Bradley Braves end Illinois State Redbirds' undefeated dreams

Jankovich was later quoted saying "I Screwed Up"

Disappointing this is to see the Bradley Braves easier than it appeared win at home against their arch rival reported on from the aspect as though the visiting team was supposed to be the winner when it was more than obvious and apparent to all from the inital jump tip of the game the home team indeed AND again would be the victor.

ISU's weak schedule made them a paper tiger...Bradley just exposed that fact.

Just wait until the return game in Normal. Last night's game was an embarrassment for Illinois State. The game in Normal will be a completely different story.

Buddy Lee wrote:

ISU's weak schedule made them a paper tiger...Bradley just exposed that fact.

Hey Buddy, get a clue. Did you even
bother to look at ISU schedule? I would say not, because if you did, then those words wouldn't of come out
of your pie hole.....ISU and one other
MVC team will be in the NCAA dance come March!

Before everyone on this topic gets bent out of shape, i congratulate both schools. Sold-out crowd of 11,000 with both teams possibly making the NCAA field? I'm as jealous as hell! I'm an NIU alum that has stayed loyal to his school, but their programs is a real disappointment right now and the usual crowds of 1000-2000 I see when I go there are embarrassing for a D1 program. So fans of both schools should recognize what they have.

Although I am an Illinois alum, I love this in state battles. A great game! While Bradley had a huge advantage with a crazy home court (ISU gets the same when they play next time), the fact that ISU lost Champ Oguchi was something the 'Birds could not afford. It also did not help that Bradley was able to get to the free throw line 4 times more than ISU (another "home town advantage").
It will be interesting to see how far both teams can go, and maybe SIU will pick it up a bit. Jim Les is right, the season is a long way from over, but I hope an Illinois team can win the MVC. Illinois State seems to be the sentimental favorite in the Chicago area (many Illini consider them sort of like "their little brothers"), but if ISU falls, Bradley would be cool.
In any case, some of the best hoops in the country right in our own backyard. It is too bad the media focus is always on Notre Dame, DePaul, Northwestern, and the ACC. If DePaul or Notre Dame had the guts, they would not have survived Bradley last night in Peoria, or ISU in Normal on Saturday night. The MVC looks like a major conference, at least for hoops. Certainly better than many "BCS" conferences.

OK, ISU didnt have Champ at full strength, Well guess what, thats tough. Bradley is missing Will Egolf, and Andrew Warren, returning leading scorer from last year. Every team has injuries, Bradleys bench scored a heck of a lot of points, ISUs scored 6. Bradley has a deep bench, and its going to pay off for them. ISU has good players, but no deep bench.