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FAIRFAX, Va. — The Bradley Braves are trying to extend their 2024-25 season on Saturday afternoon against George Mason and add to their program legacy under coach Brian Wardle and a large group of seniors who know each game could be the last of their college careers.
The No. 3-seeded Braves are playing the No. 2-seeded Patriots in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament at EagleBank Arena.
George Mason has won 16 consecutive home games, the fourth-longest active home win streak in the nation. The Braves, meanwhile, are veterans of postseason play, this being the third straight spring they are in the NIT.
Under Wardle, the Braves have reached the 20-win threshold in six of the last eight years. In the last three seasons, Bradley has 75 wins, 44 wins in the Missouri Valley Conference, has earned three NIT bids (two at-large, one exempt/automatic), two in-season neutral-site invitational championships, a regular-season MVC championship and appeared in the MVC Tournament championship game twice with an NCAA bid on the line.
All the more impressive, they have done this while losing their leading scorer to the transfer portal after each of the last three seasons (Terry Roberts, Rienk Mast, Connor Hickman).
They are trying to add to that legacy today in a battle between a pair of 27-8 teams, one a runner-up in the Valley tournament, the other a runner-up in the Atlantic-10 tournament.
Below are game updates from EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Va.
Bradley fifth-year guard Duke Deen made history 3:59 after the opening tipoff Wednesday in the NIT first round when he buried a 3-pointer from the right wing for an 11-0 lead. That gave him 263 career made 3s, breaking a tie with Jeremy Crouch for the most made 3s in a career in Bradley history.
He added another 3 later in the game.
"It's great, it feels good to do it," said Deen, grinning broadly in the postgame. "That shot was a good rhythm, good feeling. I'm trying to keep it going for these guys."
He ended up with eight points and three assists in 33 minutes.
Freshman Jaquan Johnson piled up four assists to give him 56 for the season. That surpassed the all-time freshman steals record for the BU program held by Billy Wright (54, 1992-93).
Bradley's coaches and players were on the floor alone for the national anthem 12 minutes before their NIT first-round game against North Alabama on Wednesday.
The anthem was played earlier than usual, and the North Alabama team finished its warmups and went to the locker room just before the anthem was played.
It was just a miscommunication with the pre-game itinerary, nothing more. No one is mad, the page is turned, and the Lions made sure their absence was explained.
"... this was an unintentional pre-game timing miscue on our part," North Alabama director of athletics Josh Looney said via a statement on social media. "Our program's pride in joining opponents for the National Anthem was on display as recently as the ASUN Championship Game and throughout the ASUN Tournament.
"We enjoyed the hospitality in Peoria and are thankful to Bradley University, the NIT, and everyone involved at the host site."
'We bleed together': Bradley basketball senior starters ready for one more postseason run
The Braves are 27-8 overall this season, and 28-20 all-time in the NIT. ... Bradley has played George Mason once ever, a 77-66 loss in the Gulf Coast Showcase (Estero, Fla.) on Nov. 23, 2016. ... Bradley head coach Brian Wardle says the team will return to its conventional starting lineup for the NIT second-round game at George Mason. That includes Darius Hannah at the 4, Ahmet Jonovic at the 5, Christian Davis at wing and Duke Deen pairing with Demarion Burch at guards. Burch replaces Zek Montgomery, who opted out of the NIT. ... Bradley senior forward Darius Hannah will play in his ongoing program-record 151st game Saturday. ... Bradley senior guard Duke Deen added 3 assists Wednesday and now has 364 career assists, tied for 12th-most in BU history with Jim Caruthers and with Walt Lemon Jr. (367) just ahead. ... Christian Davis is 8 points away from 1,000 for his college career. ... Bradley is 18-4 in games in which senior starting trio of Deen, Davis and Hannah each score at least 10 points. ... The winner of the Bradley-George Mason game will face the winner of the (1) Dayton-(5) Chattanooga game in the quarterfinals next week. ... Bradley last advanced beyond the second round in the NIT in 1993-94 under Jim Molinari, when they beat Murray State and Old Dominion before losing to Sienna in the quarterfinals. ... A victory for George Mason over Bradley would give it a single-season franchise record 28 wins. ... George Mason head coach Tony Skinn is Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year. ... The Patriots lead the national in field goal defense (37.9%). ... George Mason captain Jared Billups is A-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
More: Missouri Valley basketball preseason poll: Bradley basketball picked as favorite
Live stream on ESPN+
Game lines and odds from OddsShark as of early Saturday morning:
Record:27-8, 15-5
Buy Bradley basketball tickets this season via StubHub
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or [email protected]. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: NIT second round: Bradley vs George Mason basketball score updates
Continue reading...
