Sports-ophrenia: What is Bradley's Fate at Arch Madness?

In the last few months, my car's radiator has been on the fritz. At first, it was leaking coolant due to a loose hose clamp, then (supposedly) the thermostat was broken. Still, it continues to give me fits as I anxiously watch the engine temperature gauge jump frantically from the red to the black. This bit of automobile bipolarity reminded me of another stressful life situation: being able to see both sides of an argument.

Good debates, by nature, have arguments on both sides that are reasonable, but it's much easier to back one side or the other. However, there are those maddening times where you have one foot in both camps. It's usually relegated to today's pressing issues, like "Wendy's or McDonald's?"; "paper or plastic?"; and "Zoe Saldana or Emma Stone?"

With that mind, I thought up a monthly topic for Life in the Cheap Seats: Sports-o-phrenia. I'll take a topic and argue for both sides, while trying not to drive myself crazy in the process. After going to two Bradley games this week (Wednesday's loss to Illinois State and today's home win over Indiana State), I've got an easy question to start with...

How will the Bradley Braves fare at this year's MVC men's basketball tournament?

Why Bradley Will Make the MVC Tournament Finals

It's arguable that Bradley has the most dynamic starting guards in the Missouri Valley Conference - but it would be a fairly short argument. Jake Odum is a hard-nosed point guard, but he doesn't have a great outside shot, and Tyler Brown (who's potential even for next year is incredibly scary) isn't quite ready yet. So we have Walt Lemon, Jr. and Dyricus Simms-Edwards, whose names are almost as long as their all-around basketball ability. Walt and DSE have always been quick strikers who can finish at the rim while taking contact, pull up for the jump shot on the run and in traffic (Southern Illinois found that out firsthand this year), negate one-on-one and help defense, and average 35 minutes if necessary. Now they have both gained the ability that separates elite wing players from good ones: taking the ball away.

Entering today's game, the two combo guards combined for 131 steals, far and away best in the conference. They both average better than two steals per 40 minutes. Dyricus is especially adept at thefts: he is sixth in the country in terms of steals per game and the leader in steals/personal foul ratio. Only Virginia Commonwealth's Briante Weber (who was recently featured in ESPN: The Magazine) has a higher steal-to-turnover ratio.

Newcomer Tyshon Pickett has given the Braves a two-way frontcourt player, a phrase not uttered on the Hilltop since Lawrence Wright was on campus. The young man from New Jersey came into today's game against Indiana State averaging 11 points and almost six rebounds (just under three on the offensive glass), is shooting 72 percent from the free-throw line and has even hit five of the nine threes he's attempted this year; he has two treys in his last two games. If that weren't enough, Pickett played the gutsiest game of any Bradley player I've seen today against Indiana State, scoring 17 points and pulling down seven rebounds after sustaining a knee injury near the end of the first half. It was evident Pickett was in pain, as he paused and gritted his teeth on every break in the action, but he stayed in the scrum for rebounds on both ends and had two clutch jump shots, both times with a defender in his face.

These three players exemplify a quality of this Bradley team that has been lacking in the last five years: toughness. Dyricus and Walt aren't afraid to stare down defenders and attacking guards alike, and Tyshon has taken the pressure off of Will Egolf and Jordan Prosser to take rebounds away from the larger front lines of Valley opponents. Bradley doesn't score at a high rate or shoot very well from the outside, but with their ability to create turnovers, score in the paint, and close games at the free throw line (all starters except Will Egolf shoot better than 67 percent), Bradley can make any team scramble for answers. With Creighton's recent fall from grace, and the confidence of hanging with Wichita State and Michigan for 40 minutes, the Braves are primed to make a surprise run to the MVC finals in St. Louis--and perhaps a trip to the NIT.

