2020–21 Bradley Braves men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Bradley Braves men's basketball team represented Bradley University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Braves, led by sixth-year head coach Brian Wardle, play their home games at Carver Arena in Peoria, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. In a season limited by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Braves finished the season 12–16, 6–12 in MVC play to finish in eighth place. They lost to Southern Illinois in the first round of the MVC tournament.

2020–21 Bradley Braves men's basketball
Conference	Missouri Valley Conference
Record	12–16 (6–12 MVC)
Head coach	Brian Wardle (6th season)
Assistant coaches	Drew Adams Mike Bargen Jimmie Foster
Home arena	Carver Arena

2020–21 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 17 Loyola Chicago †	16	–	2		.889			26	–	5		.839
Drake	15	–	3		.833			26	–	5		.839
Missouri State	12	–	6		.667			17	–	7		.708
Indiana State	11	–	7		.611			15	–	10		.600
Evansville	7	–	11		.389			9	–	16		.360
Valparaiso	7	–	11		.389			10	–	18		.357
Northern Iowa	7	–	11		.389			10	–	15		.400
Bradley	6	–	12		.333			12	–	16		.429
Southern Illinois	5	–	13		.278			12	–	14		.462
Illinois State	4	–	14		.222			7	–	18		.280
† 2021 MVC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Braves finished the 2019–20 season 23–11, 11–7 in MVC play to finish in a tie for third place. They defeated Southern Illinois, Drake, and Valparaiso to win the MVC tournament for the second consecutive year. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. However, the NCAA Tournament was thereafter canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Offseason

2020 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jayson Kent #20 SG	Oak Forest, IL	Oak Forest High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Apr 1, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Connor Linke #34 PF	St. Charles, IL	St. Charles North High School	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Oct 27, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Darius Hannah #35 PF	Milwaukee, WI	Milwaukee Academy of Science	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Sep 24, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: –   Rivals: –
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Bradley Commit List for 2020". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 31, 2020. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 31, 2020.

Roster

2020–21 Bradley Braves men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Danya Kingsby (S) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Hamilton HS Southern Idaho Milwaukee, WI C 1 Ari Boya 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Jr Scotland Prep Douala, Cameroon G 2 Antonio Thomas 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So East HS Memphis, TN G 4 Terry Nolan, Jr. (S) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Jr Our Lady of Mount Carmel HS George Washington Baltimore, MD G 5 Sean East II 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Combine Academy UMass Louisville, KY F 10 Elijah Childs (S) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Lee's Summit West HS Kansas City, MO G/F 14 Riley Burger 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Totino-Grace HS Orono, MN G/F 20 Jayson Kent 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Oak Forest HS Oak Forest, IL G 21 Kevin McAdoo 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Jr West Bloomfield HS Eastern Michigan Pontiac, MI F 22 Ja'Shon Henry 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Athol Murray College of Notre Dame Saskatoon, Saskatchewan G 23 Ville Tahvanainen 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Helsinki Basketball Academy Helsinki, Finland F 25 Thomas Hall (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Metamora Township HS Metamora, IL F 34 Connor Linke 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr St. Charles North HS St. Charles, IL F 35 Darius Hannah 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Milwaukee Academy of Science Milwaukee, WI F 51 Rienk Mast 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Fr Donar Groningen Groningen, Netherlands	Head coach Brian Wardle (Marquette) Assistant coach(es) Drew Adams (Tennessee) Mike Bargen (Marquette) Jimmie Foster (South Dakota) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: December 31, 2020

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 25, 2020* 2:00 pm		vs. Toledo Xavier Invitational	W 61–59	0–1	Cintas Center (111) Cincinnati, OH
November 26, 2020* 11:00 am		at Xavier Xavier Invitational	L 50–51	1–1	Cintas Center (300) Cincinnati, OH
November 27, 2020* 2:00 pm		vs. Oakland Xavier Invitational	W 74–60	2–1	Cintas Center (58) Cincinnati, OH
December 1, 2020* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Judson	W 105–32	3–1	Carver Arena (0) Peoria, IL
December 4, 2020* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		South Dakota State	L 84–88	3–2	Carver Arena (0) Peoria, IL
December 5, 2020* 2:00 pm, ESPN3		Saint Joseph's	Canceled due to COVID-19 issues		Carver Arena  Peoria, IL
December 7, 2020* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Lewis	W 95–62	4–2	Carver Arena (0) Peoria, IL
December 17, 2020* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Jackson State	W 83–60	5–2	Carver Arena (0) Peoria, IL
December 19, 2020* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Miami (OH)	W 69–68	6–2	Carver Arena (0) Peoria, IL
December 22, 2020* 6:00 pm, SECN		at No. 14 Missouri	L 53–54	6–3	Mizzou Arena (2,956) Columbia, MO
Missouri Valley Conference regular season
January 10, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN+		at Northern Iowa	L 72–78	6–4 (0–1)	McLeod Center (708) Cedar Falls, IA
January 11, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Northern Iowa	W 75–73	7–4 (1–1)	McLeod Center (608) Cedar Falls, IA
January 16, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN3		Evansville	W 69–60	8–4 (2–1)	Carver Arena  Peoria, IL
January 17, 2021  ESPN3		Evansville	W 86–55	9–4 (3–1)	Carver Arena  Peoria, IL
January 20, 2021 8:00 pm, ESPN3		Illinois State	L 56–71	9–5 (3–2)	Carver Arena  Peoria, IL
January 24, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN+		Loyola	L 56–69	9–6 (3–3)	Carver Arena  Peoria, IL
January 25, 2021 6:00 pm, CBSSN		Loyola	L 58–65	9–7 (3–4)	Carver Arena  Peoria, IL
January 28, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN3		at Valparaiso	L 85–91 2OT	9–8 (3–5)	Athletics–Recreation Center (77) Valparaiso, IN
January 31, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN3		at Indiana State	L 57–60	9–9 (3–6)	Hulman Center (75) Terre Haute, IN
February 1, 2021 4:00 pm, ESPN3		at Indiana State	L 55–67	9–10 (3–7)	Hulman Center (75) Terre Haute, IN
February 6, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN3		Southern Illinois	W 74–66	10–10 (4–7)	Carver Arena  Peoria, IL
February 7, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN3		Southern Illinois	L 68–69	10–11 (4–8)	Carver Arena  Peoria, IL
February 10, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPN3		at Valparaiso	W 76–52	11–11 (5–8)	Athletics–Recreation Center (88) Valparaiso, IN
February 13, 2021 5:00 pm, ESPN+		at Missouri State	L 58–80	11–12 (5–9)	JQH Arena (1,372) Springfield, MO
February 14, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN+		at Missouri State	L 57–72	11–13 (5–10)	JQH Arena (801) Springfield, MO
February 18, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN+		Illinois State	L 71–88	11–14 (5–11)	Carver Arena  Peoria, IL
February 26, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN+		Drake	L 71–80	11–15 (5–12)	Carver Arena  Peoria, IL
February 27, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN+		Drake	W 67–61	12–15 (6–12)	Carver Arena  Peoria, IL
MVC tournament
March 4, 2021 5:00 pm, ESPN+	(8)	vs. (9) Southern Illinois First round	L 63–73	12–16	Enterprise Center  St. Louis, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

Source