Men’s Basketball Unveils 2017-18 Non-Conference Schedule

2017-18 Bradley Basketball Non-Conference Schedule

2017-18 Non-Conference Schedule

Men's Basketball 8/17/2017 3:00:00 PM

Six home games plus trips to the Bahamas and California highlight the 2017-18 Bradley men's basketball non-conference schedule, announced by head coach Brian Wardle on Thursday.

The 2017-18 slate is filled with a number of up-and-coming programs, including as many as seven schools that have recently qualified for the NCAA Tournament and played on the national stage.

"We feature a very competitive and well-balanced schedule this year," Wardle said. "Now in our third year with the program, we have put together a non-conference schedule that will not only challenge us, but help us best prepare and peak for the Missouri Valley Conference season. We want to energize our fan base this season and we want everybody to witness the upward movement of our team at Carver Arena, starting on Nov. 11 against IUPUI."

Mark your ?? - the complete 2017-18 Bradley basketball non-conference schedule is out!!!

A post shared by Bradley Men's Basketball (@bradleyumbb) on Aug 17, 2017 at 1:32pm PDT

After an exhibition game at Carver Arena against Robert Morris (Chicago) on Nov. 1, the Braves officially open the 2017-18 campaign at home against the Horizon League's newest member, IUPUI, on Nov. 11. Bradley remains at home for a midweek matchup against Delaware on Nov. 14 of the Colonial Athletic Association before hitting the road for one of the highlights of the non-conference slate.

For the first time since the 1989 San Juan Shootout, the Braves will leave the United States and head to the Caribbean for a regular-season tournament. This season, Bradley is slated for one of the top mid-major multi-team events in Division I at the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase from Nov. 17-19 in Nassau, Bahamas. This year's field is slated to feature three 2017 NCAA Tournament teams and top-100 RPI schools in the country with five of the schools making at least one NCAA Tournament in the last three seasons.

Upon returning to Peoria, the Braves play Missouri S&T as their mandated non-Division I contest as part of the Islands of Bahamas Showcase on Nov. 22. Bradley remains at Carver Arena to face Sun Belt Conference favorites, Georgia Southern, on Nov. 25 before a rematch of a thrilling BU overtime victory against Eastern Illinois on Dec. 1.

Bradley heads to San Diego State for its first true road contest of the season on Dec. 3 as part of the Missouri Valley Conference – Mountain West Challenge Series. One of the top programs in the Mountain West, San Diego State has qualified for the NCAA Tournament or NIT in 11 of the past 12 seasons, while also claiming at least a share of the MWC regular-season title in five of the past seven seasons.

The final home game of the non-conference campaign is on Dec. 13 against Little Rock, a recent 30-game winner with an NCAA Tournament victory over Purdue. The Braves then hit the road for their final three games before MVC play starts, beginning on Dec. 16 at Chicago State. The matchup with the Cougars will mark Bradley's first road non-conference game in Chicago in five years, last playing UIC on Feb. 23, 2013 in the BracketBuster series.

Bradley then wraps up the non-conference campaign against Southeast Missouri State (Dec. 20) and Ole Miss (Dec. 22). The Redhawks increased their win total by 10 last year, while the Rebels have earned at least 20 victories in seven of the last eight seasons with its 22 wins last year their most since the 2012-13 campaign.

The Braves finished the 2016-17 season among the top 25 most improved teams in the nation, winning eight more games last year compared to the 2015-16 campaign. Bradley returns 11 letterwinners and all five starters next season, including 96.8 percent of its points, 95.8 percent of its rebounds and 98.4 percent of its assists.

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