The No. 3-seeded Braves are playing the No. 2-seeded Patriots in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament at EagleBank Arena.
George Mason has won 16 consecutive home games, the fourth-longest active home win streak in the nation. The Braves, meanwhile, are veterans of postseason play, this being the third straight spring they are in the NIT.
Under Wardle, the Braves have reached the 20-win threshold in six of the last eight years. In the last three seasons, Bradley has 75 wins, 44 wins in the Missouri Valley Conference, has earned three NIT bids (two at-large, one exempt/automatic), two in-season neutral-site invitational championships, a regular-season MVC championship and appeared in the MVC Tournament championship game twice with an NCAA bid on the line.
All the more impressive, they have done this while losing their leading scorer to the transfer portal after each of the last three seasons (Terry Roberts, Rienk Mast, Connor Hickman).
They are trying to add to that legacy today in a battle between a pair of 27-8 teams, one a runner-up in the Valley tournament, the other a runner-up in the Atlantic-10 tournament.
Below are game updates from EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Va.
Bradley-George Mason score updates
| TEAMS | 1st half | 2nd half | — | FINAL |
| Bradley | 00 | 00 | — | 00 |
| George Mason | 00 | 00 | — | 00 |
Remembering history
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Bradley fifth-year guard Duke Deen made history 3:59 after the opening tipoff Wednesday in the NIT first round when he buried a 3-pointer from the right wing for an 11-0 lead. That gave him 263 career made 3s, breaking a tie with Jeremy Crouch for the most made 3s in a career in Bradley history.
He added another 3 later in the game.
"It's great, it feels good to do it," said Deen, grinning broadly in the postgame. "That shot was a good rhythm, good feeling. I'm trying to keep it going for these guys."
He ended up with eight points and three assists in 33 minutes.
Freshman Jaquan Johnson piled up four assists to give him 56 for the season. That surpassed the all-time freshman steals record for the BU program held by Billy Wright (54, 1992-93).
You must be registered for see images attach
North Alabama clarifies
Bradley's coaches and players were on the floor alone for the national anthem 12 minutes before their NIT first-round game against North Alabama on Wednesday.
The anthem was played earlier than usual, and the North Alabama team finished its warmups and went to the locker room just before the anthem was played.
It was just a miscommunication with the pre-game itinerary, nothing more. No one is mad, the page is turned, and the Lions made sure their absence was explained.
"... this was an unintentional pre-game timing miscue on our part," North Alabama director of athletics Josh Looney said via a statement on social media. "Our program's pride in joining opponents for the National Anthem was on display as recently as the ASUN Championship Game and throughout the ASUN Tournament.
"We enjoyed the hospitality in Peoria and are thankful to Bradley University, the NIT, and everyone involved at the host site."
'We bleed together': Bradley basketball senior starters ready for one more postseason run
Bradley vs George Mason by the numbers
- Kenpom ranking: Bradley No. 92. George Mason No. 78
- Kenpom says: George Mason 68, Bradley 62 (68%)
- Massey computer says: George Mason 68, Bradley 65 (59%)
- NET ranking: Bradley No. 80. George Mason No. 68
- CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Ranking: Bradley No. 16.
- MidMajorBasketball.com Ranking: Bradley No. 19. George Mason No. 20
- BracketBustersHoops.com Ranking: Bradley No. 17. George Mason No. 11
- Basketball.realgm.com Mid-Major Rankings: Bradley NR. George Mason No. 19
- Preseason poll: Bradley No. 1 in MVC. George Mason No. 6 in 15-team A-10.
- Records: Bradley 27-8 (15-5), 2nd in MVC. George Mason 27-8 (15-3), t-1st in Atlantic 10 Conference.
- All-time series: Bradley, 0-1.
- Coaches: Bradley, Brian Wardle, 10th year (185-146). George Mason, Tony Skinn, 2nd year (47-20).
Bravely Speaking
The Braves are 27-8 overall this season, and 28-20 all-time in the NIT. ... Bradley has played George Mason once ever, a 77-66 loss in the Gulf Coast Showcase (Estero, Fla.) on Nov. 23, 2016. ... Bradley head coach Brian Wardle says the team will return to its conventional starting lineup for the NIT second-round game at George Mason. That includes Darius Hannah at the 4, Ahmet Jonovic at the 5, Christian Davis at wing and Duke Deen pairing with Demarion Burch at guards. Burch replaces Zek Montgomery, who opted out of the NIT. ... Bradley senior forward Darius Hannah will play in his ongoing program-record 151st game Saturday. ... Bradley senior guard Duke Deen added 3 assists Wednesday and now has 364 career assists, tied for 12th-most in BU history with Jim Caruthers and with Walt Lemon Jr. (367) just ahead. ... Christian Davis is 8 points away from 1,000 for his college career. ... Bradley is 18-4 in games in which senior starting trio of Deen, Davis and Hannah each score at least 10 points. ... The winner of the Bradley-George Mason game will face the winner of the (1) Dayton-(5) Chattanooga game in the quarterfinals next week. ... Bradley last advanced beyond the second round in the NIT in 1993-94 under Jim Molinari, when they beat Murray State and Old Dominion before losing to Sienna in the quarterfinals. ... A victory for George Mason over Bradley would give it a single-season franchise record 28 wins. ... George Mason head coach Tony Skinn is Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year. ... The Patriots lead the national in field goal defense (37.9%). ... George Mason captain Jared Billups is A-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
More: Missouri Valley basketball preseason poll: Bradley basketball picked as favorite
What time does Bradley play today?
