Also in 1948, the school joined the Missouri Valley Conference for the first time. Bradley lost in the NIT semifinal to Long Island, 36–32.Īfter a hiatus during World War II, the Braves qualified for the 1947 NIT, losing in the quarterfinals to West Virginia, 69–60.įollowing Robertson's death, the school hired Forrest 'Forddy' Anderson from Drake. Bradley turned down the upstart NCAA Tournament and Oregon, which the Braves had defeated, took their bid, and went on to become the inaugural NCAA champion. In 1939, Bradley went 19–3, and received invitations to both the inaugural NCAA Tournament and the second NIT. In 1938, Bradley went 18–2 and was one of six teams invited to the inaugural NIT, where they lost 53–40 to eventual national champion Temple. He is Bradley's all-time winningest coach with 316 wins over 26 seasons. Robertson was named coach of the Braves football and basketball teams in 1920. One of their earliest coaches was Harold Olsen, who in 1959 was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor for his 24 years guiding the Ohio State Buckeyes to multiple Final Fours, spearheading efforts to create the NCAA Tournament, helping initiate the 10-second rule and coaching the Chicago Staggs to the finals of the very first BAA (later renamed NBA) playoffs.Īlfred J. The Braves began playing basketball in 1902, starting out as independent.

See also: List of Bradley Braves men's basketball seasons Early years Until the introduction of the Vegas 16 Tournament in 2016, the program was invited to the initial offering of every national postseason tournament. John's in appearances (30) and titles (5). The Braves have also appeared in the National Invitation Tournament 21 times with an all-time NIT record of 26–18 and have won four NIT championships ( 1957, 1960, 1964, and 1982), second only to St. They last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2019, and last reached the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in 2006. The Braves are currently coached by Brian Wardle and play their home games at Carver Arena.īradley has appeared in nine NCAA Tournaments, including two Final Fours and national championship games in 19. They compete as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bradley Braves men's basketball team represents Bradley University, located in Peoria, Illinois, in NCAA Division I basketball competition.

Braves score play by play