Bradley facing tough stretch leading up to Valley play
The upcoming run-up to the Missouri Valley Conference season will certainly be challenging for Bradley.
Beginning Friday at home (7:05 p.m.), the Braves take on 8-3 Texas-Arlington, which is fresh from a 14-point road win at then 12th-ranked Saint Mary's. The Mavericks, ranked No. 29 in the RPI, also won at big-brother Texas by 12. UTA was picked to win the Sun Belt Conference this season.
Following for the Braves is a tough road swing to Mississippi on Monday and TCU on Wednesday. Ole Miss, 33rd in the RPI, is 6-3. TCU is 42nd in the RPI at 9-1.
"We've been inconsistent so these games will definitely get us into our groove," said BU guard Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye. "The Missouri Valley is a very competitive conference so this will be a very good test for us."
It starts with Arlington, which returns all five starters from a 24-11 season that resulted in a third-place finish in the Sun Belt and a CIT bid. The Mavs handed Bradley its worst loss of last season 97-61.
The Mavericks are ranked third in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll behind Gonzaga and Wichita State. They lead the nation in rebounding at 43.7, are No. 3 in offensive rebounds at 14.9, 13th in assists at 16.9 and 20th in field-goal percentage defense at 39.6.
"This is a veteran team, a very good passing team and a good offensive team that can really punish you," said BU coach Brian Wardle. "They're very good out in transition. (Point guard Erick) Neal is very good at scoring and distributing the ball. They have a lot of different weapons so we need to know personnel and try to take them out of 2-3 things they like to do."
Another Maverick to watch is 6-foot-9 forward Kevin Hervey. The Sun Belt's preseason Player of the Year is averaging 13.5 points and 6.3 rebounds, leading the team in both categories.
Bradley (5-5) is coming off an 83-48 dismantling of Chicago State, which was averaging 75 points entering the game, but was held to 27 percent shooting.
"We got back on track," Lautier-Ogunleye said. "We had lost our identity a little bit, went back to the drawing board defensively and changed a few things. We were unhappy with how teams had shot percentage-wise against us and the number of points we were giving up. It was good to show we could lock a team down, keeping Chicago State below 50 points."
The defensive key was a much better rotation.
"Guys pressuring the ball had the security that other guys had their back so we could really be aggressive," Lautier-Ogunleye said. "We were in man the whole time, but since we're more into helping, we were more into gaps and it may have looked more like a matchup zone. It's sort of like the Virginia defense where everyone is marking the ball instead of just one person."
Wardle has continued to tinker with his playing rotation, starting nine different guys in the past three games. Eleven players have logged at least nine minutes per contest this season.
It's a trend he doesn't see continuing long-term, but much depends on which players assert themselves on a regular basis.
"I feel comfortable with all 12 of our guys in the game," Wardle said. "As soon as we get more consistency in practice every day and it leads to a game, you'll see more consistency in the rotations. Right now, we're just not consistent enough on a day-to-day basis to find that simple rotation. That's my challenge to these young guys. And I've also told them that a lot will depend on matchups, too."
Those matchups will be tough ones these next three outings.
"These are all NCAA tournament-type teams we have coming up," Wardle said. "We have to play the right way and play disciplined. The details are very important."
VALLEY VIEWS: According to the FanRag Sports website, Wichita State has emerged as a potential basketball-only addition to the American Athletic Conference.
Four separate sources told FanRag Sports that the Shockers were brought up as a potential basketball-only member at the latest league meetings. The AAC, which landed four teams in last year's NCAA tournament (Connecticut, Tulsa, Temple and Cincinnati), was created three years ago.
Other members include Memphis, UCF, SMU, Houston, East Carolina, Tulane and South Florida.
Multiple sources told FanRag Sports that the majority of the league's basketball coaches support the addition of the Shockers.
Gregg Marshall has led Wichita State to five consecutive NCAA tournaments, highlighted by a trip to the 2013 Final Four.
"Adding the Wichita State brand to a league that already has UConn, Cincinnati, Temple, Memphis, Houston and SMU would make that a four-to-five bid conference," one coach told FanRag Sports. "It's a no-brainer for the American."
One source said if the move happens, it wouldn't occur until the 2018-19 season. No word on what happens to the rest of Wichita's sports programs.