Why Bradley Will Lose Early in the MVC Tournament

Every team fights the injury bug at some point during the season, it's just who gets bitten and for how long. Recently, the Braves have had to deal with the maladies every coach fears facing going into the final stretch of the regular season: injuries that severely limit your star players. Dyricus is suffering from back spasms and was doubtful for today's game against the Sycamores (though he did play and turned in a great performance), and Tyshon Pickett suffered the leg injury today; Coach Geno Ford said on the radio post game that it was a "bruise". Both injuries are normal for basketball players, but they tend to stick around for the remainder of the season and limit a player's output, and with both Simms-Edwards and Pickett playing high minutes for Bradley this season, they won't have too much time to rest.

Apart from being slowed by injuries, Bradley has had a tough time getting out of their own way in the second halves of games this year, specifically with eight minutes left in the game. They were sticking close to Michigan both last year in Ann Arbor and this year in Peoria before the Wolverines pulled away (though a late flurry brought Bradley within five with about one minute to play this year), and it was the same script in road games at Creighton and Illinois State. There's no simple answer for what causes these second-half stumbles, but if the offense bogs down or a couple of calls don't go their way, the Braves tend to unravel on both ends of the floor for a stretch. With high-powered teams such as the Shockers, Bluejays and a resurgent Redbird squad, letting up for even 45 seconds of game time can put Bradley in an insurmountable hole. If they had an automatic three-point shooter in the rotation or a frontline to consistently feed the ball and slow the game down, they could fight back from these missteps, but it's been their curse this season. At this point in time, it's difficult to believe Coach Ford can find a cure for the eight-minute disease, and that will spell disaster on Friday afternoon--or even Thursday night--come tournament time.

Like any debate, this one cannot be won on words alone; Bradley will determine its own fate. The Braves have three games left to decide their seeding and, even with a 7-8 Valley record, find themselves 3.5 behind Wichita State. The Braves can win their final three contests (2-1 is a better bet) and finish as high as fourth or fifth, or drop them all and play the tough Thursday night game. The only thing for certain is that all questions will be answered come March.

Until then, I'll see you in the cheap seats.

JS

Bravehearts: The Only Thing We Have to Fear...

It cannot get worse for Bradley basketball.

Ok, that's not true. We could lose to ISWho twice this year. If (when) we do lose to a team that has managed to move up a few spots in the conference this year, I won't feel terrible.

What I do feel terrible about is losing by at least 30 points three different times this season to three different team.

What I feel terrible about is knowing that we have become the laughingstock of the Valley.

What I feel terrible about is knowing that this season is doomed to repeat itself next year.

Uptempo, on and off the court

Geno Ford might be one of the funniest and loosest coaches I've ever had a conversation with. He's funny, genuine, and shoots straight. I wish his team could latch on to that kind of charisma and turn it into points on the board. Geno's positivity on the side lines almost makes me wonder if he's blindly ignorant to his situation—or maybe he's just blind.  He's clapping his guys up and down the floor, never yells during timeouts, and never looks totally disparaged, as far as I can tell.

Why? Because he knows that this is only year one.

The proof is in the pudding

If you want proof that Geno Ford is the guy to fix Bradley,  look at this year's Kent State Team.  The team he assembled is 16-6, including a season-opening win at West Virginia. These guys play under Ford's former assistant, and they also run the same system Ford runs. Did I mention the guy won back-to-back MAC championships? Yes, it's the MAC, a weaker conference, but to win back-to-back means that you can find talent, and then you can mold it. Besides, Norris Cole came out of the MAC and look what he's doing in Miami.

It took him a few years, but Geno Ford can get it done.

"I've failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed." 

The Braves will rise again. They will. Their combined failures will give way to a bold phoenix, ready to spread its wings and whip away the dust and debris of this abysmal season.

But not with this crop of players.

Don't be surprised if five or six guys don't come back next season. At all. We're talking off the team, people. Personally, I'm excited to see Nate Wells and Will Egolf in the post, Walt continue working on his jump shot, and what DSE can do so ball will be in his hands more next season. 

I think we're all excited, really. They can only improve.

Until then, go check out the women's games, and Katie Yohn's passes. Trust me. 

There's always next year, 

K-Mac

Ed. Note: "A bold phoenix"? K-Mac must have been reading the fifth Harry Potter again.

