Missouri Valley Conference Basketball News

CIT Quarterfinals:
A prayer is answered in Peoria, as Bradley stuns Oakland at the buzzer

Seventy-five feet is the distance between the basket and the free throw line. No, not the opponent's free throw line, but your own team's charity stripe.
 
It was also the distance between Bradley's Chris Roberts and the Oakland University hoop, which hung, frozen in time and space, at the other end of the Carver Arena floor.
 
After Oakland's Johnathan Jones nailed a mid-range jumper to give the Golden Grizzlies a 75-73 lead in the final second of regulation time, it appeared that another deep Bradley run in a lower-tier postseason tournament would not materialize. The 2008 CBI champions were about to be bounced out of the inaugural CIT Tournament, and Braves coach Jim Les was about to wonder how his program could get back to that other postseason event--the NCAAs--in 2010.
 
Put a hold to those plans, coach, at least for a few more days.
 

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There was just one other minor detail about the 75 feet separating Chris Roberts from the Oakland basket: They were navigated perfectly by the flight of the basketball Roberts launched into the Illinois night.
 
Yes, miracles do happen, and the record will show that on March 23, 2009, the faith of Bradley fans was affirmed in a powerful way. The Prayer In Peoria was answered, as Roberts' two-handed push shot--released before the buzzer--splashed through the twine after the final horn had sounded. The 3-point heave, which should have counted for five points, gave Bradley a 76-75 victory and a spot in the CIT semifinals on Wednesday against the University of Pacific.
 
The nature of this game's most unexpected outcome, a result based on pure luck more than raw skill, should affect the way the first 39 minutes and 59 seconds should be evaluated. Bradley hit 58 percent of its field-goal attempts, 53 percent of its 3-point shots, and 75 percent of its 16 free throw tries. How, then, could the Braves have been in danger of losing to the runner-up at the Summit Conference Tournament?

A few details explain why. Bradley was outrebounded (28-25), eclipsed at the foul line (Oakland took five more foul shots and made four more than the Braves), and prone to more turnovers (15 to Oakland's 12). These three facts point to a larger reality, namely, that Bradley wasn't strong, with or without the ball. Being "strong with the ball" refers to the ability to maintain possession in traffic, and Bradley evidently lapsed in that regard against the Golden Grizzlies. When not in possession of the ball, the Braves might have competed on the glass, but they couldn't outperform a team from a conference that's much less formidable than the Missouri Valley.
 
Bradley, then, didn't "win" this game with vastly superior play so much as the Braves were kindly kissed by the fickle finger of fortune.
 
It's always a benefit when a team can play more games and grow on the court. The biggest take-away from this contest is for Bradley to make the most of its unexpected opportunity when the semifinals come calling.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Staff Writer