2017–18 Bradley Braves men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Bradley Braves men's basketball team represented Bradley University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Braves, led by third-year head coach Brian Wardle, played their home games at Carver Arena in Peoria, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 20–13, 9–9 in MVC play to finish in fifth place. They defeated Drake in the first round of the MVC tournament before losing to Loyola–Chicago in the quarterfinals.

2017–18 Bradley Braves men's basketball
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Record20–13 (9–9 MVC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Drew Adams
  • Mike Bargen
  • Jimmie Foster
Home arenaCarver Arena
Seasons
2017–18 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Loyola Chicago 15 3   .833 32 6   .842
Southern Illinois 11 7   .611 20 13   .606
Illinois State 10 8   .556 18 15   .545
Drake 10 8   .556 17 17   .500
Bradley 9 9   .500 20 13   .606
Indiana State 8 10   .444 13 18   .419
Missouri State 7 11   .389 18 15   .545
Evansville 7 11   .389 17 15   .531
Northern Iowa 7 11   .389 16 16   .500
Valparaiso 6 12   .333 15 17   .469
2018 MVC tournament winner

Previous season

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The Braves finished the 2016–17 season 13–20, 7–11 in MVC play to finish in a tie for sixth place. As the No. 7 seed in the MVC tournament, they defeated Drake[1] in the first round before losing to Wichita State in the quarterfinals.[2]

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Lou Griffith 0 G 5'9" 155 Freshman Washington, IL Walk-on; transferred to Lincoln
Ronnie Suggs 2 G 6'6" 190 Sophomore Washington, MO Transferred to Missouri
Jerome Merritt 20 F 6'5" 210 Freshman Houston, TX Transferred to College of Central Florida
Alex Foster 34 F 6'8" 230 RS Junior Joliet, IL Transferred to Albany

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Luqman Lundy 2 G 6'4" 200 Junior Newark, NJ Junior college transferred from Northern Oklahoma College

2017 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Elijah Childs
SF
Lee's Summit, MO Lee's Summit West High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Aug 16, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: N/A
Ryan Stipanovich
SF
Saint Louis, MO De Smet Jesuit High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Aug 16, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    RivalsN/A   247Sports:     ESPN grade: N/A
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 2017". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  • "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  • "ESPN – Bradley Braves Basketball Recruiting 2017". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.

Source[3]

Preseason

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In the conference's preseason poll, the Braves were picked to finish in seventh place in the MVC.[4] Sophomore guard Darrell Brown was named to the preseason All-MVC second team.[4]