Bravehearts: From the Bottom to...Where?

It's been a rough few days since Bradley endured their worst loss in over 100 years at the hands of Wichita State. However, LitCS correspondent Kevin McClelland says there's still a light at the end of the tunnel for BU.

The Bradley Braves opened up Missouri Valley Conference play Tuesday, and took on the Wichita State Shockers.

Carver Arena had a certain excitement about it—Valley play was opening up; many people had time off between holidays, and in general it was a light atmosphere. While the student section was spartan, the Bradley red was abundant in the crowd.


Unfortunately, the crowd can't get on the floor and make baskets for the Braves, and they desperately needed them.


Bradley shot 25 percent from the field against a Shockers team with more length and depth than the Braves were accustomed to. The only starter to break into double digits was Taylor Brown, although Prosser sniffed at a double double with nine points and nine rebounds.


Our bench got outscored. Our starters were manhandled by their bigs. They changed our shots near the rim. We got out-rebounded, out-hustled, and out-worked, things Coach Ford will likely address at practice.


But even after this paltry performance, I have no doubt that Carver will be packed when the Braves take on the Salukis January 3. It should be a ghost town—Southern is the only team in the Valley with a worse record that Bradley—but Peorians have shown some mix of resiliency and hope, now that the "Jim Les Era" is over and Geno Ford has introduced some offense besides the three-man weave.


They've seen the mediocre teams that followed the Sweet Sixteen run, but they remember that Sweet Sixteen team and tasted a bit of what the NCAA tournament can do for the program, the school and the community. That taste hasn't yet been washed away by the bitterness of those losing seasons, and they know something else is on the horizon.


It just may take awhile to see the sun after all this darkness, and I'm sure Bradley basketball fans won't forget that any time soon.


KDM

Kevin McClelland is a longtime resident of the Ohio city colloquially known as "Believeland". Follow him on Twitter @K_D_McClelland.

Bravehearts: Bradley Women vs. Iowa

Two years ago, you would be hard-pressed to say, "We still have a chance to win this game even if Katie Yohn doesn't score 20 points." Very hard-pressed. Even a year ago it would have been a stretch of the imagination.

To say Bradley could win if she scored less than 15? Crazy. Chalk up that 'L' and take it home.

That's exactly what happened Saturday night at the Renaissance Coliseum. Yohn struggled (by her standards) once again, and there was the Bradley women's basketball team, hooting and yelling as the final buzzer sounded on a 96-88 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes.

One more time: 96-88.


Never mind the torrid Bradley offense: a women's college basketball game that saw one team score more than 90 points and only win by eight? That's a Christmas miracle of it's own accord.

Considering this was the first women's game of the season I had a chance to see, I'll go ahead and call myself "the key to victory." Why not?

Three-mendous


Imagine a glass case with liquid suspended inside, precariously balanced on a fulcrum. The liquid shifts back and forth endlessly, moving toward one end, then toward the other. Sometimes, the case never settles on one side, but most of the time, the liquid moves inexorably in one direction as the case finally drops to the surface.

The case in a liquid is a mirror of a good basketball game. One team makes a run before the game settles to a medium, then the other team pushes back. That's what Bradley and Iowa went through for the first half of their game Saturday night. The Braves shot better and hit more threes than the Hawkeyes, but Iowa controlled the glass and only trailed by six at the break.

The Hawkeyes picked up two quick baskets after the half, and even after a Kelsey Budd jumper from the arc, Bradley's lead had shrunk to three points.

Then the liquid in the case became a flood of points.

Budd hit another three, then a jump shot. Shronda Butts connected for three, then three more. Budd hit another distance J, followed by Kelly Frings and Yohn. With more than seven minutes to go in the game, Bradley led 74-55.

As I tweeted to Hayden Shaver, it was as if we had morphed into one giant Kyle Korver.

