# 2020–21 Bradley Braves men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Bradley Braves men's basketball team represented Bradley University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Braves, led by sixth-year head coach Brian Wardle, play their home games at Carver Arena in Peoria, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. In a season limited by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Braves finished the season 12–16, 6–12 in MVC play to finish in eighth place. They lost to Southern Illinois in the first round of the MVC tournament.

## Previous season

The Braves finished the 2019–20 season 23–11, 11–7 in MVC play to finish in a tie for third place. They defeated Southern Illinois, Drake, and Valparaiso to win the MVC tournament for the second consecutive year. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. However, the NCAA Tournament was thereafter canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

## Offseason
### 2020 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jayson Kent #20 SG | Oak Forest, IL | Oak Forest High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Apr 1, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Connor Linke #34 PF | St. Charles, IL | St. Charles North High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Oct 27, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Darius Hannah #35 PF | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee Academy of Science | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Sep 24, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: – Rivals: – ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Bradley Commit List for 2020". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 31, 2020. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 31, 2020. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| November 25, 2020* 2:00 pm | | vs. Toledo Xavier Invitational | W 61–59 | 0–1 | Cintas Center (111) Cincinnati, OH |
| November 26, 2020* 11:00 am | | at Xavier Xavier Invitational | L 50–51 | 1–1 | Cintas Center (300) Cincinnati, OH |
| November 27, 2020* 2:00 pm | | vs. Oakland Xavier Invitational | W 74–60 | 2–1 | Cintas Center (58) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 1, 2020* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Judson | W 105–32 | 3–1 | Carver Arena (0) Peoria, IL |
| December 4, 2020* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | South Dakota State | L 84–88 | 3–2 | Carver Arena (0) Peoria, IL |
| December 5, 2020* 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Saint Joseph's | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Carver Arena Peoria, IL |
| December 7, 2020* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Lewis | W 95–62 | 4–2 | Carver Arena (0) Peoria, IL |
| December 17, 2020* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Jackson State | W 83–60 | 5–2 | Carver Arena (0) Peoria, IL |
| December 19, 2020* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Miami (OH) | W 69–68 | 6–2 | Carver Arena (0) Peoria, IL |
| December 22, 2020* 6:00 pm, SECN | | at No. 14 Missouri | L 53–54 | 6–3 | Mizzou Arena (2,956) Columbia, MO |
| Missouri Valley Conference regular season ||||||
| January 10, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Northern Iowa | L 72–78 | 6–4 (0–1) | McLeod Center (708) Cedar Falls, IA |
| January 11, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Northern Iowa | W 75–73 | 7–4 (1–1) | McLeod Center (608) Cedar Falls, IA |
| January 16, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Evansville | W 69–60 | 8–4 (2–1) | Carver Arena Peoria, IL |
| January 17, 2021 ESPN3 | | Evansville | W 86–55 | 9–4 (3–1) | Carver Arena Peoria, IL |
| January 20, 2021 8:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Illinois State | L 56–71 | 9–5 (3–2) | Carver Arena Peoria, IL |
| January 24, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Loyola | L 56–69 | 9–6 (3–3) | Carver Arena Peoria, IL |
| January 25, 2021 6:00 pm, CBSSN | | Loyola | L 58–65 | 9–7 (3–4) | Carver Arena Peoria, IL |
| January 28, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Valparaiso | L 85–91 $^{2OT}$ | 9–8 (3–5) | Athletics–Recreation Center (77) Valparaiso, IN |
| January 31, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Indiana State | L 57–60 | 9–9 (3–6) | Hulman Center (75) Terre Haute, IN |
| February 1, 2021 4:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Indiana State | L 55–67 | 9–10 (3–7) | Hulman Center (75) Terre Haute, IN |
| February 6, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Southern Illinois | W 74–66 | 10–10 (4–7) | Carver Arena Peoria, IL |
| February 7, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Southern Illinois | L 68–69 | 10–11 (4–8) | Carver Arena Peoria, IL |
| February 10, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Valparaiso | W 76–52 | 11–11 (5–8) | Athletics–Recreation Center (88) Valparaiso, IN |
| February 13, 2021 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Missouri State | L 58–80 | 11–12 (5–9) | JQH Arena (1,372) Springfield, MO |
| February 14, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Missouri State | L 57–72 | 11–13 (5–10) | JQH Arena (801) Springfield, MO |
| February 18, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Illinois State | L 71–88 | 11–14 (5–11) | Carver Arena Peoria, IL |
| February 26, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Drake | L 71–80 | 11–15 (5–12) | Carver Arena Peoria, IL |
| February 27, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Drake | W 67–61 | 12–15 (6–12) | Carver Arena Peoria, IL |
| MVC tournament ||||||
| March 4, 2021 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | (8) | vs. (9) Southern Illinois First round | L 63–73 | 12–16 | Enterprise Center St. Louis, MO |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. ||||||
Source