if he got hurt a bit after Jamal Tatum threw him on the floor (beacuse that was the last time I remember seeing him). I saw him later on the bench with a towel over his head, so I figured he wasn't feeling well.

[tornado]

Ruff was ill with the flu
but everyone played hard and I am very pleased with the efforts.
Our guys worked so incredibly hard to put themselves into position to win it all.
How can you explain a 10-12 minute stretch like we had??
Every shot they missed took a long, unpredictable bounce all the way to the corner or midcourt and they got those rebounds.
And our shots just didn't go.
But BU proved we are right there with the top of the Valley, beating the Valley regular season champ, beating Creighton, and playing right with SIU much of the way.

I know we had a great time watching them, and we aren't done yet.
We have to wait until Sunday to see where we play.

Let me also take time to give props to the Bradley fans.
We didn't have as many fans in St. Louis as Wichita, Creighton, and probably not as many as SIU on Sunday, and probably not even as many as MSU, but our fans were strong and supportive.
Our fans were everywhere dressed in red and sporting pins, banners, shakers, and other gear to let our team know we support them.

What a great bunch of people to be associated with.
Thanks to the folks from BU who arranged the pregame rallies and the other events.
I am looking forward already to next year, and I know the players are too.

[SpfldBUAlum]

Interesting article about the game by Bernie M in the Post-Dispatch today. Tony Young is more or less admitting that the elbow to the back of Po'b's head was intentional:

""I hope so," Young said. "It was the only reason I did it. Before that I was telling Randal, 'You have all these fouls to give, so USE ONE.' The big man was killing us. We had to let him feel our presence. So I let him know we were there. So he went up, and I clocked him. I wasn't intentionally trying to hurt him, but I wanted to send a message and give him something to think about next time he went up.""

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/columnists.nsf/berniemiklasz/story/E6045F56102B3FDA862571290037D0CA?OpenDocument

[Big Mike]

I think that is wrong.............to come out and admit that is plain stupid IMO and I think I saw where Lowery was bragging about that play and just how tough his team was? :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: