Peoria Standard

Game Preview: Bradley at Southern Illinois

Setting the Table
It's time for round two between Bradley and Southern Illinois. The first meeting saw Bradley exit with a 10-point win in Peoria just over two weeks ago. Since that matchup in Peoria, the Bradley Braves have run off four straight wins as a part of their seven-game winning streak. Meanwhile, Southern Illinois has won three out of their last four games against Missouri State, UIC and Valparaiso. BU leads the all-time series 55-50, with SIU holding a 28-18 edge in Carbondale.

Scouting the Salukis
SIU has been solid on the defensive side of the court this season, boasting the nation's 17th best scoring defense at 61.9 PPG and leading the MVC in steals with 210. The Salukis will look to get Marcus Domask going early against BU as the do-everything forward for SIU was held to five points and four rebounds on 1-5 shooting from the floor. Lance Jones will also be a player to watch out for. The senior guard recorded 13 points and went 5-14 against BU in Peoria. Jones is a ball-handler known for his ability to get downhill and hit the big outside shot. SIU sits just one game out of first place at 12-5 in MVC, looking to keep pace with Drake and Bradley who are both at 13-4 in league play.

Scouting the Braves
Bradley basketball getting hot in February has been a tradition under head coach Brian Wardle and this season it is no different. BU is not only 5-0 this month but also has a chance to sweep the MVC schools of Illinois for the first time since 1998-99 when the only MVC schools they played from Illinois were Southern Illinois and Illinois State. Bradley will be seeking MVC win number 14 of the season early Sunday afternoon, but in order to do so, they will need their stars to step up. Rienk Mast and Malevy Leons, aka the Flying Dutchmen, have been a menace to opposing teams during this seven-game win streak for Bradley with an average combined stat line of 28.2 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 4.8 ASP, 1.8 BPG and 1.7 SPG. Ville Tahvanainen and Ja'Shon Henry have also continued to establish themselves off the bench; Tahvanainen is just a few days removed from going 6-6 from 3-point land and Henry continues to narrow in on his 1,000th career point currently sitting at 978. Bradley will also need to be strong on the defensive end once again. BU's defense ranks 15th nationally in PPG and is currently number one in the MVC. 

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