Bradley Braves look to clinch NCAA spot by winning Missouri Valley today
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — After a big win against Valparaiso University on Saturday, the Bradley Braves hope to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament by beating Drake University for the conference title.
The two schools will compete today for the Missouri Valley Conference title. The game will be at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Tip-off is at 1:15 p.m. and you can watch the game right here on WMBD-TV.
The Braves (26-7) come in as the No. 2 seed in the tourney, while the Drake Bulldogs are the top seed with a record of 29-3. The Bulldogs were also the regular season Valley champs. The winner of today's game will get the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament later this month.
During the regular season, Bradley was 1-1 against Drake, dropping the first game 64-57 at home, then beating the Bulldogs on the road with a score of 61-59 in the second meeting.
The Braves hope to go 'dancing' at the tournament for the first time since 2019. They won a second consecutive conference championship in 2020, but the NCAA tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Drake, on the other hand, is looking to make their third straight appearance.
This is the second time in three years the two teams have faced off in the conference championship, with Drake winning the last meeting in 2023 by a score of 77-51.
Bradley leads the all-time series over Drake, 94-74.
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