As the clock struck midnight on Thursday, the Bradley men’s basketball team carried a seven-game win streak and a 3-0 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) record into 2026.
After a bumpy start to the season, a young Braves team had played its best basketball to end 2025, but now faced a gauntlet — Belmont, Murray State, Drake and Northern Iowa — to begin the new year.
Heading into this stretch, head coach Brian Wardle had one New Year’s resolution.
“Try not to get too many gray hairs with this team, that’s the goal,” Wardle said after Bradley’s 76-68 win over Evansville. “I want to help this team become a little more consistent, and I think we’re taking little steps, but hopefully it can happen sooner or later, because we are going to need it.”
Thursday night, Bradley began its trek against three of the league’s top four teams in Nashville, with the 12-2 Bruins as its first challenger.
But the consistency Wardle hoped would define the new year didn’t carry into the Braves’ first game of 2026, leaving The Volunteer State with more lessons — and perhaps a few more gray hairs.
Belmont’s high-octane offense ran circles around Bradley’s defense, to the tune of 55 percent from the floor, 43 percent from three and 30 free throw attempts to pile on 88 points, the most the Braves allowed in regulation this season.
The Bruins moved off the ball, utilizing various screening actions and cuts, and used harmonious ball movement to push the pace and keep Bradley’s defenders on its heels.
Throughout the game, Bradley’s defenders felt a step behind and undisciplined. A countless number of defensive lapses — allowing a backdoor cut, trailing behind as a shooter ran off a down screen, or allowing an offensive rebound — burnt the Braves on countless occasions.
“I’ve been warning them, you know, we’re going into a gauntlet of our schedule here,” Wardle said. “Very good offensive teams we’re about to see. And I’ve been telling them, even after our wins, I’ve been disappointed in some defensive execution, playing smarter, talking better, and we got exposed today in all those areas.”
None other than Belmont senior Tyler Lundblade, one of the best shooters in the country, was the benefactor of Bradley’s negligence, scoring 25 points and knocking down seven triples, the last of which came with 2:00 left and the Braves trailing 80-72.
As the Bruins advanced down the court, a flare screen was set for Lundblade, who was guarded by sophomore guard Jaquan Johnson. Johnson lost focus for a split second, losing sight of Lundblade as the screen was set and the sniper sunk the dagger to put Belmont up 11 as the Bruins went on to win 88-78.
Backcourt buckets
Though it had its warts, namely turnovers and missed free throws, Bradley’s offense fared far better than its defense. The Braves shot 44 percent from the floor and 41 percent from three, which produced a 113.5 offensive rating (59th percentile) against the third-ranked defense in the MVC.
Guards Demarion Burch and Montana Wheeler led the way, both posting career highs in points, combining 11 three-pointers and accounting for 47 of Bradley’s 78 points.
Wheeler got the ball rolling early, when Belmont got out to an 11-4 lead early in the first half, knocking down two triples to keep Bradley within striking distance. As the game progressed, Wheeler made countless big shots when the Braves’ offense was in a rut, punishing the Bruins’ defenders who dared to go under on ball screens.
The freshman, who scored 22 points on 92.6 true shooting percentage, continues to be a bright spot off the bench for Bradley.
“Montana’s been really steady all year,” Wardle said. “I thought he played pretty well defensively, but he has to continue to keep the ball in front. He and Burch carried us offensively and made some plays. So that was big.”
Burch operated off the ball as an outlet for Wheeler and Johnson, staying ready to catch and shoot, attack a closeout, and get to the rim.
When the Braves went on a near four-minute scoring drought midway through the second half, Wardle went to Burch down the stretch, and he delivered bucket after bucket to keep Bradley in the game.
“He held me accountable,” Burch said about Wardle’s message to him during a timeout. “He said he needed more effort and energy from me. That’s what I tried to do whenever he called the timeout. I tried to come out with energy and play a little bit harder for my teammates.”
Despite career nights from the pair, neither had the accolade on their minds and were disappointed the Braves lost a winnable game.
“Man, the ultimate goal was to win, and we didn’t do that,” Wheeler said. “I don’t really care about my personal stats. We didn’t get the win. That’s ultimately what I want to do every single time I step on the floor. So, no, I’m not happy at all.”
“Well said,” Burch agreed.
Senior slump
Outside of Burch and Wheeler, the team shot 12-36 from the floor (33 percent) and 2-15 from behind the arc (13 percent). Johnson, Bradley’s leading scorer, was held to eight points on 3-13 shooting, as he struggled to get downhill and create clean looks in the paint.
However, Wardle was more concerned with his seniors’ production.
“My seniors got to play a lot better,” Wardle said. “Fifteen fouls from the seniors and 11 points. You’re not going to win many road games if your upperclassmen aren’t consistently showing up. Quanny [Johnson] obviously had an off-night, but that’s when you need your senior to pick him up and other guys to step up.”
The seniors will have an opportunity to step up and answer the call on Sunday, as the Braves continue their travels to Murray, Kentucky, where they’ll play Murray State, the MVC’s highest-ranked team.