Roster

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2017–18 Bradley Braves men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 1 Donte Thomas 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Thornwood HS Calumet City, IL
G 2 Luqman Lundy 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Mays HS
Northern Oklahoma College
Edgewater, NJ
G 3 Antoine Pittman 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Auburn HS Rockford, IL
G 5 Darrell Brown 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Germantown HS Memphis, TN
F 10 Elijah Childs 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Lee's Summit West HS Kansas City, MO
C 12 Koch Bar 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Arlington County Day School, FL Abyei, South Sudan
F 13 Luuk van Bree 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Canarias Basketball Academy Venray, Netherlands
F 14 Peter Hanley (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Notre Dame HS Peoria, IL
G/F 21 Ryan Stipanovich 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr De Smet Jesuit HS St. Louis, MO
G 23 Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Bristol Academy Flyers London, England
G 24 JoJo McGlaston 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Sr Dublin HS
Diablo Valley College
Dublin, CA
G 25 Nate Kennell 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Metamora Township HS Metamora, IL
F 30 Callum Barker 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Notre Dame Prep Hobart, Australia
G 35 Jayden Hodgson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So UCSSC Lake Ginninderra Gosford, Australia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 26, 2017*
7:00 pm
Lewis W 71–58 
 12  Brown   6  Childs   6  Brown  Renaissance Coliseum 
Peoria, IL
Nov 1, 2017*
7:00 pm
Robert Morris (IL) W 87–57 
 17  Lautier-Ogunleye   8  Childs   4  Tied  Carver Arena (4,248)
Peoria, IL
Non-conference regular season
Nov 11, 2017*
1:00 pm, ESPN3
IUPUI W 68–53  1–0
 19  Kennell   11  Lautier-Ogunleye   4  Tied  Carver Arena (4,936)
Peoria, IL
Nov 14, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Delaware W 61–53  2–0
 15  Van Bree   10  Thomas   3  Tied  Carver Arena (4,556)
Peoria, IL
Nov 17, 2017*
10:00 am
vs. Vermont
The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase quarterfinals
L 64–65  2–1
 12  3 tied   11  Childs   3  Lautier-Oguenleye  Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium (334)
Nassau, Bahamas
Nov 18, 2017*
10:00 am
vs. UTSA
The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase consolation round
W 71–69  3–1
 18  Thomas   7  Tied   3  Tied  Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium (247)
Nassau, Bahamas
Nov 19, 2017*
1:00 pm
vs. Weber State
The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase 5th-place game
W 70–64  4–1
 23  Brown   8  Thomas   3  3 tied  Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium (312)
Nassau, Bahamas
Nov 22, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Missouri S&T
The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase campus game
W 79–47  5–1
 18  Kennell   8  Tied   7  Brown  Carver Arena (4,655)
Peoria, IL
Nov 25, 2017*
1:00 pm, ESPN3
Georgia Southern W 62–57  6–1
 19  Brown   14  Bar   3  Tied  Carver Arena (4,670)
Peoria, IL
Dec 1, 2017*
7:00 pm, NBCSC+
Eastern Illinois W 67–56  7–1
 14  Childs   10  Lautier-Oguenleye   4  Brown  Carver Arena (5,275)
Peoria, IL
Dec 3, 2017*
5:00 pm, STADIUM
at San Diego State
MW–MVC Challenge
W 75–52  7–2
 12  Brown   7  Childs   2  3 tied  Viejas Arena (11,102)
San Diego, CA
Dec 13, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Little Rock W 86–46  8–2
 12  Thomas   6  Van Bree   5  Brown  Carver Arena (4,670)
Peoria, IL
Dec 16, 2017*
2:05 pm
at Chicago State W 84–58  9–2
 15  Van Bree   6  Thomas   10  Brown  Dickens Athletic Center (750)
Chicago, IL
Dec 20, 2017*
1:00 pm
at Southeast Missouri State W 75–67  10–2
 18  Brown   6  4 tied   5  Kennell  Show Me Center (702)
Cape Girardeau, MO
Dec 22, 2017*
6:00 pm
at Ole Miss W 82–59  10–3
 16  Brown   6  3 tied   5  Brown  The Pavilion at Ole Miss (7,993)
