'Battle tested': How Bradley basketball assembled its 2023-24 nonconference schedule
PEORIA — The Bradley Braves finalized their nonconference schedule for the 2023-24 season.
BU coach Brian Wardle built this schedule with a specific purpose in mind and navigated the realities faced by mid-major teams in the scheduling game as his team began its journey through a defense of the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship.
The Braves nonconference schedule includes visits to UAB, Akron, a neutral-site game against Duquesne at Lebron James Arena at St. Vincent/St. Mary's in Akron, a trip to the SoCal Challenge in San Juan Capistrano (where they could play Cal, UTEP, Tulane), and home games against Utah State, Tarleton State, Vermont, Cleveland State, SIUE and Truman State.
There are no shortage of NCAA or NIT tournament appearances, conference titles and 20-plus win seasons among those teams.
"We really going to need our fans to come out to Carver Arena for the nonconference games more than ever before," Wardle said. "We're playing a very challenging schedule."
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Here's an inside look with Wardle on how the schedule was built, and what the team hopes to take away from it:
What is the goal for this schedule?
Wardle says this schedule is good enough to put the Braves on track to an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, if they need it. BU had a similarly built schedule last year, but fell short despite a 25-9 record heading into Selection Sunday.
"We just didn't win enough games. We were so injured in November," Wardle said.
"But a lot of that is projection. Yes, we have to win the games. But our opponents have to win a lot of their games, too, to create a strong rating."
What part of the schedule is the biggest challenge?
Wardle said all the games are scary and challenging in their own ways, but pointed to a particular stretch in the schedule around Thanksgiving. From Nov. 20 to early December, the Braves play in the SoCal Challenge, vs. Vermont and two MVC games.
"That's a tough, key stretch right there," Wardle said. "We're going to be really battle-tested by the end of November. Rotations, strengths, what we have and what we need. We'll know all that."
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Schedule-making is business, and art
Wardle noted Utah State, Akron and SIUE were placed on Bradley's schedule early on because they were already under contract from series played last season. He said the challenges included working with the Peoria Civic Center to get home dates, puzzle pieces that have to fit together. And making those dates fit with the opponents' schedules.
"You try to get series if you can," Wardle said. "But a lot of times there's not enough (quality) teams to get games with. Vermont and Cleveland State are good teams. We're going to play teams that have won and know how to win."
And yes, teams do buy games. Bradley reportedly agreed to pay Vermont to come to Carver Arena for its Nov. 25 game. Wardle declined to talk about the specifics of that deal, but he did note that scheduling games this way is a fact of life for mid-major teams.
"It's been happening for 50 years," he said. "Financially, there always have been some games you acquire that way. All teams do it."
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The Power 5 challenge
High-level mid-major programs like Bradley would love to play a Power 5 school. But the bigger program has to be willing. It did not go unnoticed that the University of Illinois scheduled games this season with in-state Western Illinois and Eastern Illinois, and one with a Missouri Valley Conference team — Valparaiso.
But why not with an in-state, MVC team?
"That's a question you'd have to ask them," Wardle said. "I don't have an answer to that. I will play anybody.
"If anyone can help us get any in-state high majors for us, please do. In their defense, that league is bigger, so many conference games. It's different than 10 years ago. They have to win at home. They know that."
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Bradley Braves basketball: Analysis of 2023-24 nonconference schedule
