Normal — Brian Wardle didn’t need many words to assess what happened to the Bradley Braves against Illinois State on Saturday. “We just got our butts whupped,” the Braves head coach said.

Illinois State came in as a team on the ropes with a three-game losing streak in the Missouri Valley Conference. But the Bradley Braves ended up down for the count in a War on 74 rivalry renewal that fell out of reach faster than a Mike Tyson bout.

The Braves allowed an early 9-0 run, fell back 15 at the half and went on to an 88-62 loss before 7,549 at CEFCU Arena in the largest single-game margin of the series for either team since 2012.

“I’ll tell you how much these pre-game speeches that coaches record and put on social media, I’ll tell you how much they mean,” Wardle dead-panned. “Zero. Because I delivered like my best pre-game speech of the year today. Like A-game.

“I would have had you guys in here running through the wall today. Well, we went out and got our butts whupped. Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. That old Mike Tyson quote is true.

“We got punched in the mouth.”

If Illinois State was a team in crisis, it didn’t show Saturday. They beat up Bradley for 42 points in the paint, got a game-high 23 from Boden Skunberg, poured in 10 3-pointers and needed 6-9, 280-pound Chase Walker for just nine minutes in the first half.

“It’s happened to me before in my career, so it was one of those days and give Illinois State credit they were way better than us today,” Wardle said. “We knew we were going to see their best and I think we did. And we couldn’t match it. We couldn’t match them at all.

“They needed this win, we knew they’ve lost some close ones lately. So they came out like a veteran team does and they handle their business at home and they execute and they are tougher and we really struggle to process, talk and execute much at all.

“It’s our team, we’ve just got to try to keep trying to learn … we’re not there yet. We’re not there, contending on the road, like we need to be.”

The Braves hung in at 9-9 but Illinois State went off on a 9-0 run to build an 18-9 lead by the 11:35 mark of the first half.

The Braves were chasing them the rest of the game.

“Coach Wardle told us, ‘They are like a wounded animal right now, and that’s the most dangerous thing possible,’ ” Bradley forward A.J. Smith said. “And they came out and hit us in the mouth, and from there they had a lot of momentum and energy and they just kept it rolling on us.

“We were trying to cut it down, but we had a lot of self-inflicted wounds, self-inflicted stuff that we worked on in practice.”

The Braves got 11 points from Smith, who lured Illinois State into six fouls in 21 minutes. But the Birds held Jaquan Johnson to 10 points on 2 of 10 shooting from the field.

“Our defense,” Johnson said, when asked what Bradley’s primary downfall was. “And it was a way more physical team. We had guys just blowing past us, not bumping guys, things like that.”

That ended a three-game win streak for the Braves, who have won nine of their last 13. Their record settles down to 13-7 overall and 6-3 in the Valley, good for third place. Illinois State climbed to 13-6 (5-3) and is fourth in the conference.

The last time they met, on Feb. 19 of last season in Normal, Bradley led the Valley and Illinois State came in with … a three-game conference losing streak. The Redbirds upset BU in that game, 82-71.

“Straight deja vu,” Illinois State head coach Ryan Pedon said. “I prefer, to beat Bradley, to not have to lose three in a row going into the Bradley game. I prefer not to do it that way. Yeah, it was ironic.”

ISU put it in drive

The Redbirds slashed and sliced for five layups in the game’s first 6:30. They made five more over the rest of the first half.

The Braves shot 30% for the half while ISU shot 55% and built a 15-point halftime lead.

Bradley just couldn’t come back from it, and the second half saw frustration, especially from BU big man Ahmet Jonovic.

“So very frustrating, very disappointing,” Wardle said. “Like we went over the cross screen, the slice screen play, like 38 times, 40 times in practice the last two days and we got hit on it like 10 times today.

“But that’s our team this year. We don’t process well in the moment a lot. We don’t talk very well.”

In the second half, ISU big man Chase Walker poured in 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He ended up with a double-double on 20 points and 11 boards.

Missouri Valley Conference box:

Illinois State 88, Bradley 62

Jonovic had seven points and six rebounds. Smith had 11 for Bradley and Demarion Burch had a team-high 12.

“I knew coming into the game it was going to be a real physical, chippy game,” said Smith, among the BU players in his first ISU-Bradley duel. “Obviously, throughout the years, it’s been back and forth, always a physical matchup, people talking crap the whole game.”

The view from Illinois State

One wonders if, in a sense, Bradley turning up on the schedule was just what Illinois State needed Saturday.

They had lost to UIC, Evansville and Valparaiso, the latter two at the bottom of the league. What better way to pull a team out of a skid than the emotional high that comes with playing a bitter rival?

Boden Skunberg had scored a combined 25 points in his last four games amid ISU’s three-game conference losing streak.

He put up a season-high 23 against Bradley on Saturday.

“It’s hard not to notice, the rivalry game, people are excited,” Skunberg said.

“There’s an excitement that comes with this game, so it’s hard not to get up and not difficult to want to win it,” Walker said. “It’s the will to win.”

Said Landon Moore, who added 10 points: “It helps playing Bradley, we’re definitely excited for this game with the rivalry … but we’ve got a mature team, so we’re always on to the next one. If we lose 10 in a row or win 10 in a row I feel like we’re going to stay right where we need to be, mentally.”

They said it

Bradley head coach Brian Wardle: “17 assists (for ISU), 7 assists (for Bradley) that’s not how we do things on offense.”

Wardle, on how quickly his team will recover from the loss: “The one good thing about having a young team. They’re going to forget by tomorrow, most of my guys. So we’ll be fine. We just gotta somehow play smarter.”

Wardle, on game-planning ISU: “Our game plan has to be a little bit better against ISU. I thought (Jonovic) could contain Chase Walker. He could not. These are thing we had to see live …”

Bradley forward A.J. Smith: “Obviously, if you’re giving up 42 points in the paint you’re probably gonna to lose. I feel like we were on our heels from the start when they started making shots. It was just off and on, off and on, hitting shots, hitting 3s and I feel like that was a big effect on our morale and defense.”

ISU forward Chase Walker: “I didn’t feel their will left. It was just our night. We played really well, but they were always fighting and battling. They were always there. They are pretty good. Next game will be closer I would think.”

Bloomington native and ISU reserve Landon Moore: “I think we played for just more than ourselves. Growing up here, me and my family would come to a couple games a year and Bradley would be a main one we’d try to get out to. That rivalry, it means something to the fans. It was cool being on the court compared to being in the crowd for it. And shout out to the crowd, they really brought it.”

ISU head coach Ryan Pedon: “(Bradley) with these speedster guards that they are tough, physical, they draw fouls, they get to the paint. On film, I was impressed. I think they’ve sort of re-created a little bit and found ways to win, at times, ugly, at times pretty.”

Pedon, on the crowd: “The better you play, the more excited they get. And I thought we gave them reason today to get behind the Redbirds.”

Pedon, on the BU rivalry: “This rivalry is much larger than myself or this team. It’s a fun rivalry, it’s rooted in respect. We’ve had some rock fights with them even as we were building our program … just some memorable games. I could give you the coach-speak and say it’s just one of 20 games. But when you play a rival it should mean more. It was a good day for the Redbirds.”

Pedon, looking back at the losing streak: “We rely on all the things that seem ordinary, but we do them, take pride in them. I thought we were absolutely terrible with that last week, because we allowed our lack of offensive success to take our spirit. You don’t ever allow anything, any game, any one, to ever take your spirit.”

Bravely Speaking

Bradley freshman guard Montana Wheeler went down in front of the ISU bench with 6:55 left and stayed on his back, appearing to clutch at his sides. He left the game and did not return. … The Braves slipped from No. 118 to No. 135 in the kenpom ratings after the game. ISU climbed from No. 98 to No 90. … Bradley guard Alex Huibregtse had 3 points on 1 of 7 shooting. … The Braves had only 3 steals (one for Jaquan Johnson) and forced 8 ISU turnovers. … The 26-point margin was the biggest for either side in the series since a 78-48 Bradley loss at Illinois State on Feb. 4, 2012. … Bradley coach Brian Wardle remained at 199 overall career wins at Bradley’s helm, second-most in program history. … Johnson has 64 steals, which leads the nation. … Illinois State has nine returnees on its roster. … Illinois State big man Chase Walker has reached 20 points in four of his last five games. … The Braves have nine underclassmen on the roster headed into 2025-26 making them the second youngest team in the MVC only to Valpo. … The 2025-26 season marks three important anniversaries for the Braves program: 20 years for the 2005-06 Sweet 16 team; 30 years for the 1995-96 MVC regular-season championship team, and 40 years for the 1985-86 MVC Regular-season championship team. … Next up for Bradley is a rematch with Indiana State at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Carver Arena.

For subscribers:

How two road losses brought clarity toward next steps for Bradley basketball

The Journal Star will provide live updates during the game. Check below for those, and lots of other information:

Bradley vs. Illinois State live score updates

FINAL: Illinois State 88, Bradley 62

Illinois State inside

The Redbirds now with 42 points in the paint in this game. Bradley with 24. It’s 76-57 with four minutes left.

Wheeler injured

Bradley freshman guard Montana Wheeler went down in front of the ISU bench with under 7 minutes left and was clutching his ribs area while getting medical attention. He left the game.

Frustration mounting

Bradley 7-foot-1 center Ahmet Jonovic called for offensive foul with 10:18 left.

ISU leads 68-49 with 7:41 left.

Dietrich Richardson at a career high

2:27 p.m.: Bradley freshman Dietrich Richardson has a career-high seven points, all in the first 8:45 of the second half.

He’s played 11 minutes, approaching his career-high 14.

Braves trail 61-44 with 11:15 left.

Illinois State 48, Bradley 33

2:15 p.m.: Kai Yu checks in for Bradley for the first time. Dietrich Richardson saw nearly seven minutes in the first half, coming in off the bench early.

Illinois State sends in 7-footer Lieb to play against Yu.

By the numbers

The Braves had some shaky looking shots in the paint and were 10 of 30 from the field for the first half. They made half of their six attempted 3s.

BU has five points each from A.J. Smith and Jaquan Johnson. BU made 8 turnovers and forced just 3 by ISU.

The Redbirds shot 54.8% from the floor and 5 of 8 from 3 (62.5%). Boden Skunberg had a game-high 16 points in 16:39.

Skunberg slashed to the rim for three layups, and fourth drive ended in free throws.

Illinois State built a 15-point halftime lead and used 6-9, 280-pound Chase Walker for just nine minutes.

HALFTIME: Illinois State 44, Bradley 29

Braves shooting needs to pick up

Bradley shooting 30% for the half while ISU is at 55% from the field.

The Braves are behind on points in the paint, 16-8.

Illinois State 29, Bradley 18

1:32 p.m.: The Braves get a pair of free throws from Jaquan Johnson in a span of 2:17 while the Redbirds went to work building out a 29-18 lead with 7:38 left in the half.

Montana Wheeler having an interesting half, has lost his footing four times, three of them while with the ball.

Birds on a run

The Braves miss five straight shots and it feeds a 7-0 Illinois State run with layup from Boden Skunberg, driving layup from Mason Klabo and a 3 off the left wing by Landon Wolf, all in a span of 94 seconds.

That turned a 9-9 tie in a 16-9 BU deficit.

That score carries over to the media break with 11:58 left.

ISU up by one

1:12 p.m.: First break, Braves down 6-5. They forced a shot clock violation with great perimeter defense as ISU tried to search for a 3 on its opening possession.

BU got a 3 from Alex Huibregtse, but difference is two putbacks by 6-9, 280-pound Chase Walker, who is matched up at the 5 against 7-1 Ahmet Jonovic.

Pre-game ceremony for Kinziger

Illinois State head coach Ryan Pedon presents guard Johnny Kinziger with a ball labeled with “1,000” on it to honor his reaching 1,000 career points.

Projected starting lineups

Illinois State:

Ty’Reek Coleman (10.8ppg, 52.1% FG, 45.7% 3FG); Johnny Kinziger (12.1ppg, 52 assists, 25 steals); Boden Skunberg (9.8ppg, 4.5rpg, 40% 3FG); Ty Pence (10.3ppg, 4.6rpg, 30 assists); Chase Walker (13.8ppg, 5.8rpg, 40 assists).

Bradley:

G Jaquan Johnson (17.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.6apg. 37.7% 3FG, 63 steals); G Alex Huibregtse (11.3 ppg, 40.3% 3-pt FG, 88.5%FT); C Ahmet Jonovic (7.6ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.4 blocks pg); G Demarion Burch (11.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 42.3%FG), F A.J. Smith (8.0ppg, 5.0rpg, 40%FG, 30 steals).

Bravely Speaking: Bradley-ISU notes

Bradley coach Brian Wardle has 106 career wins in the Valley, second all-time for the program.

Jim Molinari leads with 110. The BU head coach is at 199 overall career wins at Bradley’s helm, second-most in program history. … Bradley point guards Jaquan Johnson (35 points) and Montana Wheeler (17 points) combined for 52 points, 11 assists, zero turnovers, 6 steals and shot 58.1% from the field in Tuesday’s OT win at Evansville. … Johnson has 63 steals, which leads the nation. … Illinois State has nine returnees on its roster. … Illinois State big man Chase Walker has reached 20 points in three of his last four games. … The Braves have nine underclassmen on the roster headed into 2025-26 making them the second youngest team in the MVC only to Valpo. … The 2025-26 season marks three important anniversaries for the Braves program: 20 years for the 2005-06 Sweet 16 team; 30 years for the 1995-96 MVC regular-season championship team, and 40 years for the 1985-86 MVC Regular-season championship team.

Bradley rewind from Evansville

Bradley coach Brian Wardle, after the team’s fifth game in 13 days: “We need a day off tomorrow, big day off. get away from basketball a little bit. Hopefully we can recover … we got another big one coming up on Saturday.”

