Braves full strength for CBI opportunity

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- Bradley basketball players have differing reasons for being excited about tonight's College Basketball Invitational game against Cincinnati at Carver Arena (6 p.m., College Sports Midwest).

For Matt Salley, it's the chance for the Braves to prove themselves against a team from a power conference as they did in last year's NIT against Providence.

For Jeremy Crouch and Daniel Ruffin, it's the chance to play at least one more game in front of the home fans.

And for Andrew Warren, it's just the chance to play again, period.

The 6-foot-5 sophomore guard, who missed the last five games after breaking his left hand Feb. 16 against Creighton, will wear a protective pad on the hand and lace 'em up.

"I'm a couple of weeks from being 100 percent, but I could give us 25 or 30 minutes," Warren said. "I haven't gotten too much out of shape because I could still run and ride the bike (during his rehab)."

Warren said sitting out was far more stressful than playing.

"Now I know why Coach (Jim) Les has a full head of gray hair," he said. "The Drake game, my first one out, I was pacing up and down my apartment, sweating. It hurt me because I couldn't be there with the guys. I hope I don't have to sit out again because I don't know if I can take it anymore."

It's been that kind of year for the Braves, who have endured 13 games this season with at least one starter shelved because of injury or suspension.

But the 12 days since their elimination from the Missouri Valley Conference tournament have allowed Bradley to become as full strength as it's been since a season-best six-game winning streak from Jan. 18-Feb. 6.

Bradley is 12-5 in the 17 games both Ruffin and Warren have been healthy. In the nine games BU has played at home with everybody available, the Braves are 8-1, losing only in the final seconds to then ninth-ranked Michigan State.

Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin couldn't be reached Tuesday, but he told the Cincinnati Enquirer the 13-18 Bearcats, who dropped their final six games, were excited to continue the season.

"If you're a competitor and people ask you if you want to play, your answer is going to be, 'Yeah, absolutely,' " he said. "The mission of the CBI is to get the best teams regardless of record. But you don't know if they really mean that until they stepped up and did it. It's a step forward for us. We're going to play."

And he's aware of the Braves' unique style of play.

"They lead the Missouri Valley in scoring, assists, steals and 3-point shots made," he told the newspaper. "It'll be a challenge for us to be able to defend them."

Bradley will have its hands full as well. Guard Deonta Vaughn's 17.1 scoring average ranks fifth in the Big East.

And the 6-foot-3 Indianapolis native is a money player at the end of games, averaging 7.1 points in the last 10 minutes of contests while making a remarkable 51 percent of his shots during those pressure-packed minutes.

Forward John Williamson has picked up his game of late to complement Vaughn. The 6-6 Williamson has averaged 16.2 points in his last nine games.

Plus, the Bearcats are a strong rebounding club, averaging 3.2 more than their opponents in the rugged conference that landed eight NCAA tournament bids.

"At the beginning of the season, this (tournament) wasn't where we wanted to be," said Crouch. "But it's a great opportunity to play one more time for Bradley and one more time before our fans."

 

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Bradley relies on guards vs. UC



Bradley coach Jim Les has been waiting for a month to get all his starters back, so when he talked Tuesday about finally having everyone healthy, he did so with a degree of superstitious reluctance.

"Whenever we get back to full strength, another shoe drops," Les said.

The final piece of the puzzle for the Braves, as they attempt to restore their starting lineup, is the return of shooting guard Andrew Warren, who has missed the team's last five games because of a broken hand.


Warren is expected to play tonight when Bradley (17-15) takes on Cincinnati (13-18) in the first round of the inaugural Collegiate Basketball Invitational at Carver Arena. Warren, who averages 13.1 points per game, is one of five Bradley scorers in double figures.

He completes a trio of guards, along with Jeremy Crouch (15.8 points per game) and point guard Daniel Ruffin (14.8), who provide the Braves with a potent perimeter scoring attack. Crouch was the national co-leader in 3-point field-goal percentage a year ago.

"They're not like a typical team that we've seen in the Big East," said UC coach Mick Cronin. "They don't have size. They're not physical in the paint the way Big East teams are. But they do steal the ball and they do pressure you. It'll be a different style than what we've been playing."

Bradley is 12-5 this season when both Ruffin and Warren have played.

"We go as our guards go," Les said.

Bradley relies heavily on Ruffin, its 5-foot-10 senior point guard who is the second player in Missouri Valley Conference history to score 1,200 points and record 600 assists in his career. Ruffin has missed nine games due to either injury or suspension.

"Daniel is the consummate point guard," Les said. "He makes the other players around him better, but he's also a guy who, when we need him to, can score the basketball. He's also a very good defender and sets the tone defensively."

Like Cronin, Les welcomes the opportunity for his team to play in the postseason.

Two years ago, Bradley was in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Last year, the Braves played in the National Invitation Tournament. They won 22 games in each of those years.

But this season, largely because of injuries, they have not been able to play the way they hoped they would. The CBI gives them that opportunity.

"I know our seniors are excited about the chance to put on the uniform again," Les said. "The fact that we get a Big East opponent in our building, for all those reasons, I like (the CBI). When the tournament is over, I'll be able to assess it a little better."

Theoretically, Les agrees with Cronin that college basketball needs to work to increase postseason opportunities the way football has done with all the added bowl games in recent years.

"If we're going to make that statement, I know this is new and maybe doesn't have a reputation yet, but you've got to take the plunge," Les said. "You've got to be excited to be in and do what you can to make it work."

Despite the newness of this tournament, Les said there is a buzz around the program because the Braves' opponent is UC, which played Bradley regularly in the MVC until the Bearcats left the league in 1970.

Their most recent meeting, in 1981, produced a seven-overtime 75-73 UC win, the longest game in college basketball history. And Bradley's 91-90 win over UC in 1960 at old Robertson Fieldhouse was designated the greatest game in Bradley history by a vote of fans in 2002-03.

Bearcats great Oscar Robertson was 0-3 at the old gym, which is scheduled to be torn down within the next few weeks.

"Cincinnati carries a tremendous name in this community from back in the days when they were in the Valley," Les said. "People are enjoying the matchup because of the nostalgia."