On the run again


When I first came to Peoria, the Bradley men's basketball team had just shocked the world by beating Kansas and Pittsburgh in the NCAA tournament. A large part of that was due to Patrick O'Bryant sonning the mess out of Aaron Gray, but the glue turning the Bradley wheels was in the person of their three-guard lineup. In 2006-07, that lineup was anchored by Daniel Ruffin (the Speedster), Will Franklin (the Slasher) and Jeremy Crouch (the Shooter).

The days of Jim Les and the three-man weave are gone from Carver Arena, but it seems his philosophy might have been passed on to Coach Buscher and the women's team.

Kelsey Budd's defining sequence Saturday was not one of her three that totaled 31 points. It was a call that didn't go her way: on a Braves turnover, Iowa was out in transition looking at an easy layup. Budd raced back alone, cut off the right side of the rim, and blocked the shot. She was called for an anticipatory foul (don't get me started on the officiating that night), but the message was clear as Kevin McClelland's announcer voice: no easy baskets.

Shronda Butts did not impress me at the Red-White Scrimmage, to tell you the truth. I thought she would be coming off the bench in favor of the quicker and taller Michelle Young. Butts, however, dropped 18 points against Iowa and showed an ability to get to the hoop and draw contact at will. She's not a true point guard and was more comfortable at the shooting guard spot, but the always-dangerous left-hander will be effective slashing to the hoop this season.

Katie Yohn has been cold lately, according to my boy Clark Benjamin, but she is still the main threat for Bradley. Remember, before this game, Budd's career high was 12 points. Katie hit a few shots and might be getting back into a rhythm, and she can still play solid perimeter defense (when she doesn't gamble for steals, of course). Having Katie put up 18 points on a minimum of shots spells victory for Bradley.

The Grades


Offense: A. The passing was the only problem; too many interior passes were stolen, especially in the second half. Bradley had eight turnovers at the half; they finished with 19. But what can you say about 96 points?

Defense: C-. The Braves had no answer for Iowa's Morgan Johnson, who led all scorers with 37 points, most of those on easy slip-screen layups. The Braves need to do a better job rotating in the post to contest those shots or deny the entry pass.

Atmosphere: C+. "Cram the Coliseum"? I doubt it was half-full. The women's basketball team has outperformed the men in the past few years, but you wouldn't know it from the fan support. This team deserves to get a better showing now that they're back on campus, period. If more fans don't show up at their next game, then Bradley fans don't really care about their school's basketball teams. Print it.

The Bradley women's basketball team is not a juggernaut, but their record is 8-3 with two weeks to go before the conference season begins. Coach Buscher has built a balanced team of perimeter shooters, post players (Leah Kassing didn't get lost in the shuffle, posting 10 points and outrebounding the taller Johnson 10-8) and bench contributors. The Braves have three more games at home before they go on the road again. I'll be there for all of them and I'd better see the cheap seats filled when I get there.
Otherwise you're going to miss out on the surprise team of the season. Let me spell it out for you:

"Northern Iowa, ISU: we comin' for you, baby!"

See you in the cheap seats.

JS

Bravehearts V1E4: Bradley vs. SEMO

And that's why grown men play the game.

In case you didn't know Braves fans, I'll let you know: it won't get any easier.

There will be more games like this. They will be stomach-turning. You'll lose your voice from screaming, whether your anger is directed towards the television, the opposing players or the referees. The wins will be as draining as the losses, and the losses will be worse than losing could ever be.

What we do know is the Bradley Braves will play until the absolute last tenth of a second has ticked away. It came down to that last tenth of a second yesterday night for victory to be assured, but when the buzzer sounded, the Braves had come out on top against Southeast Missouri State.

For the time being, we can breathe a sigh of relief and quote those tongue-in-cheek "Bradley Football" t-shirts:

Still Undefeated.

Final Score: Bradley 66, SEMO 65


I won't lie, I didn't take notes at this one. Anything I wrote would have become a jumble of lines on the page with some barely decipherable phrases: "Hayden...ugly shot...no free wings...Jake BEASTMAN...Okenna does look like Ewing...oooh, Dyricus' leg is...GIMME THAT BALL!" It wasn't as big as the Wisconsin game will be next weekend or the Illinois State game in January, but this was the first real game on campus since before the student body was born and the place was full (at least until halftime. More on that later.)

