Northern Iowa vs Bradley: 2018-19 MVC title game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
Northern Iowa and Bradley will surprisingly meet in the MVC title game; will it be the Panthers or Braves heading to the NCAA Tournament?
TV schedule: Sunday, March 10, 2:05 pm ET. CBS
Arena: Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri
For the first time in Arch Madness history, the top four seeds are all out and this title game will be between 5-seed Bradley (19-14) and 6-seed Northern Iowa (16-17). These teams split the season series, with the road team victorious in each game. Both Bradley and Northern Iowa finished the year 9-9 in MVC play and narrowly avoided playing in the Thursday play-in round. They each upset top seeds on their way to this wildly unexpected title game.
The regular season was a struggle for Northern Iowa, but they really have pulled things together late in the season. Head coach Ben Jacobson is looking to lead this team to another Arch Madness championship and this one would be the unlikeliest. His team knocked out 3-seed Southern Illinois and injury-riddled 2-seed Drake in very close games. These Panthers would have a .500 record if they win, probably assuring them of a dreaded 16-seed in March Madness.
A pair of guards have really stood out for the Panthers, who are led by freshman AJ Green (14.9 ppg). Green was the MVC Freshman of the Year and scored 24 points against Bradley in early February. Another player to watch is senior guard Wyatt Lohaus (9.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg). He’s led the Panthers at Arch Madness, pacing the team with 21 points against SIU and put up 27 on Drake.
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The Panthers sit at 178th in KenPom and play at one of the slowest paces in the nation. This team is 12th in defensive rebounding but struggle at grabbing offensive boards. Shooting, especially from the free throw line, has been a struggle at times, but this offense has done enough the last two days in St. Louis to power this team to the finals.
Early in the season, Bradley knocked off SMU and Penn State and this looked like it could be a special year in Peoria. Unfortunately, the Braves hit quite a skid and found themselves 8-10, 0-5 in MVC play just seven weeks ago. Since that point, they’ve played remarkably better ball, clawing their way back into contention. They avenged earlier losses by beating 4-seed Missouri State and 1-seed Loyola-Chicago in really close games and find themselves surprisingly playing for a league title.
The player to watch for Bradley is junior guard Darrell Brown (15.2 ppg, 3.2 apg), who dropped 29 points at Northern Iowa back in February. He also led the Braves with 20 points against Missouri State two days ago. Fellow junior guard Nate Kennell (9.2 ppg) paced the Braves with 19 points against Loyola, and he and Brown can be deadly from outside if they heat up. Sophomore forward Elijah Childs (12.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg) is the big man to watch, gathering 11 rebounds against the Ramblers.
Bradley sits at 169th in KenPom and rank 130th in defensive efficiency. Like the Panthers, they play slow, defensive ball. The Braves are 45th in defensive field goal percentage. On 3-pointers, they rank in the top 100 both offensively and defensively and will need Brown and Kennell to hit some outside shots in this game.
This will be a slow-paced, defensive slug fest. Each possession will be of tremendous importance, especially early in the game as these teams feel each other out. Playing for the third straight day, this will become a battle of wills in the second half. This is the kind of game where a run of 5 or 6 points in a row feels more like a dozen. AJ Green and Darrell Brown will both get their chance to shine on the national stage.
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This game could go either way. These teams have fought hard to make it to this point, turning around seasons that had stretches of major disappointment. Green could have an outstanding game or we could see impressive shooting from Brown and Kennell of the Braves. We’re going to see a defensive battle in a low-scoring affair and I think that Bradley will head to the NCAA Tournament in another close game.