The ISU men's basketball team beat Bradley 71-56 at a home game Wednesday night. In previous gameplay, the Redbirds faced some difficulties winning consistently while Bradley sat 3-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Wednesday night win boosted the Redbird record to 5-8 (2-5 in Missouri Valley Conference.)
In the latest edition of the War on I-74 rivalry, this time around will have a new look to it. As Illinois State, (3-12, 6-15 overall), heads to Peoria to take on Bradley (5-10, 11-13 overall), both sides are likely to be missing key players.
Head coach Dan Muller mentioned earlier this week that sophomore guard DJ Horne is questionable after missing the last 12 minutes of Sunday’s game against Southern Illinois with an ankle injury. In addition to Horne nursing an ankle injury, the Redbirds are still banged up.
While averaging 13.3 points in his last three games since returning from a foot injury, Josiah Strong was said to still not be 100%. Strong has yet to return to the starting lineup since being back, but has still contributed in bunches off the bench.
The Braves on the other hand are dealing with several issues that have occurred on and off the court. Four Braves (Elijah Childs, Terry Nolan Jr., Ja’Shon Henry, and Danya Kingsby), have been tagged as suspended indefinitely as of Wednesday. The Braves will also likely be without 7’1″ Ari Boya, as he has been dealing with a foot injury since early January. Boya is designated as doubtful.
Still, this central Illinois rivalry is important to the coaches and players on both sides, as well as the fans representing the two teams on the opposite ends of Interstate-74. With that being said, here are five things to know before the Redbirds hit the road for the final time this season:
Despite capturing a 16-4 lead out out of the gates, Bradley could not maintain the Redbirds throughout the second half. The Redbirds put together a 41-16 run mid-way through the game, on top of outscoring Bradley 41-25 in the second half to win 71-56. Horne led both teams in scoring with 23 points, followed by Strong with 14. Childs poured in 14 leading the Braves scoring effort.
Since the Braves lost in Normal on Jan. 20, Bradley has fallen off going 2-9 against much of the Valley.
If ISU is to be without it’s leading scorer Thursday night, much of the scoring effort appears to be falling on Antonio Reeves. The sophomore guard averages 12.5 in conference play, and has been fundamental for the Redbirds down the stretch of several games this season. Regardless of whether Strong makes his return to the starting lineup Thursday or comes off the bench, it appears some of the scoring workload gets pushed to him.
Howard Fleming Jr. will likely transition into Horne’s spot at the top of the key, but the Redbirds have a various set of lineups that could be used to start Thursday game. Both forwards, Dusan Mahorcic and Abdou Ndiaye could get the start if ISU would want to play bigger. Although in a shooting struggle, Dedric Boyd could jump into the starting five. The likely option is Strong alongside Fleming Jr, Reeves, Emon Washington and either Ndiaye or Mahorcic.
Per the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader, the four suspended players for Bradley were named in a Springfield police report for an incident designated as a sex offense, although not rape. The event happened in a Springfield hotel on Saturday between 12:45 and 1:45 a.m. The crime was reported at 7:36 a.m. the following morning.
Because of the incident, the four players did not play over the weekend against Missouri State. The athletes listed have not been arrested or charges, but a pending investigation is still active.
Brave’s head coach Brian Wardle addressed the investigation in a Zoom press conference on Wednesday.
“An investigation is underway to determine if a crime or violation of student code of conduct occurred. The players in question are suspended from basketball related activities pending the investigation and we are continuing to gather information,” said Wardle.
Meeting for the first time in during the 1904-1905 season, the two central Illinois teams meet for the 132 time Thursday. Bradley leads the all-time series 68-63, and has won the last three meetings at Carver Arena. Since joining the Valley in 1981 though, ISU leads the series 45-40.
The game, which begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday, will be available to watch live on ESPN3. Fans can also listen live on WJBC FM 93.7 AM 1230. Keep up with game updates as @Vidette_Sports will be live-tweeting the game throughout.
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