Suffice it to say I lost my voice before five minutes had ticked away in the first half. If you haven't been to the Coliseum yet, disregard the silly name and GO. The building is loud, not as loud as the Fieldhouse was, but loud. There is not a bad seat in the place, and the women's team will be making noise this year.

Now that we're done with that shameless plug, the grades:

Offense: B-. Once again, there were signs, but they came in spurts. Jordan Prosser had a rugged 15 points and seven boards while taking a beating from SEMO's bigs, while Dyricus Simms-Edwards and Walt Lemon, Jr. scored 13 and 11, respectively. The outside shooting was on for the Braves (5-12 from the arc, two of those from my man Shayok Shayok) and give credit to Jake Eastman (five points, a trey, five assists and five boards in 25 minutes) for giving the Braves a great lift off the bench. The team shot well at 55 percent, but 14 turnovers is too many, especially when most of them came on lost balls on drives to the basket.

Defense: B+. Bradley is going to get hurt on defense in the paint. They're just too small with Egolf out. SEMO showed a lot of hustle and either tipped or took away rebounds from the Braves on multiple occasions and turned them into 12 second-chance points. The Redhawks also exploited Bradley down low on backcuts to the basket and on drive-and-kick plays against the zone. But Bradley held SEMO without a free thew for the last minute and a half of the game, and two sequences ended up giving them a win: Eastman grabbing the rebound of Marland Smith's missed free throw (which would have made it a three-point game), and Charonn Woods' full-court, one-on-one defense and contest on Marcus Brister's desperation jumper (see Kirk Wessler's blog at the Journal Star website).


Atmosphere: A. I might be biased, but the band put in work. The cheerleaders and dance team did a great job with their routines, and the cheerleaders especially kept to the throwback theme by wearing uniforms from different eras of Bradley sports. However, this grade rests on the shoulders of the fans. I'll say it again: the place was LOUD. The fans, who have an average age of 45, got into this one. The students weren't the only ones making themselves heard. I would have deducted for the portion of students that took off after halftime, but they don't matter. The fans wanted this one and showed it.




This season won't be an easy ride. The ballclub is eventually going to have to take a few tough losses to effectively bond. The conference schedule is miles away, but some tough foes are waiting. Still, the Braves now know they can win games like this and they know what they have to do to win games like this. Doesn't make for immediate success, but it will make things very interesting when January rolls around.

You hear that, Northern Iowa?


It's BRADLEY, SON.

See you in the cheap seats.

JS

Bravehearts, V1 Issue 2: Bradley Vs. College of Wooster

Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect from Bradley Tuesday night.

We've already gone over the facts of the upcoming season: Will Egolf's season-ending injury, brand new coach, brand new system, coming off an awful year, picked to finish last in the conference. After the pregame was finished and the lineups were announced, there was one more wrinkle to consternate Braves fans: two starting freshmen.

Yes, the fair-haired giant Nate Wells and Shayok Shayok (come on, say it out loud, it's so much fun) were in the starting lineup for Bradley in their final exhibition game against Division III College of Wooster. Even more unexpected, Jordan Prosser was out after emergency visit to the dentist. 

Note: Disregard the basketball game for a second: wouldn't that just mess up your week? Emergency dental work and you've got to be at practice the next day, playing the post, getting fouled, probably take a couple of shots in the mouth. Lousy.

Final: Bradley 81, CoW 71

I've heard the same thing from a lot of older Bradley fans this preseason, including myself: "I remember when we used to blow out the teams in these exhibition games." Yessir, Will Franklin, Daniel Ruffin and Zach Andrews would run, juke and dunk all over teams from the lower division when they came to Carver Arena years ago. Too bad those days are over. This game was a bit of a test for the team's newcomers and it will be a good while before Mean Geno and the boys are running all over preseason foes in preparation for the season.

