Bradley Braves
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Seed: #
Big Wins: 11/28 vs
Bad Losses: 12/7
Coach: Jim Les
Why They Can Surprise:
Bradley has hovered around the middle of the Missouri Valley Conference for the last few years, but they continue to do well enough to make some sort of postseason. This year the success has been on the shoulders of Andrew Warren. The 6-5 junior is a great outside shooter, but he will use his size to attack the basket as well and does a wonderful job finishing above the rim.
At 6-4, Chris Roberts is also a big guard. He will do a little bit of everything for the Braves and has been an invaluable piece of the puzzle. He is a decent outside shooter, but he will score in other ways as well. More importantly he is a great defender and a fine passer and rebounder. Freshman Dyricus Simms-Edwards has earned a handful of starts this season. He has only eclipsed the ten point mark on three occasions during the season, but two of those were in late February and the youngster is playing his best basketball right now. However, he is not much of a rebounder and when Warren or Roberts have to spend time at the four spot, this is a team that struggles on the glass.
Why They Can Disappoint:
And while Warren and Roberts are fine rebounders for guards, they need help from the frontcourt. Will Egolf is the starter under the basket. At 6-9 and 232 pounds he can be an imposing figure on the defensive end and he will occasionally have decent offensive outputs, but he is not a strong rebounder. Taylor Brown is a strong rebounder and the second best scorer on the team. However, Brown has been in and out of Coach Jim Les’ doghouse and his production dropped off significantly during the conference tournament after scoring a season high 27 points in the regular season finale. This is a team that needs Brown on the floor for at least 30 minutes, whether he starts or not, in order to provide a dynamic scoring threat and help out on the glass. The other option in the paint is Sam Singh, but he averages less than 15 minutes per game and is pretty much around to eat up some fouls and grab some boards when Egolf needs a break.
Who To Watch:
Sam Maniscalco is who makes the offense go. His 3.4 assists and 1.8 turnovers are impressive and it is his job to set up the scorers. Yet, this team can lack scorers at times, especially when Brown is out, so Maniscalco will often take matters into his own hands and score himself. He is a capable outside shooter and is very aggressive attacking the basket. If Bradley wants to have some postseason success, Maniscalco needs to keep the offense moving and spearhead Bradley’s defensive efforts.
Probable Starters:
Sam Maniscalco, Junior, Guard, 13.1 ppg, 3.4 apg
Dyricus Simms-Edwards, Freshman, Guard, 5.4 ppg, 1.7 apg
Andrew Warren, Junior, Guard, 14.4 ppg, 1.5 apg, 4.5 rpg
Chris Roberts, Senior, Guard, 9.2 ppg, 2.2 apg, 4.6 rpg
Will Egolf, Sophomore, Center, 7.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Taylor Brown, Sophomore, Forward, 13.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg
Jake Eastman, Freshman, Guard, 2.9 ppg, 1.5 rpg
Eddren McCain, Sophomore, Guard, 1.9 ppg, 1.8 apg
Sam Singh, Senior, Center, 1.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 67.5 (209th in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 67.4 (160, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.9 (152, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.1 (72, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.0 (184, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.6 (100, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.4 (23, 5)
Rebound Margin: -2.0 (249, 8)
Assists Per Game: 11.9 (242, 7)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.0 (47, 4)
Joel’s Bracket Says:
