Bradley and Illinois State Playing Postseason Basketball
(St. Louis, MO) – Bradley and Illinois State are joining Drake as postseason-playing basketball teams from the Missouri Valley Conference. The Braves will be competing in the prestigious National Invitation Tournament while the Redbirds participate in College Basketball Invitational.
This is the Redbirds’ first foray into postseason play since 2017 and is the seventeenth edition of the CBI. ILS split a pair of games during the 2014 CBI.
Redbird coach Ryan Pedon told goredbirds.com that he believes this postseason experience will be good for the players and for the Illinois State program.
“We’re very excited to accept this bid to play in the CBI,” said head coach Ryan Pedon. “Having the ability to extend our season is a great thing for our program for a multitude of reasons. First, it will give our players an opportunity to play more basketball together. The chemistry in our program is very special, and this tournament will provide another shared experience for the group. Secondly, being invited to play postseason basketball represents growth for our program. It has been nine seasons since we have been invited to play in a postseason tournament.”
Illinois State (19-14) finds out Sunday who they’ll play and where they fit in the single-elimination, 16-team tournament. The CBI begins on March 22 and all the games will be played in Daytona Beach Florida.
Dave Eminian (Peoria-Journal Star) reports that Bradley will accept the invitation to the NIT. While the university hasn’t made an official statement, we believe this to be factual as Eminian quotes coach Brian Wardle saying “we’re going to play.”
While Bradley split two NIT games last season, Indiana State won four games to reach the tournament championship game.
Next Season Schedule Note
Evansville has announced they will play in next season’s’ Paradise Jam. Here is part of that announcement.
“The University of Evansville men’s basketball team will be one of eight teams set to participate in the 2025 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam men’s basketball tournament. This year’s tournament will take place from November 21-24 in St. Thomas.”
“Joining the Purple Aces in the tournament will be Akron, College of Charleston, Green Bay, Iona, Oregon State, UMass, and Yale. The Eldridge Blake Sports and Fitness Center on the campus of the University of the Virgin Islands will be the host facility for the event.”
“This season marks the 26th time the tournament has been held and will be the first time the Aces have participated. Brackets will be released after the conclusion of all 2025 postseason men’s basketball tournaments. Pairings will be determined using a combination of NET rankings, and RPI.”
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Flooding, lightning strikes, etc. have cost @RacersHoops two home games. Had to play 'neutral site' tonight instead of at home and Wednesday's goes from home to away. Tough break for the Racers, and the whole area has been hit with difficulties. #FatherHarry
Murray State's scheduled home game Wednesday vs. Southern Illinois being moved to Banterra Center in Carbondale. #ValleyHoops
Gigantic game for @BradleyUMBB today in Des Moines. If they have a chance to catch @DrakeBulldogsMB, they have to win today. The Bulldogs can basically win the title today. @BustingBrackets breaks it all down. #FatherHarry https://bit.ly/3EGiVgi
Not rooting for any particular @ValleyHoops, but chaos is always fun. If things break certain ways, after today there could be a six-way tie for fifth place.
Fun to listen to @MLBLarry on the @SIU_Basketball/@BelmontMBB game tonight. Good job brother. #FatherHarry
