The timing of Bradley’s 1 p.m. nonconference game Sunday vs. 7-3 Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum seemingly could not be worse for the Braves.
The Braves are reeling from consecutive home losses to mid-majors after building double-digit second-half leads in both.
They’re headed on the road against a huge, fast-breaking team that ranks fourth in the nation in 3-point percentage.
Iowa State’s five home wins this year have come by an average margin of 25 points.
While all of that sounds daunting for the Braves, there is one important fact to remember about this wildly inconsistent BU squad — its best moments this season have come against the top teams on the schedule.
Bradley (5-4) fought BYU tooth and nail at a similarly difficult road venue before losing by 10. The Braves battled a bigger, stronger Oklahoma State club and lost by 11. Nobody needs reminded what the Braves did against Illinois.
“That’s my expectation, that we’ll go and play well and get locked in for 40 minutes,” said BU coach Jim Les. “There’s nothing we can do about the other night.”
That would be the stunning 68-65 loss to Loyola after holding a 12-point lead with 17 minutes left and blowing a five-point bulge in the final two minutes.
“Good teams face adversity and are able to pull themselves out of it,” Les said. “That’s what our challenge is, to play a little better and more consistently. When we’re disciplined on both ends of the floor, good things happen. It’s paramount that eveybody is on the same page.”
Said tri-captain Andrew Warren: “For us, it’s more mental now. Coaches are getting tired of telling us the same thing. We have to step up and know what’s expected of us. We’re not doing that as a team.”
Even with a strong mental and physical approach, it may not be enough to beat Greg McDermott’s best Cyclone team since he arrived here in 2006.
It’s a team with size, 3-point shooting ability, depth and an ability to pressure defensively.
For Iowa State, it all starts with 6-foot-10 junior forward Craig Brackins, a versatile and gifted scorer who passed on placing his name in the NBA draft last season after being projected as a first-round pick. Brackins’ 20.2 scoring average last season is the fourth-leading figure for returning players.
This season, Brackins is averaging 18.2 points and shooting 62.5 percent from beyond the arc. His teammate, Big 12 3-point leader Lucca Staiger, said Brackins’ inside-outside game makes it easier for the rest of the team to get open looks.
“I love playing with Craig because all the attention is on him,” Staiger told The Ames Tribune. “I’m just open because of trapping. That’s what makes it fun.”
Taylor Brown will likely draw the defensive assignment on Brackins to start the game. But others will probably take a turn.
“Brackins is not only a guy who can score in a variety of ways, but he’s also a willing passer,” Les said. “If you pay a lot of attention to him, other guys can hurt you. They have a lot of weapons. We can’t lack discipline or stray from fundamentals.”
McDermott is a different coach than during his Northern Iowa days (2001-06) because of the bigger, better athletes he has at his disposal now.
“It’s a credit to him,” Les said. “I have a lot of respect for him as a basketball coach. His personnel has changed, therefore he has changed and changed for the better.”
McDermott is pleased with the state of his team after 10 games.
“I don’t feel we are as far away as some people on the outside think,” he said. “We are right there.We’re a couple of possessions away from being a 9-1 team and everyone is talking about what a great start we are off to. But we had a couple of games that didn’t go our way down the stretch and part of that is Northwestern and Northern Iowa made plays and we failed to.”
Bradley is trying to put the last two games in the rear-view mirror while at the same time learning important lessons from them.
“My responsibility is to get ’em executing,” Les said. “The onus is on them to meet me halfway. I tell them, ‘You have a job to do and I have a job to do. Whether you like your role or not, it’s your responsibility to your team to play the role you have.’ ”
Braves briefs: Iowa State sixth man — 6-foot-9 LaRon Dendy — returned home to South Carolina on Thursday to tend to personal issues. His availability for today is uncertain. ... Because Hilton Coliseum was unavailable Saturday, Bradley practiced in Peoria before heading west. The Braves were scheduled for a shootaround in the 37-year-old building Sunday morning. ... BU freshman guard Jake Eastman, activated from his redshirt year against Loyola, could not have played if called upon because of a sprained ankle. Eastman did not take part in pregame warmups.
Dave Reynolds can be reached at 686-3210 or at dreynolds@pjstar.com.