- Date: March 22, 2025
- Time: 1 p.m. CT
- Location: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
What channel is Bradley on today in the NIT?
- TV: None
- Livestream: ESPN+ (subscription required)
- Radio: WMBD-AM 1470 and FM 100.3
Bradley vs George Mason live stream options
Live stream on ESPN+
Bradley basketball vs George Mason betting odds
Game lines and odds from OddsShark as of early Saturday morning:
- Spread: George Mason by 6
- Over/under: 132.5
- Money line: Bradley +222. George Mason -255
Bradley basketball schedule
Record:27-8, 15-5
- Nov. 4: Bradley 88, Southeast Missouri State 60
- Nov. 8: Washington State 91, Bradley 74
- Nov. 12: Bradley 85, UTSA 72
- Nov. 16: Bradley 76, Northern Illinois 60
- Nov. 21: Bradley 82, Texas State 68
- Nov. 22: Bradley 77, Wright State 74
- Nov. 24: Bradley 80, Middle Tennessee 69
- Nov. 29: Bradley 107, Judson 41
- Dec. 3: Bradley 83, Southern Illinois 60
- Dec. 14: Santa Clara 84, Bradley 74 at Jack Jones Classic
- Dec. 18: Bradley 66, San Francisco 64
- Dec. 21: Bradley 92, Canisius 59
- Dec. 29: Bradley 81, Valparaiso 75 (2 OT)
- Jan. 1: Bradley 90, Indiana State 89 (OT)
- Jan. 4: Bradley 69, Missouri State 60
- Jan. 8: Drake 64, Bradley 57
- Jan. 11: Bradley 61, UIC 60
- Jan. 15: Bradley 118, Indiana State 65
- Jan. 18: Bradley 74, Murray State 61
- Jan. 21: Bradley 89, Belmont 77
- Jan. 25: Bradley 61, Illinois State 57
- Jan. 29: UIC 93, Bradley 70
- Feb. 2: Northern Iowa 83, Bradley 69
- Feb. 5: Belmont 80, Bradley 77
- Feb. 8: Bradley 80, Evansville 74
- Feb. 12: Bradley 78, Southern Illinois 64
- Feb. 16: Bradley 61, Drake 59
- Feb. 19: Illinois State 82, Bradley 71
- Feb. 22: Bradley 85, Murray State 83 (OT)
- Feb. 26: Bradley 76, Valparaiso 65
- March 2: Bradley 73, Northern Iowa 56
- END REGULAR SEASON
- 2025 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, Enterprise Center, St. Louis
- March 6: First round, bye
- March 7: Quarterfinal round: (2) Bradley 70, (7) Murray State 62
- March 8: Semifinal round: (2) Bradley 70, (11) Valparaiso 65
- March 9: Championship: (1) Drake 63, (2) Bradley 48
- National Invitation Tournament
- March 19: First round: Bradley 71, North Alabama 62
- March 22: Second round: (3) Bradley at (2) George Mason, 1 p.m., EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
Buy Bradley basketball tickets this season via StubHub
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or [email protected]. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
Bradley basketball news
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- How Bradley got more than a championship trophy from 2024 Myrtle Beach Invitational
- 'Bully': Bradley freshman's game lives up to his name
- Bradley basketball prediction, schedule analysis: Chasing MVC title
- Bradley basketball: How BU built a contender in 2024-25
- 8 games we circled on Bradley's Missouri Valley Conference schedule
- Why Bradley vs Illinois State rivalry games should always be Saturdays
- Duke Deen at the heart of Bradley's historic 3-point shooting this season
- Bradley hauls in MVC awards
- "We bleed together": Bradley senior starters ready for final postseason run
- "Bully" pulpit: Bradley freshman wins MVC All-Bench honors
- Bradley freshman sinks 94-foot putt on court to win new car during game
- "They ignited us": How large contingent of Braves fans helped their team at Arch
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: NIT second round: Bradley vs George Mason basketball score updates
Continue reading...