That being said, the Braves displayed some of the talents that were criminally overlooked in the preseason ballots. Dyricus Simms-Edwards is in his third year on the Hilltop and has had to grow up quickly following Sam Maniscalco's injury and the departures of Manny, Dodie Dunson and "The Only One" Andrew Warren. Instead of faltering or stepping back, DSE has taken on a leadership role in this team while dramatically improving his game. Tuesday night was no exception. He was the first man in the huddle on stoppages in play and he was visibly upset when he connected on his first outside shot with eight minutes to go in the first half.

Dyricus has always had the ability to drive and finish, and after putting in work in the weight room, he can now score and absorb contact. He finished the half with a contorted scoop nearly underneath the basket after taking a shove from two of Wooster's big men, and he squeezed through three bodies for a lefty layup when it seemed there was no clear path to the hole. Not to put stars in your eyes, but he's starting to remind me of this guy...

Note DSE changed his jersey number to "1". Coincidence?

On the other side of the floor, Walt Lemon Jr. was incredibly impressive. Anonymous sources told me Walt shoots 200 threes and 100 free throws after every practice, and it showed. Walt came in last year with hops, speed and a suspect jump shot; Tuesday, Lemon hit three treys in the first half alone and sank both free throws after a foul. If he can consistently hit that jumper, no one in the conference will be able to guard him one-on-one. With his and Dyricus' abilities on offense and defense, they are a top-3 guard tandem in the MVC. Maybe the best in the conference.

Highlights: 3-2 zone defense that was in at the R-W Scrimmage looks to be a staple of the Ford Era; pays dividends with a Taylor Brown steal and two-handed jam...Walt Lemon stretches defense with early three-pointers...Jake Eastman plays extended minutes, will be nice off the bench...Shayok Shayok has a Jordan-on-Mercer block, dribbles the length of the court, loses a defender with a behind-the-back dribble and gets fouled on the layup attempt.

Lowlights: Wells has a lot of trouble defending in the post, gets beaten on weak side multiple times...Anthony Thompson has a decent offensive game but gets whistled for two offensive fouls, one 10 seconds after entering...Braves miss four of six FTs in first half...zone defense susceptible in the post; Sticks and Wells beaten on penetration and passes to cutters under the basket.

Did You Notice...the backup point guards? Limestone product Donivine Stewart and St. Louis walk-on Charonn Woods played well off the bench. One turnover for both, and Woods had a great steal and assist late in the first half.

Oh, before I forget...Dyricus had the play of the night midway through the second half as he turned the corner baseline, lost the defender and YAMMMMED ON 'EM for a one-handed dunk.

Grades:

Offense: C+. This is a preseason game against a DIII team and while the Braves were up 15 with three minutes to go, they still showed signs of weakness in halfcourt offense. The ball tended to bog down, and if the defense clogged the lane on drives, the passes weren't going to the perimeter. Even with Walt's new outside game, Bradley is still lacking in jump shooters.

Defense: B. No matter who you play, the defense has to be solid for you to have a chance, and Bradley might have the best perimeter D in the Valley. Dyricus, Walt, Shayok and Lil' Jake are all going to ballhawk at the arc, and Sticks and Nate will use their length to get blocks, change shots and force weak passes. Bradley did get beat on isos in the post (notably Nate), but give the big man time to mature and he'll be a force down low.

Atmosphere: Incomplete. The band was not present at this game (Come on, Dr. Vroman!), but as usual, the stadium music did not live up to the college standard. Half the time you couldn't hear it, the other half, it was super huff. The fans weren't catatonic, but they weren't exactly blowing the roof off. I'll give everyone a pass due to it being an exhibition, but the Bradley fan base needs to step its game up. You can't just fill the house for Illinois State.

So that's that. The Braves finish preseason 2-0 and will do it for real on Sunday against Missouri-Kansas City. I expect Bradley to have a better record than expected through non-conference play and trust me when I say this: this squad will be in their games against Wisconsin and Michigan.

IT'S BRADLEY, SON.

See you in the cheap seats, Bravehearts.

JS