Bradley vs. Duke

In a Peoria Journal Star article published yesterday, it was announced that the Bradley Basketball will play at Duke in the upcoming 2010-11 basketball season. The defending champion,Duke beat Butler last April to win the 2010 NCAA Tournament, andthis match certainly won't be easy. According to a more extended article, Duke and Bradley meet previously in 1951, when Bradley was one of the best basketball teams in the country. The tables have turned, and while Bradley has not been awful the past few years, they certainly have not achieved the national prominence they had when they made the Sweet 16 in 2006.

When it comes to scheduling, many schools believe that it is smart to schedule easier opponents, which may guarantee more wins. However, in the past few years, teams have been criticized and even potentially left out of the NCAA tournament field because their strength of schedule was not good enough.

I think that it is great and gutsy that Bradley scheduled this game against Duke. Duke, with a long winning streak against non-conference opponents, will be heavily favored. However, Bradley is challenging itself and will get good exposure from throwing itself out there. By playing such a quality team like Duke early in the season, Bradley will be able to measure its team against one of the best in the country. Their are a lot of players coming back, including Andrew Warren, Sam Maniscalco, and Taylor Brown, and Bradley has the potential to once re-emerge as a MVC power.