Oxford, MS
Missouri Valley Conference regular season
Dec 28, 2017
7:00 pm, ESPN3
at Drake W 66–64  10–4
(0–1)
 19  Brown   8  Childs   2  3 tied  Knapp Center (2,611)
Des Moines, IA
Dec 31, 2018
1:00 pm, ESPN3
Northern Iowa W 72–53  11–4
(1–1)
 24  Brown   10  Thomas   5  Tied  Carver Arena (5,684)
Peoria, IL
Jan 3, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Valparaiso W 80–71  12–4
(2–1)
 19  Thomas   14  Lautier-Oguenleye   7  Brown  Carver Arena (5,294)
Peoria, IL
Jan 6, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPN3
at Evansville L 44–68  12–5
(2–2)
 12  Thomas   4  4 tied   3  Kennell  Ford Center (4,171)
Evansville, IN
Jan 9, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Southern Illinois W 68–62  13–5
(3–2)
 22  Thomas   7  Thomas   5  Brown  Carver Arena (5,319)
Peoria, IL
Jan 13, 2018
3:00 pm, FSMW/NBCSC
at Loyola W 81–65  13–6
(3–3)
 15  Brown   7  Thomas   5  Tied  Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,814)
Chicago, IL
Jan 17, 2018
6:00 pm, FSMW/NBCSC
at Illinois State
I-74 Rivalry
L 57–70  13–7
(3–4)
 13  Tied   13  Thomas   6  Brown  Redbird Arena (6,321)
Bloomington, IL
Jan 20, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Evansville W 66–53  14–7
(4–4)
 17  Brown   12  Thomas   4  Lautier-Oguenleye  Carver Arena (6,285)
Peoria, IL
Jan 23, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Missouri State W 72–52  15–7
(5–4)
 20  Brown   12  Childs   8  Brown  Carver Arena (5,041)
Peoria, IL
Jan 28, 2018
1:00 pm, ESPN3
at Indiana State W 81–73  16–7
(6–4)
 25  Kennell   7  Childs   8  Brown  Hulman Center (4,516)
Terre Haute, IN
Jan 31, 2018
7:00 pm, FSMW/NBCSC
Loyola W 69–67  17–7
(7–4)
 18  Childs   7  Childs   8  Tied  Carver Arena (5,753)
Peoria, IL
Feb 3, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Drake L 68–78  17–8
(7–5)
 20  Brown   12  Thomas   8  Brown  Carver Arena (7,793)
Peoria, IL
Feb 7, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3
at Northern Iowa L 65–74  17–9
(7–6)
 19  Lautier-Ogunleye   6  Kennell   2  Tied  McLeod Center (4,564)
Cedar Falls, IA
Feb 11, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPN3
at Southern Illinois L 57–74  17–10
(7–7)
 21  Pippen   8  Pippen   4  Lautier-Ogunleye  SIU Arena (4,830)
Carbondale, IL
Feb 14, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Illinois State
I-74 Rivalry
W 70–58  18–10
(8–7)
 14  Thomas   10  Thomas   6  Lautier-Ogunleye  Carver Arena (7,731)
Peoria, IL
Feb 17, 2018
8:00 pm, FSNW/NBCSC
at Valparaiso L 64–77  18–11
(8–8)
 19  Thomas   19  thomas   3  Lautier-Ogunleye  Athletics–Recreation Center (3,021)
Valparaiso, IN
Feb 21, 2018
7:00 pm, FSNW/NBCSC
Missouri State W 82–78  19–11
(9–8)
 20  Kennell   7  Thomas   4  Brown  JQH Arena (4,504)
Springfield, MO
Feb 24, 2018
3:00 pm, CBSSN
Indiana State L 64–66  19–12
(9–9)
 24  Thomas   8  Thomas   7  Lautier-Ogunleye  Carver Arena (7,827)
Peoria, IL
Missouri Valley tournament
Mar 2, 2018
2:30 pm, ESPN3
(5) vs. (4) Drake
Quarterfinals
W 63–61  20–12
 24  Brown   7  Thomas   2  5 tied  Scottrade Center (6,410)
St. Louis, MO
Mar 3, 2018
2:30 pm, CBSSN
(5) vs. (1) Loyola-Chicago
Semifinals
L 54–62  20–13
 12  3 tied   7  Lautier-Ogunleye   3  Hodgson  Scottrade Center (8,415)
St. Louis, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[5][6]

References

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  1. ^ Durando, Stu. "Thomas leads Bradley to win over Drake in MVC tournament". stltoday.com. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  2. ^ "No. 21 Wichita State beats Bradley 82–56 in MVC Tournament". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  3. ^ "Verbal Commits". www.verbalcommits.com. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Missouri State Picked to Win MVC Men's Basketball". Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  5. ^ "Breaking: Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge matchups announced". Mountain West Connection. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  6. ^ "Basketball (M) - 2017-18 Schedule/Results". www.bradleybraves.com. Retrieved May 23, 2023.