Evansville head coach Dave Ragland: “I will never question the heart and fight of our team. We did a good job of punching Bradley in the mouth in the first half but knew they would fight back like any good team would. It was a game of runs in the second half and both teams battled.”

Wardle: “I think when they have A.J. Casey at the 5, it’s a problem (for opponents). It’s a matchup problem, and they are a better offensive team when he’s running at the 5.”

Wardle: “It’s rare to win shootouts on the road but we’ve been able to win a couple of those this year now.”

Bradley point guard Jaquan Johnson: “We know every night in the Valley is going to be a battle.”

BU vs Aces:

Bradley basketball vs Evansville recap

Bradley vs. Illinois State by the numbers

NCAA NET ranking:

Bradley No. 114. Illinois State No. 91

Kenpom ranking:

Bradley No. 118. Illinois State No. 98

Kenpom says:

Illinois State 76, Bradley 70 (BU 29% win prob)

Barttorvik.com says:

Illinois State 76, Bradley 69 (24%)

Massey computer says:

Illinois State 74, Bradley 72 (47%)

CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Ranking:

Bradley No. 29. ISU No. 11

MidMajorBasketball.com Mid-Major Ranking:

Bradley NR. ISU No. 27

MVC

Media

Preseason poll:

Bradley No. 3 of 11. Illinois State No. 1.

Records:

Bradley 13-6 (6-2), T-2nd in MVC. ISU 12-6 (4-3), T-4th in MVC.

All-time series:

Bradley, 76-66. At ISU: Bradley 25-41.

In ’24-25:

BU W 61-57 H; BU L 82-71 A.

Head coaches:

Bradley, Brian Wardle 11th yr (199-153). Illinois State, Ryan Pedon 4th yr (60-58)

Historic game:

Bradley played one of its longest games ever. See how it stacks up historically

Analysis:

The Missouri Valley’s 5 biggest upset wins this basketball season

What time does Bradley play today?

Date:

Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026

Time:

1 p.m. CT

Location:

CEFCU Arena, Normal, Illinois.

More:

Bradley played its first official basketball game 123 years ago New Year’s Day

What channel is the Bradley vs Illinois State game on today?

TV channel:

None

Streaming:

ESPN+

Radio:

WMBD radio 1470 AM, 100.3 FM

More:

Where Missouri Valley Conference media picked Bradley and its players

Bradley vs Illinois State live stream options

Bradley vs Evansville will be available via ESPN+.

Bradley basketball vs Illinois State betting odds

Game lines and odds via Action Network as of Friday night, Jan. 16:

Spread:

Illinois State by 5.5

Over/under: 147.5

Moneyline:

Bradley +220. Illinois State -275.

Bradley basketball schedule

Record:

13-6

Nov. 3: St. Bonaventure 69, Bradley 66 | RECAP

Nov. 8: Bradley 85, Central Michigan 54 | RECAP

Nov. 12: University Tennessee-Martin 78, Bradley 67 | RECAP

Nov. 15: San Francisco 75, Bradley 64 | RECAP

Nov. 19: Bradley 87, UMass-Lowell 77 | RECAP

Nov. 24: Bradley 88, Princeton 64 | RECAP

Nov. 25: UC San Diego 87, Bradley 77 | RECAP

Nov. 26: Bradley 74, Liberty 64 | RECAP

Dec. 2: Bradley 64, Washington State 60 | RECAP

Dec. 6: Bradley 84, Northern Illinois 55 | RECAP

Dec. 14: Bradley 86, North Central College 53 | RECAP

Dec. 18: Bradley 108, Indiana State 99 (3 OT) | RECAP

Dec. 21: Bradley 73, Southern Illinois 69 | RECAP

Dec. 29: Bradley 76, Evansville 68 | RECAP

Jan. 1: Belmont 88, Bradley 78 | RECAP

Jan. 4: Murray State 86, Bradley 66 | RECAP

Jan. 7: Bradley 93, Drake 66 | RECAP

Jan. 10: Bradley 75, Northern Iowa 69 | RECAP

Jan. 13: Bradley 94, Evansville 90 (OT) | RECAP

Jan. 17: Illinois State 88, Bradley 62

Jan. 21: Indiana State at Bradley, 6 p.m., Carver Arena, Peoria, Illinois

Jan. 24: UIC at Bradley, 7 p.m., Carver Arena, Peoria, Illinois

Jan. 31: Bradley at Drake, 5 p.m., Knapp Center, Des Moines, Iowa

Buy Bradley basketball tickets this season via StubHub

(This story has been updated with video, pictures and more information)

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 X.com @icetimecleve.