Outside of Carver Arena, a cold, dark, winter night bestowed wind chills of -5 degrees on the citizens of Peoria.
Across the county, weathermen forecasted the worst storm of the winter would rock the hilltop and leave double-digit inches of snow in its wake.
Yet, inside Carver Arena, thousands of Bradley fans showed their bravery, making their way to the Civic Center despite tumultuous conditions.
The Braves were to play the University of Illinois-Chicago, which was on fire heading into the matchup, having won its last five games, including victories over Northern Iowa and Illinois State.
What those loyal fans could not brace for, however, was that the bitter conditions outside would be outmatched inside the arena by a heatwave from the Flames, one that was met with uninspiring play, low energy and a lack of effort – symptoms that have plagued the Braves in their losses this season.
Bradley lost every metric that indicates hustle, physicality and grit. UIC got to every loose ball, crashed the glass to extend possessions and beat the Braves down the floor in transition time and time again en route to an 85-70 win to extend its win streak to six and snap Bradley’s nine-game home streak.
“This is our team this year,” head coach Brian Wardle said. “We’re streaky, unfortunately. We have not played well this year against big crowds. I was a little nervous about that. I think five of our losses are in front of our biggest crowds.”
When asked why the team struggled to perform in front of big crowds, Wardle struggled to find a good answer.
“We’re young,” he said. “We get a little nervous, maybe? I have no idea. UIC was the better team. They were very consistent coming into the game. They’d won five in a row. They know who they are.”
Quick start, slow finish
To begin the game, the Braves looked anything but nervous.
They executed half-court sets to perfection and created quality shots on nearly every offensive possession. Bradley moved without the ball and shared the rock harmoniously, leading to makes on six of its first 12 attempts and a 17-12 advantage midway through the first half.
After their hot start, the Braves continued to execute their offense and find quality shots. Their dribble drives kept UIC in rotation and out of position, but the same quality looks stopped falling. Open three-pointers went halfway down and out; players missed bunnies at the rim, and the Flames capitalized.
Bradley missed six of its next seven shots, and its offensive struggles sapped the Braves’ energy. The team let these troubles bleed into its defense. They struggled to chase UIC’s players around screens, defend without fouling and protect the defensive glass.
As the Flames turned up the heat, more defensive breakdowns ensued, and Bradley allowed a 22-6 run, which flipped its five-point advantage to an 11-point deficit.
“Our offense was flowing early in the game,” Wardle said. “We were making some shots we got, and then they were making shots and scoring on us, so it was about even, and then we stopped making shots, and then we stopped guarding. And that’s kind of unfortunately our M.O this year. We’ve got to get out of those segments and understand our defense has to outlast our offense, and we just don’t understand that or buy into that yet. I’m hoping maybe in February I can get them to.”
The Braves were encapsulated in the final seconds of the first half, when UIC guard Elijah Crawford dribbled the length of the court through three defenders and hoisted a three-pointer that swished to give the Flames a 39-28 lead at the break.
A retreat from the heat
When play resumed, Bradley’s offense began the second half as they did the first. The ball popped, players moved off the ball and the Braves found quality shots that fell. Bradley made six of its first seven shots to begin the frame, with seven different Braves making a basket.
However, Bradley couldn’t convert their increased offensive output into defensive stops. Every time the Braves got within striking distance, UIC responded with a big shot, and the two teams traded buckets for the first six minutes of the first half.
But then, just as it had in the first half, the Braves’ offense hit a wall, not because they failed to generate quality shots, but because they couldn’t convert, and their defense followed suit.
Over the next 6:45 seconds, the Flames made 11 consecutive field goals and drew six fouls, capped off by a four-point play by senior Josiah Hammons that ballooned their lead to 21.
“We’re not a good defensive team,” Wardle remarked after the game. “I can’t get them to guard, the effort level and the talk that I like. I work on it every day. I might just start working on all offense every day. I’m serious, I don’t know. I can’t work on defense more than trying to get them to buy into that’s how you win in this league, or any conference in general. Defense has to outlast your offense. We can’t do that yet.”
As Hammons knocked down the free-throw, fans began to get up from their seats and head for the exits. Away from the dangers of the Flames into the solace of a cold winter night, they headed home early to beat the oncoming storm.
“We didn’t give them anything to cheer for,” Wardle said. “You’ve got to get some stops. You’ve got to get out in transition. You’ve got to string together some good basketball. We didn’t really string any good basketball together. And give UIC credit. I mean, they’re tough. They’re a great defensive team. They’re playing really well right now. When they shoot the ball like that, they’re going to be hard to beat.”
“We gave our crowd nothing to cheer for tonight when it comes to the effort and the commitment, the competitive spirit that you need in front of a big crowd like that.”
