Bradley will represent the Missouri Valley Conference in this year's NCAA Tournament facing 2nd-seeded Michigan State in a first-round game in Des Moines on Thursday, March 21. The game will air on CBS (and Westwood One Radio) with an approximate tip time of 1:45 pm CT. The Bradley-Michigan State will follow the first game of the day -- Louisville-Minnesota at 11:15 a.m. CT.
2019 NCAA Tournament Bracket (PDF)
MVC Post-Season Notebook (PDF)
The Braves last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2006 and reached the Sweet 16 that year. Bradley has an all-time 11-8 record in NCAA Tournament games, appearing for the ninth time in 2019. The Braves are 5-6 in the NCAA Tournament as an MVC member. MVC schools have an all-time record of 103-104 in NCAA Tournament history, which includes 102 previous appearances.
Notably, MVC teams are a combined 38-44 in the NCAA Tournament since 1994, which includes a 29-36 record against Power conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, Pac-12 and the SEC). MVC schools are a combined 4-7 against Big Ten schools in NCAA Tournament play since 1994.
The MVC has a perfect 9-0 record in first-round games since 2013. Technically, the streak is 10-straight wins as Creighton won a Friday first-round game in 2012 following Wichita State’s Thursday first-round loss to VCU.
MVC First-Round NCAA Games, Since 2012
2012 -- #12 VCU 62, #5 Wichita State 59
2012 -- #8 Creighton 58, #9 Alabama 57
2013 -- #7 Creighton 67, #10 Cincinnati 63
2013 -- #9 Wichita State 73, #8 Pitt 55
2014 -- #1 Wichita State 64, Cal Poly 37
2015 -- #5 UNI 71, #12 Wyoming 54
2015 -- #7 Wichita State 81, #10 Indiana 76
2016 -- #11 Wichita State 70, #11 Vandy 50
2016 -- #11 UNI 75, #6 Texas 72
2017 -- #10 Wichita State 64, #7 Dayton 58
2018 -- #11 Loyola 64, #6 Miami (Fla.) 62
Historical Streaks in NCAA First-Round Games
1941-55 – MVC 10-0 streak, 5 Final Four trips
1958-65 – MVC 8-0 streak, 5 Final Four trips
1968-73 – MVC 6-0 streak, 3 Final Four trips
2012-pres. – MVC 10-0 streak, 2 Final Fours
Winning in the NCAA
The MVC has had a minimum of one NCAA tourney win in each of the past seven years (2012-present) for a cumulative 18-11 (.621) record. Only three other leagues are better than .600 in that span: SEC (.643), ACC (.636), B1G (.621).
How Seed It is
The NCAA used a seeding process for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 1979. Since then, the MVC has had teams seeded No. 9 or worse 47 times, including this season. The previous 46 teams have combined for 28 tournament victories, seven Sweet 16 appearances and two Final Fours. Since 1994, the MVC has posted 14 NCAA Tournament first-round wins as a lower-seeded team. Until this year, an MVC team had never been seeded worse than a No. 14, posting an 0-4 record as a No. 14 seed.
“Power” Aid
Since 1994, an MVC member has beaten the following teams from “power” conferences in the NCAAs: Alabama, Arizona, Cincinnati, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas (three times), K-State, Louisville, Miami (Fla.), Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh (twice), Seton Hall, Tennessee (four times), Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, and Wisconsin. MVC teams are a combined 38-44 in the NCAA Tournament since 1994 (with 11 Sweet 16 trips and two Final Fours). Notably, 29 of the 38 wins in that span have been vs. power conference schools.
MVC vs. the Top 25
The MVC was 4-7 against top-25 schools last season, with all four wins by Loyola (Florida, Miami (Fla.), Tennessee and Nevada). The league is 0-7 against Top-25 schools so far this year.