The upcoming run-up to the Missouri Valley Conference season will certainly be challenging for Bradley.
Beginning Friday at home (7:05 p.m.), the Braves take on 8-3 Texas-Arlington, which is fresh from a 14-point road win at then 12th-ranked Saint Mary's. The Mavericks, ranked No. 29 in the RPI, also won at big-brother Texas by 12. UTA was picked to win the Sun Belt Conference this season.
Following for the Braves is a tough road swing to Mississippi on Monday and TCU on Wednesday. Ole Miss, 33rd in the RPI, is 6-3. TCU is 42nd in the RPI at 9-1.
"We've been inconsistent so these games will definitely get us into our groove," said BU guard Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye. "The Missouri Valley is a very competitive conference so this will be a very good test for us."
It starts with Arlington, which returns all five starters from a 24-11 season that resulted in a third-place finish in the Sun Belt and a CIT bid. The Mavs handed Bradley its worst loss of last season 97-61.
The Mavericks are ranked third in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll behind Gonzaga and Wichita State. They lead the nation in rebounding at 43.7, are No. 3 in offensive rebounds at 14.9, 13th in assists at 16.9 and 20th in field-goal percentage defense at 39.6.
"This is a veteran team, a very good passing team and a good offensive team that can really punish you," said BU coach Brian Wardle. "They're very good out in transition. (Point guard Erick) Neal is very good at scoring and distributing the ball. They have a lot of different weapons so we need to know personnel and try to take them out of 2-3 things they like to do."
Another Maverick to watch is 6-foot-9 forward Kevin Hervey. The Sun Belt's preseason Player of the Year is averaging 13.5 points and 6.3 rebounds, leading the team in both categories.
Bradley (5-5) is coming off an 83-48 dismantling of Chicago State, which was averaging 75 points entering the game, but was held to 27 percent shooting.
"We got back on track," Lautier-Ogunleye said. "We had lost our identity a little bit, went back to the drawing board defensively and changed a few things. We were unhappy with how teams had shot percentage-wise against us and the number of points we were giving up. It was good to show we could lock a team down, keeping Chicago State below 50 points."
The defensive key was a much better rotation.
"Guys pressuring the ball had the security that other guys had their back so we could really be aggressive," Lautier-Ogunleye said. "We were in man the whole time, but since we're more into helping, we were more into gaps and it may have looked more like a matchup zone. It's sort of like the Virginia defense where everyone is marking the ball instead of just one person."
Wardle has continued to tinker with his playing rotation, starting nine different guys in the past three games. Eleven players have logged at least nine minutes per contest this season.
It's a trend he doesn't see continuing long-term, but much depends on which players assert themselves on a regular basis.
"I feel comfortable with all 12 of our guys in the game," Wardle said. "As soon as we get more consistency in practice every day and it leads to a game, you'll see more consistency in the rotations. Right now, we're just not consistent enough on a day-to-day basis to find that simple rotation. That's my challenge to these young guys. And I've also told them that a lot will depend on matchups, too."
Those matchups will be tough ones these next three outings.
"These are all NCAA tournament-type teams we have coming up," Wardle said. "We have to play the right way and play disciplined. The details are very important."
VALLEY VIEWS: According to the FanRag Sports website, Wichita State has emerged as a potential basketball-only addition to the American Athletic Conference.
Four separate sources told FanRag Sports that the Shockers were brought up as a potential basketball-only member at the latest league meetings. The AAC, which landed four teams in last year's NCAA tournament (Connecticut, Tulsa, Temple and Cincinnati), was created three years ago.
Other members include Memphis, UCF, SMU, Houston, East Carolina, Tulane and South Florida.
Multiple sources told FanRag Sports that the majority of the league's basketball coaches support the addition of the Shockers.
Gregg Marshall has led Wichita State to five consecutive NCAA tournaments, highlighted by a trip to the 2013 Final Four.
"Adding the Wichita State brand to a league that already has UConn, Cincinnati, Temple, Memphis, Houston and SMU would make that a four-to-five bid conference," one coach told FanRag Sports. "It's a no-brainer for the American."
One source said if the move happens, it wouldn't occur until the 2018-19 season. No word on what happens to the rest of Wichita's sports programs.
