PEORIA — For most basketball seasons during this millennium, Bradley has been an early dropout in the Missouri Valley Conference men’s race.
Not since 2000-01, when the Braves tied for second, two games behind Creighton, has the program been a title contender during the stretch run of February.
Not even the 2005-06 NCAA Sweet 16 team, which began league play 3-5 and finished tied for fifth, challenged for a crown that has eluded Bradley since 1996.
One needs to go back to 2008-09 for the last BU squad to sit as high as second place in the final week of January.