After their 70-62 quarterfinal win over Murray State, Bradley (25-7, 15-5 MVC) next faces Valparaiso (15-18, 6-14 MVC) in the Arch Madness semifinal at 5 p.m. The Braves and Beacons met twice in the regular season, with Bradley winning both games; however, the Beacons can’t be looked past with their two upset wins in the tournament over No. 6 seed UIC and No. 3 seed Northern Iowa. Here’s a walk through Saturday’s semifinal preview, where one team will go home, and the other will clinch their spot in the MVC championship.
Projected starters
Valparaiso:
Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro, junior guard (10 points per game)
All Wright, freshman guard (15.2 points per game)
Darius DeAveiro, senior guard (4.5 points per game)
Cooper Schweiger, sophomore forward (15.7 points per game)
Carson Schweiger, redshirt-freshman forward (2.6 points per game)
Bradley:
Duke Deen, senior guard (14.2 points per game)
Zek Montgomery, senior guard (12.5 points per game)
Christian Davis, senior forward (12.3 points per game)
Darius Hannah, senior forward (9.5 points per game)
Ahmet Jonovic, junior center (5.3 points per game)
Season matchups
The first matchup between the Braves and Beacons was a thriller in Peoria on Dec. 29. Valparaiso used toughness in the paint to dominate the rebounds and get to the free-throw line 33 times.
The Beacons’ effort forced not one, but two overtime periods before the Braves pulled through for the 81-75 win. Bradley’s big three of Deen, Montgomery and Hannah combined for 60 points.
The most recent game between the two semi-finalists was at Valparaiso on Feb. 26, when Bradley won 76-65. The win didn’t come easy as the Braves struggled with three-point shooting. After missing the first eight attempts as a team, Deen made five consecutive from behind the arc and finished with 19 points.
Hannah was the most consistent player in that contest, finishing with a season-high 22 points and nine rebounds. He was the biggest reason Bradley outscored Valparaiso in the paint (38-22) and on the glass (39-27).
Keys to the game
Valparaiso thrives at the free-throw line, with a conference-best 78.9% rate and 19.9 free-throw attempts per game. Bradley must avoid fouling and allow the Beacons free points like they did Murray State.
A strong interior defense that can force Valparaiso into threes and deep twos will be key for the Braves. The Beacons’ shot 11-for-21 from three against the Panthers, with 10 of those made in the first half. Bradley will have to challenge the 11th-ranked three-point shooting team in the Valley and beat them in their own game.
Bradley’s next key is to run their offense through Hannah. With his size advantage, the senior forward took over the second half in the quarterfinal. He will play with the same advantage against a team he has scored 43 points on 12-for-24 shooting this season.
The offense made the right adjustments to win on Friday. If the Braves can start with that game plan, it will bode well for them throughout the semifinal matchup.
Prediction: Bradley 74, Valparaiso 62
The most dangerous team in any sport is the one that has nothing to lose, and Valparaiso is playing with house money right now. After their stunning upset over No. 3 seed Northern Iowa, they became the first No. 11 seed to advance to the semifinals in Arch Madness history.
Bradley’s win over Murray State may have been closer than people wanted, but at this time of the year, it doesn’t matter how you win; it’s as long as you win. If the Braves run their offense through Hannah as they did in the second half against the Racers, the Beacons will struggle to have answers.
This will be Valparaiso’s third game in three days, which is not easy to do at this level of competition. The Beacons can put up a fight, but Bradley is bigger, fresher and more experienced, and will use those to their advantage to move on to Sunday’s championship game.
