Tag: Bradley Braves

Florida hoops targeting former Bradley forward in transfer portal

Florida has already lost a good chunk of its basketball roster to graduation and the transfer portal, but the Gators are looking to add some new pieces of their own.

After 88 games with the Bradley Braves, forward [autotag]Rienk Mast[/autotag] is testing out the transfer portal waters and getting plenty of Power 5 interest, including some from the Florida Gators, according to 247Sports.

UF is treating Mast as a priority target with one of the biggest team needs being frontcourt depth following the departures of [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag], [autotag]CJ Felder[/autotag] and [autotag]Jason Jitoboh[/autotag]. Mast averaged 13.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game last season for the Braves and is hoping his game translates against even stronger competition.

“I’m looking for a great basketball spot,” Mast said to the Peoria Journal Star. “Bradley is a great basketball spot. But you get to play against high majors 4-5 times a season. I want to see how I match up and play under bright lights every night. I want to see how I stack up against the best competition in college.”

At least 10 Power Five programs have already reached out to Mast, so Florida won’t be alone in its pursuit of him. The 52nd 1,000-point scorer in Bradley’s history is a hot commodity on the early transfer portal market.

At 6-foot-9-inches tall, Mast could fight right into the role Felder had at the start of the season, playing the four. The Gators still need to add a big man to match up with the nation’s top centers, though, and Mast would be a bit small for that spot. His rebounding skills are strong, but you can’t teach height.

Expect Florida to be very active in the portal this offseason because the team lost so many players.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1365]

[mm-video type=video id=01gvdq8eqdb03x5mg83v playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gvdq8eqdb03x5mg83v/01gvdq8eqdb03x5mg83v-ce81f56192edd4f52d0b1f3b0a471855.jpg]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Peyton Williams hits for the cycle, Iowa blasts past Bradley, 15-8

Iowa ran its winning streak to five straight and redshirt sophomore Peyton Williams hit for the cycle as the Hawkeyes beat Bradley, 15-8.

Iowa rode big third and seventh innings to keep its recent winning ways intact and blast past Bradley, 15-8. In the process, Iowa won its season-best fifth consecutive game to improve to 21-12 overall and complete a season sweep of the Braves.

Redshirt sophomore Peyton Williams stole the show as he hit for the cycle. The first baseman finished the game a perfect 5-for-5 from the plate with five RBIs and four runs scored and he reached base in all six of his plate appearances. Williams doubled in the first, singled in the third, homered in the fourth, was hit by a pitch in the sixth, doubled in the seventh and tripled down the right field line in the eighth.

The Hawkeyes scored one run in the first, four in the third, one in the fourth, one in the fifth, one in the sixth, six in the seventh and a final run in the eighth inning. Sophomore designated hitter Will Mulflur delivered a 3-for-5 day from the plate with a double and a three-run blast in the third that put the Hawks in front to stay.

Redshirt sophomore right-hander Luke Llewellyn got the start for Iowa but he lasted just one inning as he walked three and surrendered a pair of earned runs. From there, the Hawkeyes used a series of arms to close out the win.

Redshirt sophomore Jacob Henderson, redshirt junior Jared Simpson and freshman Chas Wheatley each pitched one inning. Redshirt senior Cam Baumann pitched 2/3 innings, redshirt sophomore Will Christophersen pitched two innings, redshirt senior Ben Beutel pitched 1/3 innings, freshman Marcus Morgan faced three batters but didn’t record an out and then freshman Brody Brecht came in to close the win with two innings of scoreless baseball.

Wheatley earned the win for the Hawkeyes. Now, Iowa can turn its attention to a big weekend series versus Big Ten-leading Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights just missed the top 25 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Baseball Coaches Poll. Rutgers is the first team ranked outside the top 25 in the latest edition. Iowa can do its postseason chances a great service by heading to New Jersey and winning the series.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Josh on Twitter: @JoshOnREF

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Texas Longhorns Women’s Basketball: Opponent preview of Bradley

NCAA Tournament preview of the Texas Longhorns and the Bradley Braves.

The Texas Longhorns opening matchup of the 2021 NCAA Tournament is the No. 11 Bradley Braves, who are appearing in the tournament for the first time after winning their first Missouri Valley Championship.

Texas is fresh off losing to the Baylor Bears in the Big 12 tournament semifinals and they concluded the regular season with an 18-9 record. The Longhorns also have one of the top players in the country in first-team All-Big 12 junior forward Charli Collier, who has averaged 20.1 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. She’s been a dominant force for Texas all season long.

What about Bradley? What are they best at? Where can Texas take advantage? This is Braves head coach Andrea Gorski’s fifth season with the program and she has propelled them to more success than they’ve ever known.

For each opponent that Texas faces, Longhorns Wire will preview their opponents strengths and weaknesses. Let’s kick things off with Bradley.

First, what they do best

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

MWC Final: Valparaiso vs. Bradley odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s Valparaiso vs. Bradley college basketball matchup, with college basketball betting odds, picks and best bets.

The Valparaiso Crusaders (19-15) meet the Bradley Braves (22-11) in the Missouri Valley Conference title game Sunday at 2:05 p.m. ET at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. We analyze the Valparaiso-Bradley odds and betting lines, while providing college basketball betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Valparaiso vs. Bradley: Three things you need to know

1. The 7-seed Crusaders of Valpo have been Cinderella in the conference tourney colloquially referred to as ‘Arch Madness’. Valpo topped Evansville 58-55 on Thursday, stunned Loyola-Chicago 74-73 in OT Friday, then dumped Missouri State 89-82 Saturday in a 6-7 game to punch their ticket to the final.

2. The 4-seed Braves of Bradley are less of a surprise to be in the title game. They snuck by Southern Illinois 64-59 in the quarters Friday before racking up a 10-point win over another upstart, Drake, by a 76-66 score.

3. Bradley and Valpo split their regular-season series, with the Braves winning 80-69 Jan. 29 and the Crusaders winning 90-78 Feb. 22. Both games saw the home team win and the Over hit.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

Valparaiso vs. Bradley: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Bradley 79, Valparaiso 76

Moneyline (ML)

Valparaiso is the underdog in this one at +135. While I expect a tight game, I like BRADLEY -162 to hold the Crusaders off in this one.

New to sports betting? A $10 successful bet on Bradley to win outright returns a profit of $6.17.

Against the Spread (ATS)

Valparaiso (+2.5, +100) hasn’t been terribly steady all season, but the Crusaders are playing their best basketball of the season and have been cover kings lately. The Crusaders finished the regular season 6-1 ATS in their final seven games — including that straight-up win over Bradley (-2.5, -121 for Sunday’s game) Feb. 22 — and they’re 3-0 SU/2-1 ATS in the MVC tourney so far.

The Braves might sneak away with a ticket to the dance, but the Crusaders will make them work for it. A slight lean here for BRADLEY -2.5 (-121).

Over/Under (O/U)

The Over in the two regular-season meetings between Valpo and Bradley, and taking OVER 132.5 (-110) is a good play Sunday. The Over has hit in the past two for the Crusaders, including an 89-point performance by their offense against Missouri State in Saturday’s semis. Bradley hit the over in their final five of the regular season, while going 1-1 with the total in the tourney so far.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2017]