Bradley's 2018-19 Schedule

[tornado]

Here's where their beat writer noted it

 

[houstonbrave]

Good news on New Mexico. I would like a little revenge.

I hope Coach Wardle??™s original statement comes true and the schedule is a lot better than the 2017-18 schedule, but we have a lot of work to do-the rest of the schedule looks awful (maybe Georgia Southern will be ok-not sure what they lose/have coming in). Right now that non-con schedule does not seem to prepare us well for the valley.

I know it is hard to get power five games but I would think we could get better mid-major games. Other valley teams have had better schedules than this. It??™s not easy but we need better results.

 

[tornado]

Bradley will host New Mexico in the MVC/MWC Challenge ...[/B]

New Mexico had a decent season and went 12-6 & 3rd place in the Mountain West Conference - losing in a close Championship game of the MWC Tourney & ending with an RPI of just over 100
But I think we should be able to win this one....

...they do lose a fair amount of their offense (#2, 3, 4 & 5 scorers) and their top incoming recruit changed his pledge at the last minute to Memphis.
They signed 3 freshmen and two top juco players this month in the spring signing period.


one of their assistants is from Sydney Australia and should be familiar to Jatden Hodgson..
and another of their assistants ought to be familiar to many Bradley fans...
Past Bradley great (1997-2001) Jerome Robinson - LINK

 

[tornado]

Here's a summary of what early season tournaments the MVC teams are planning to play...

Bradley - we are planning to be in a November Tourney but details not yet available
Drake - Hy-Vee Big 4 Classic - Drake gets Iowa State
Evansville - unknown at this time
Illinois State- Cayman Islands Classic Tournament - LINK - TEAMS
Indiana State - Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic - LINK - TEAMS (Indiana State gets TCU !)
Loyola - Islands of the Bahamas Showcase - LINK - TEAMS (they told their fans this is still tentative at their banquet which drew 500 instead of their usual 100)
Missouri State - Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, MO - LINK
UNI - Virgin Islands Paradise Jam - LINK - TEAMS, UNI also in Hy-Vee Big 4 Classic vs. Iowa **BUT, Iowa has an "opt-out" option! - LINK
SIU - Orleans Arena in Las Vegas- Las Vegas Holiday Invitational - LINK - TEAMS
Valparaiso - Myrtle Beach Invitational - LINK - LINK

 

[64NIT]

Breaking news ....and good news on our schedule!

Bradley will host New Mexico in the MVC/MWC Challenge
Here's the link to their beat writer (Albuquerque Journal)

I still remember the thrashing BU gave UNM in the finals of the 1964 NIT, 86-54. In the second half, BU ran the floor like they were the only five on the court.

It was this 63-64 season, and especially BU's NIT championship, that hooked my on BU hoops and I've been a fan ever since.

 

[tornado]

there's a report that Evansville has arranged a buy game at Illinois but is that a good thing for your schedule?
Illinois is gonna be all newcomers & freshmen so could have a 200+ RPI. If you're gonna do a buy game, pick some team that will enhance your resume.
Illini buy games have historically been Austin-Peay, EIU, NC Central, Longwood and Augustana..

 

[Mikovio]

If we take a buy game it should be with a top 75 program so it counts as Q1. Illinois isn't that this year.

 

[tornado]

Miko- I agree 100% We should go play somewhere (like Loyola did last year at Florida) that our coaches know will help us and that we match up well & have a chance to come away with a win.

I don't mind playing Illinois - even in a buy game - but if we did go there to play them, it would probably help them & their resume more than it would help us!!

but overall I can't be too critical of any mid-major & their scheduling since I continue to see how hard it is for the better midmajors to get anyone willing to play you..

 

[64NIT]

there's a report that Evansville has arranged a buy game at Illinois but is that a good thing for your schedule?
Illinois is gonna be all newcomers & freshmen so could have a 200+ RPI. If you're gonna do a buy game, pick some team that will enhance your resume.
Illini buy games have historically been Austin-Peay, EIU, NC Central, Longwood and Augustana..

According to Jon Rothstein:

Illinois will host Evansville as part of its 2018-19 non-conference schedule, per a source.

https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/988736811844288513

He never indicates what his "source" is but I'm pretty sure it's credible.

 

[tornado]

the implication (from another tweet) is that the info perhaps came from one of the Illini assistants who was formerly an Evansville assistant

 

[tornado]

Bradley hosts New Mexico December 1
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DcSLYRyX4AAssuQ.jpg:small
https://bradleybraves.com/news/2018...ost-new-mexico-dec-1-in-mvc-mw-challenge.aspx
We are playing New Mexico for only the 2nd time in the past 80 YEARS!

Here are the rest of the MVC/MWC Challenge matchups - LINK
Looks like the way they have the schedule set up they expect the New Mexico-Bradley game to be the defacto CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!

updated...



