Heading into the 2024-2025 college basketball season, the Bradley men’s basketball team was crowned as the preseason favorites in the Missouri Valley Conference, and for good reason.
The team returned three starters from a team that finished 23-12 and made it to the second round of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), including seniors Duke Deen and Darius Hannah, who made preseason all conference appearances.
Bradley even brought back former Brave senior Zek Montgomery after a brief stint at Rhode Island. Montgomery joined the squad for one last quest to make the big dance.
Unfortunately, not everyone gets one last dance.
After a tumultuous regular season in which the team won 24 games, Bradley grinded out wins against Murray State and Valparaiso to advance to the MVC tournament championship game.
The stage was set for a third matchup with first-seed Drake.
The Braves had the opportunity to avenge themselves for losses in the last two tournaments against the Bulldogs.
Bradley spent the entire season preparing for this moment. Every practice. Every workout. Every film session.
Still, they could not get the dogs off their backs.
Drake (30-3, 17-3 MVC) beat Bradley (26-8, 15-5 MVC) 63-48 to win their third straight MVC championship and punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
“We’re heartbroken,” head coach Brian Wardle said. “Still in shock a little bit. Crushed. It’s going to take some time with this team because of how bad they wanted this moment and how hard they worked to be here.”
Fifteen fantastic minutes
It appeared as if Bradley was ready for the moment through the first 15 minutes of the game. The Braves moved the ball well, got the ball in the paint and forced Drake into tough shots on defense.
Hannah led the team to begin the game, scoring six of the first 10 points. The senior found and took advantage of mismatches on the low block and proved to be a handful for the Bulldogs.
“I thought we came out and played really well in the first half, especially the first 15 minutes,” Wardle said.
After the opening 15 minutes, the switch flipped.
Dogs pounce
Drake began to play very physical defense. The Bulldogs hedged hard on Bradley’s ball screens, making it incredibly difficult for Deen and Montgomery to get open looks. The team refrained from switching and fought through off-ball screens. The Braves went scoreless for the last four minutes of the half and trailed 31-27 at the break.
Bradley’s struggles continued into the second half. The four-minute drought ballooned to 8:42, and Drake capitalized on that, building their lead to 37-27.
“We gave up a little momentum going into halftime, and then they came out and I think, scored four straight to start the second half,” Wardle said. “We were slow to get any offensive rhythm. The first 10-12 minutes, we were flowing, the ball was popping, but give Drake credit. They switched their defensive coverage on the ball screens. They got super aggressive.”
A glimmer of hope
The momentum was in the Bulldogs’ favor, but neither Bradley nor its fans were ready to leave the Enterprise Center quietly. Despite being down double-digits, supporters from the 309 stood up and cheered on the team.
Like countless times this season, the Braves fed off their crowd’s energy and made a run.
“It means a lot,” Hannah said about the fan support. “Peoria got our back. I love to see the red. They ride with us. They love us and we love them.”
Deen, who had been quiet all game, hoisted and knocked down two contested threes. The second was the 262nd of his career, which tied him with Jeremy Crouch, for the most threes made in a career at Bradley.
Johnson added a free throw, and Hannah a three to cut the Braves’ deficit to five with 7:17 to play.
“We were battling and battling,” Wardle said. “I think we cut it to six, and I was like, ‘okay, we can turn it right now.’ We were trying to free this guy [Deen] up all game, but there was so much attention on him. Darius was carrying us for the majority of the game, but we just couldn’t find rhythm.”
Bradley did find rhythm in that run, but then that was it.
Drake closes the deal
The final seven minutes of the game were all Drake. The Bulldogs imposed their will on the Braves, shutting them down on defense and grabbing every loose ball and offensive rebound.
In the second half, Drake outrebounded Bradley 19-8, and eight of the rebounds were on the offensive glass. Although the Bulldogs’ offense was not performing particularly well (38% field goal percentage), the team converted its extra possessions into points, limiting the Braves’ chances on offense.
“We really wanted to push the ball today and try to get some threes and some scoring opportunities in the first 8-10 seconds, but we didn’t give many opportunities to do that,” Wardle said.
“It was a low possession game. In the second half we really couldn’t get a rebound,” Wardle added. “We wore down a little bit because we were guarding for 25-28 seconds, then we’d give up an offensive rebound and then have to guard for another 20 seconds. I mean, there were some possessions where I think we guarded for two straight minutes.”
Bradley attempted 18 shots in the second half, en route to the loss. The defeat was crushing and demoralizing, but in the end, it was just one game.
So, what now?
Bradley will not return to the NCAA tournament this season, but that does not mean it’s played its last game this year.
The Braves could accept an invite to the NIT or the College Basketball Invitational if presented with a bid.
Regardless, this game and this season are only one chapter in each player and coach’s lives.
“It doesn’t define us,” Deen said. “It doesn’t define our character. I feel like we’re going to be the same guys even after this. Our heart, our mentality, what we live by, that’s going to carry on. We’re just going to get back to work wherever we go after this.”
