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A breakdown of Bradley men’s basketball’s non-conference schedule

Freshman Ville Tahvanainen surveys the court

On Monday afternoon, Bradley men’s basketball became just the 29th team in the nation to announce its updated non-conference schedule, according to the D1 Docket Twitter account. 

What can we expect from the Braves’ nine-game lead-up to Missouri Valley Conference play? What games should fans circle on the calendar? Let’s take a look.

Xavier Invitational – Nov. 25, 26, 27 in Cincinnati, Ohio

Bradley will start off its season with a three-game, multi-team event in the Queen City.

Talk about dodging a bullet. 

The Braves originally scheduled multi-team event, Paradise Jam, featured a lackluster field highlighted by Buffalo, Colorado State, Florida International, St. Bonaventure, Long Beach State and Weber State. 

These matchups would’ve significantly weakened the Braves’ strength of schedule and NET ranking – which plays a big part in determining how qualified teams are for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. 

Now, Bradley’s in-season tournament features a much stronger four-team field of Xavier, Oakland and Toledo.

Toledo – Nov. 25, 2 p.m. in Cincinnati, Ohio

Braves fans will get a first look at the 2020-21 squad when they take the floor against the Rockets. 

Last season, Toledo fell to a shorthanded Braves team 78-66 at Carver Arena on Dec. 28. The Rockets would go on to finish the season 17-15 and 8-10 in conference play, good enough for third place in the MAC East division. 

The Rockets return just three players that played significant minutes in that loss: leading scorer Marreon Jackson, Spencer Littleson and Keshaun Sanders. 

Bradley will be favored to win, but it could be a competitive game against a fellow mid-major to start the season. 

Xavier – Nov. 26, 11 a.m. in Cincinnati, Ohio

One of the highlights of Bradley’s schedule comes in the form of a true road game against the Musketeers at the Cintas Center on Thanksgiving Day. 

Last year, Xavier finished 19-13 with an 8-10 mark in a competitive Big East conference, good enough to keep them in NCAA Tournament bubble discussions. 

The team’s 47th place ranking in the NET is the highest of any team that Bradley will face in regular-season play this year, one spot ahead of Northern Iowa. 

The Musketeers lost their top two scorers from last year, but return starters Paul Scruggs (12 PPG), Zach Freemantle (7.5 PPG) and Carter Jason (6.9 PPG). The team also brings in the 24th best recruiting class in the country. 

This will be a fantastic early season test against a Power Five opponent for Brian Wardle’s squad. A win could set the Braves up for a successful run through their non-conference schedule and perhaps draw some national attention. 

Oakland – Nov. 27, 2 p.m. in Cincinnati, Ohio 

The final game of the Xavier Invitational comes against an Oakland team that finished 14-19 last season, ranked 222nd in the nation. 

The Golden Grizzlies enter the season picked to finish sixth in the Horizon League. The squad returns leading scorer Rashad Williams, who had a torrid freshman season averaging 19.5 points per game while playing an average of 38 minutes. 

Oakland will need somebody else to step up in scoring if they want to beat the Braves, but considering it will be the third game in three days for both sides, anything can happen. 

Judson (NAIA) – Dec. 1, 7 p.m. in Peoria

Bradley’s home opener, wherever it will take place, is a tune-up against non-division I opponent Judson. 

The Braves play a game versus a lower-level opponent at the beginning of every season and this game checks that box. Barring a massive surprise, Bradley should avoid its first loss against a non-D1 school since 2015. 

Saint Joseph’s – Dec. 5, 2 p.m. in Peoria

The Braves opened the season with an 81-86 loss to the Hawks on Nov. 5 last season in Philadelphia. While the game was a close loss, it turned out to be a stain on Bradley’s resume, as St. Joseph’s would only win three other games all season. 

It’s safe to say Bradley will be gunning to avert the same outcome in the return game, but the Hawks should be markedly improved. 

Last year’s leading scorer Ryan Daly leads a group that brings back four of five starters from last year’s season opener. 

The Braves are the better team on paper, but it could be another close one against St. Joe’s. 

South Dakota State – Dec. 8, 7 p.m. in Peoria

After a strong 22-10 showing and first-place finish in the Summit League last year, the Jackrabbits are a nice addition to the non-conference schedule for Bradley. 

A holdover from the pre-COVID-19 schedule, South Dakota State enters this season as the favorite in the Summit once again. The team returns virtually all of its offense, including its top six scorers. One of those six is 2019 Summit League player of the year Douglas Wilson, who led the team with over 18 points and six rebounds per game. 

The team finished the season ranked 126th in the NET and could finish even higher this season with a strong showing. 

This game has the potential to be the best mid-major matchup on the Braves’ slate outside of MVC play. 

Jackson State – Dec. 17, 7 p.m. in Peoria

Considering last year’s NET ranking of 289, the Tigers represent the weakest team on Bradley’s non-conference slate. 

Despite a sub-.500 finish overall, JSU finished 11-7 in SWAC play, good for a fourth-place tie. The team brings back three of its top five scorers, including leader Tristan Jarrett (16.8 PPG). 

This will be a crucial game for the Braves in order to start a three-game, six-day stretch on a positive note. 

Miami (OH) – Dec. 19, 7 p.m. in Peoria

The last of five straight home games provides Bradley with an opportunity to avenge last year’s 71-55 defeat at the hands of the Redhawks in Oxford. 

The Braves looked disjointed that afternoon – Elijah Childs was out with a hand injury, Darrell Brown scored just five points and Ville Tahvanainen was the leading scorer with 12 points. 

Miami returns four of its five top scorers from a team that finished 13-19 and 5-13 in MAC play, but none of those scorers averaged double-figures. 

It was a winnable matchup last year and the door is open again this year. 

Missouri – Dec. 22, 7 p.m. in Columbus, Missouri

The cherry on top of the non-conference schedule is a second power-five game, this time against SEC-member Mizzou. 

Last season, the Tigers had a bit of a down year, finishing 7-11 in conference play, but managed to stay competitive and rank 88th in the NET. 

Mizzou will bring back each of its top seven scorers from a balanced attack. Dru Smith led the way last year with 12.7 points per game, closely followed by Xavier Pinson at 11.1 and Mark Smith at 10. 

This is another key opportunity for Bradley to boost its NET ranking and enter MVC play on a high note. 

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