Non-Conference:
November 28, 2018 - Wednesday Bradley @ IUPUI
-Home game vs. Chicago State (with probably another one in 2019)
-Home game vs. SEMO
-Home game vs. Eastern Illinois?* - *There is a report of a home game with EIU but I have never seen that confirmed as a 2-for-1
-Away game vs. Georgia Southern & maybe UALR
-reports of a November Tourney
-SATURDAY December 1, 2018 (time to be determined) Home game - MVC/MWC Challenge- New Mexico at Bradley


Conference:
-18 game Conference schedule then MVC Tournament in March 2019

 

[tornado]

Here are the rest of the MVC/MWC Challenge matchups - LINK..

SIU will be one of the better teams in the MVC and they get a rebuilding Colorado State team with new head coach Niko Medved

 

[64NIT]

UNM and Bradley will be playing for the third time, not the second.

As I had written in a previous post, the 1964 NIT championship blowout was what got me really hooked on BU hoops. I mean, look at my user name. haha My first BU game was earlier that season against Arizona (as noted below in my signature).

 

[Da Coach]

UNM and Bradley will be playing for the third time, not the second.

As I had written in a previous post, the 1964 NIT championship blowout was what got me really hooked on BU hoops. I mean, look at my user name. haha My first BU game was earlier that season against Arizona (as noted below in my signature).

You are correct-

Bradley played at New Mexico on Dec. 19, 1938 and Bradley won 55-35.
And they played in the 1964 NIT (3-21-64) in Madison Square Garden (not the current MSG which opened in 1968 ), and Bradley won 86-54.

 

[tornado]

UNM and Bradley will be playing for the third time, not the second....

I know but I was saying that since the 1938 game we have only played them once, this will be the 2nd time since that game 80 years ago

 

[Mikovio]

The PJStar article says there are two games left to be scheduled including a non-DI and hopefully a P5. Let me just say it better be a good P5 because aside from the November tourney whose field is still being assembled, it looks like the only possible top 75 team is UNM. This is the type of schedule Jankovich put together at ISU and got left off the dance card with 25 wins. I know we're serving out contracts signed 2-3 years ago from the beginning of the rebuild but more needs to be done.

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/20180503/bradley-to-host-new-mexico-in-mwc-mvc-challenge-series

 

[PurpleAceFan]

The PJStar article says there are two games left to be scheduled including a non-DI and hopefully a P5. Let me just say it better be a good P5 because aside from the November tourney whose field is still being assembled, it looks like the only possible top 75 team is UNM. This is the type of schedule Jankovich put together at ISU and got left off the dance card with 25 wins. I know we're serving out contracts signed 2-3 years ago from the beginning of the rebuild but more needs to be done.

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/20180503/bradley-to-host-new-mexico-in-mwc-mvc-challenge-series

I agree that right now Bradley's schedule is borderline laughable. Contracts signed 2-3 years ago still fall to the current administration so not giving them a pass on that...and I know the Bradley fans on here aren't either. No idea why 1 of the 2 openings has to be non-D1 other than nobody else having openings which I don't believe.

If the Braves can get to 20 wins again this coming year, this type of schedule won't get them even a sniff from the NCAA (and most likely not the NIT), no matter what their record is. Gorging on cupcakes (which Coach Simmons always did at UE) gets you nothing but an opportunity for your coach to inflate his record for his next job. You see how that worked out for Marty.

 

[tornado]

The PJStar article says there are two games left to be scheduled....

..that PJStar article does contain at least some inaccuracies...

-first - I do NOT have any inside info on the schedule, however, this site has always been the one that has broken virtually every news on the schedule

-we had the news of the New Mexico game two weeks ago before anyone else knew about it
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?p=825139230&highlight=new+mexico#post825139230

-and all I can tell you is that when a patron last Thursday at the Bullpen Bar & Grill asked Brian Wardle on-air about the schedule - he said there was only ONE opponent remaining to be scheduled in addition to many of the times/dates yet to be arranged, and that the contracts were done and the remaining open date they are working of getting a home game against Power-5 conference opponent, as they did back in 2015 with Ole Miss & TCU.
Also, in 2016-17 we had nine games against TOP-75 teams - and five more in 2017-18, so our guys are trying!

-also, that article says that "They (New Mexico) return five of their top eight players." ....
but that is definitely wrong.

Their top scorer, Sam Logwood (13.1 ppg) graduates...
Their 2nd leading scorer, Anthony Mathis returns (12.7 ppg)
but then their NEXT THREE best scorers are all gone- Furstinger (10.3 ppg) & Jackson (10.2 ppg) both graduate and Chris McNeal (9.8 ppg) has transferred out.

So in reality, they LOSE 4 of their top 5 players and five of their top eight - and will have a lot of newcomers.

 

[Mikovio]

That 2016-17 schedule was very good-- TCU, Ole Miss, even UT Arlington was sneaky good.

The good news is I expect more Valley teams to be in the top 75 this year (ISU and SIU joining Loyola) giving us a few more Q1 win chances. Still a noncon like this is an opportunity wasted. Sub 200 opponents can only hurt.

 

[tornado]

One other thing about New Mexico, they now have former 5-Star Illini recruit Carlton Bragg...
however, since he transferred mid-year from Kansas to Arizona State to New Mexico, he will not be eligible until 2nd semester so he will be unable to make the trip to Peoria to play on December 1