What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 3/18/2019

March Madness 2019: Teams who have won automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament--CBS Sports

Missouri Valley: Bradley

In the Missouri Valley Tournament, Bradley made history: the Braves scored just 15 points by halftime against Northern Iowa, then roared back from an 18-point deficit to pull off the biggest comeback victory in MVC title game history. The final: 57-54. The Braves will be in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 13 years. Back in 2006, Bradley was in via an at-large; Sunday's victory is the first conference tournament championship for the school since 1988. Bradley will either be a 15 or 16 seed depending on how the low-major conference tournaments unfold in the coming week.

East: Duke is the overall No. 1 seed, but Michigan State is a heck of a No. 2--The Athletic

No. 15 Bradley Braves

Opponent: No. 2 Michigan State

When: Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa

Record: 20-14 (9-9 Missouri Valley)

How they got here: The No. 5 seed in Arch Madness, Bradley knocked off Missouri State, 2018 Final Four darling Loyola-Chicago and Northern Iowa in successive days. In the championship game, the Braves rallied after scoring only 15 points in the first half and being down by 18 in the second.

What you need to know: This is Bradley’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since its Sweet 16 run in 2006, and it comes after an 0-5 start to the conference season. While the core of the team is a group of seniors, junior point guard Darrell Brown (14.7 points per game) leads the team in scoring, and sophomore Elijah Childs is the team’s best rebounder and shot-blocker.

Spotlight on: Coach Brian Wardle was the youngest head coach in Division I when he got the Green Bay job at age 30 in 2010. After five years and a couple of NIT appearances, he jumped to Bradley and has won 20 games in back-to-back seasons.

Bradley to face Michigan State in NCAA Tournament: 5 things to know about the Braves, including their creepy yet adorable mascot--Chicago Tribune
Welcome Back Bradley, You Get Izzo!--Valley Hoops Insider
Cleve In The Eve: BU’s Wardle, Chris Reynolds, hug it out with reporter--Peoria Journal Star
Who’s in, who’s out? A look at the NCAA tournament’s entire field of 68--Peoria Journal Star

Bradley Braves: Some hometowns on Bradley’s international roster: Douala, Cameroon; Abyei, South Sudan; Helmond, Netherlands; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; London, England; Gosford, Australia.

NCAA tournament matchup is the latest chapter for Bradley and Michigan State--Peoria Journal Star
Bradley given 15 seed and will play Michigan State--Bradley Scout
Braves Draw Michigan State in NCAA First Round--bradleybraves.com