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Poor preparation leads to another lousy performance from the Braves

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Jaquan Johnson attacks a UNI defender. Photo via Bradley Athletics.

Bradley men’s basketball (18-5, 9-3 MVC) came into the season as the Missouri Valley Conference favorites, and through 21 games, they looked every bit like a team destined to make an NCAA tournament appearance. 

Games 22 and 23? Not so much. 

After being blown out at home against UIC, Bradley laid an egg against the University of Northern Iowa (14-9, 8-4 MVC), losing 83-69. 

“We’ve had four really bad practices in the last 10-12 days,” head coach Brian Wardle said. “I haven’t made this public, but those come up. They catch you when you don’t want to practice, and you don’t want to compete. When coaches have to hold you accountable in practice all the time to give effort and compete, those are going to catch up to you. Hopefully, we can respond and get back to giving effort and executing every day, not just trying to do it on game day.”   

Underwhelming upperclassmen

The Braves lost to the Panthers for several reasons. Bradley got into foul trouble early, turned the ball over and could not defend the three-point line. However, the biggest reason for the loss stems from subpar play from seniors Duke Deen, Zek Montgomery and Darius Hannah. 

“We just have to be a lot better,” Wardle said. “The upperclassmen have to play a lot better. Everybody’s got to give more effort and compete better. We need our seniors to be seniors, our juniors to be juniors and our sophomores and freshmen to give us energy and not make a lot of mistakes.” 

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Montgomery handling the basketball. Photo via Bradley Athletics.

Deen, Montgomery and Hannah combined for six points on three-of-14 shooting in the first half, which caused the Braves to struggle offensively. Bradley committed nine turnovers, which the Panthers capitalized on. In the last six minutes, the Braves allowed a 12-4 run and trailed 34-25 at halftime.  

Despite the end of the first frame, Bradley was still optimistic heading into the second half. 

“We had a good talk about what we were trying to do,” Wardle said. “Offensively we were trying to get the ball moving and use less ball screens. We tried to get a little more cutting and spacing. We were right there. We just had to tighten up some things.” 

Bradley’s play did not tighten, sharpen or improve in any way. 

The Braves started the half with a turnover and a foul, which set the tone for the rest of the game. 

UNI started the second half on a 9-0 run that lasted over four minutes. Bradley looked lifeless. The Braves showed no energy on defense, gave up easy looks and failed to communicate defensive coverages. The lethargic play led to an 18-point deficit that the team would never recover from. 

“We did not play well the last five minutes of the first half or to start the second half,” Wardle said. “We just came out a little flat. We started right off with a turnover and a foul, and from there on out, we lost our team and had a selfish mentality on defense and offense.” 

Look at the bright side

Bradley could not make a comeback, but freshman guard Jaquan Johnson, sophomore guard Demarion Burch, junior Ahmet Jonovic and the rest of the reserves were bright spots. 

Johnson scored a career-high 27 points and added seven rebounds. Burch had one of his best outings of the season, adding 13 points and two assists. Jonovic was the primary source of Bradley’s offense in the first half, and despite getting into foul trouble, looked to be one of the few Braves giving effort throughout. 

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Jonovic finishing at the basket over a UNI defender. Photo via Bradley Athletics.

Burch and Johnson did a lot of their damage when the game was out of reach, but both found value in the reps they received. 

“I was giving effort and trying to fight back,” Johnson said about his career night. “We were trying to get their lead as low as possible. Coach told us to give energy. Honestly, I just wanted to show how much I’ve been in the gym and how much work I put in.” 

Burch’s 13 points are the most he’s scored in a month. The promising sophomore has dealt with injuries and sickness, which has kept him off the floor and out of rhythm. Throughout what has been a mentally challenging season, Burch has stayed level-headed. 

“I’ve been waiting for my time to come, staying patient and level-headed,” Burch said. “I sat [for] a couple of games, but that’s not nothing. I still continue to cheer my teammates on and pray that we win each and every night. I just stay prayed up and patient. Coach called my name, and I got up and showed what I knew that I could do. Hard work pays off every time.” 

How will the Braves respond? 

Bradley will need to adopt the mentality of its underclassmen if it wants to get out of this slump as conference play ends. The Braves, known for their potent offense, have not gotten shots to fall. 

Deen was the preseason player of the year and is widely regarded as Bradley’s best player and emotional leader, but he has struggled to score recently. In his last four games, he’s averaging 7.5 points and shooting seven-for-33 from the field (21.2%). 

“You watch the film and break down the shot selection,” Wardle said about getting his star player on track. “We have to break down how to get open shots and watch some highlight videos to try to get the confidence back. You have to try to visualize yourself doing good things. Today, we tried to mix and match it and get him on different matchups to get him some opportunities. We have to get out and transition for Duke. That’s big.”

“As a player, I’ve been there,” Wardle added. “You just keep working hard. You’ve got to work harder; that’s where your confidence comes from. Reps after reps after reps.” 

The Braves will need to bounce back quickly. The MVC is unforgiving, and Drake is one game ahead of Bradley in the MVC standings. The team’s next challenge is Wednesday at home against a dangerous Belmont team that will also be looking to bounce back from a bad loss. 

“I can say we’re in a little slump right now,” Burch said. “Some guys are probably in their heads. That’s not anything, and we can shake that off with a couple more days of working hard in the gym and continuing to put in work each and every day.”

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