PEORIA — The Bradley Braves face Illinois-Chicago tonight in a rematch of a Missouri Valley Conference game that played out much closer than anyone expected in Chicago on Jan. 11.
The Braves escaped that game with a 61-60 win on a clutch 3-pointer from fifth-year guard Duke Deen with 2.4 seconds left.
2024-25 Missouri Valley: Updated standings
UIC has beaten Illinois State, Drake and Murray State in the Valley, positioning itself as a surprise team that is in the hunt for a first-round bye at Arch Madness in the spring.
Bradley (18-3, 9-1) comes into this contest with five straight wins and 11 wins in its last 12 games. UIC is 13-7 overall and 6-4 in the Valley, with wins in three of its last four games.
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Below are updates from courtside at Carver Arena in Peoria:
| TEAMS | 1st half | 2nd half | — | FINAL |
| UIC | 00 | 00 | — | 00 |
| Bradley | 00 | 00 | — | 00 |
Bradley vs Illinois-Chicago by the numbers
- Kenpom ranking: Bradley No. 81, UIC No. 140
- Kenpom says: Bradley 78, UIC 68 (80%)
- Massey computer says: Bradley 79, UIC 69 (80%)
- NET ranking: Bradley No. 63, UIC No. 115
- CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Ranking: Bradley No. 4.
- MidMajorBasketball.com Mid-Major Ranking: Bradley No. 11
- BracketBustersHoops.com Mid-Major Ranking: Bradley No. 7
- Basketball.realgm.com Mid-Major Rankings: Bradley No. 17
- Preseason poll: Bradley No. 1 in MVC. UIC No. 12 in 12-team MVC
- Records: Bradley 18-3, 8-1, 1st in MVC. UIC 13-7, 6-4, 5th in MVC.
- All-time series: Bradley, 12-2
- Coaches: Bradley, Brian Wardle, 10th year (176-141). UIC, Robert Ehsan, 1st year (13-7)
More:Missouri Valley basketball preseason poll: Bradley basketball picked as favorite
Bravely Speaking
Bradley fifth-year star guard Duke Deen has made a 3-pointer in 24 consecutive games. The Braves program record is 25, set by Will Franklin from Dec. 3, 2006 through March 2, 2007. … Deen has 324 assists in just 91 career games with Bradley. He needs 15 more to lock up a top 15 spot in program history. … Bradley is eighth in the nation in effective field goal percentage (57.7) and first in 3-point shooting (40.6%). … Bradley freshman Jaquan Johnson is third in the MVC in steal with 33. … The Braves bring in a 20-game win streak against teams from Illinois. … Bradley is 71-15 at Carver Arena since 2019-20 and 48-7 in the last three years. … The Braves are 11-1 in games in which Bradley freshman Jaquan Johnson attempts at least two free throws and notches an assist and a steal. … A Bradley victory over UIC would make the Braves 10-1 in the Valley, their second-best start in conference play all-time and best since the 1949-50 team. … Duke Deen and Zek Montgomery, who refer to themselves as “Batman and Robin,” lead the team at 14.2 and 13.6 points per game, respectively. … Guard Javon Jackson leads UIC with 13.0 points per game. … UIC is a team rebuilt from the NCAA transfer portal, with seven new players coming in via the portal for this season. … At 18-3, Bradley’s .857 win percentage is eighth in the NCAA. … UIC is fighting Valley history after being picked to finish last in the preseason poll. Only one team in MVC history has finished in the Top 3 after being picked last in the league’s pre-season poll. Drake, in 2017-18, was picked 10th and tied for third place.
- Date: Jan. 29, 2025
- Time: 7 p.m. CT
- Location: Carver Arena, Peoria, Illinois
Bradley vs UIC will be streaming on ESPN+.
Game lines and odds from Action Network as of Tuesday night:
Record: 18-3, 9-1
- Nov. 4: Bradley 88, Southeast Missouri State 60
- Nov. 8: Washington State 91, Bradley 74
- Nov. 12: Bradley 85, UTSA 72
- Nov. 16: Bradley 76, Northern Illinois 60
- Nov. 21: Bradley 82, Texas State 68
- Nov. 22: Bradley 77, Wright State 74
- Nov. 24: Bradley 80, Middle Tennessee 69
- Nov. 29: Bradley 107, Judson 41
- Dec. 3: Bradley 83, Southern Illinois 60
- Dec. 14: Santa Clara 84, Bradley 74 at Jack Jones Classic
- Dec. 18: Bradley 66, San Francisco 64
- Dec. 21: Bradley 92, Canisius 59
- Dec. 29: Bradley 81, Valparaiso 75 (2 OT)
- Jan. 1: Bradley 90, Indiana State 89 (OT)
- Jan. 4: Bradley 69, Missouri State 60
- Jan. 8: Drake 64, Bradley 57
- Jan. 11: Bradley 61, UIC 60
- Jan. 15: Bradley 118, Indiana State 65
- Jan. 18: Bradley 74, Murray State 61
- Jan. 21: Bradley 89, Belmont 77
- Jan. 25: Bradley 61, Illinois State 57
- Jan. 29: Bradley vs UIC, Carver Arena, Peoria, Illinois, 7 p.m. | ESPN+
- Feb. 2: Bradley at Northern Iowa, McLeod Center, Cedar Falls, Iowa, 3 p.m. | ESPN2/ESPNU | Fubo (free trial available)
- Feb. 5: Bradley vs Belmont, Carver Arena, Peoria, Illinois, 8 p.m. | ESPN+
Buy Bradley basketball tickets this season via StubHub
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men’s basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
Bradley basketball news
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