MVC crown gives Bradley NCAA berth
Bradley guard Darrell Brown was not happy with his selection to the Missouri Valley Conference’s second team last week.
He displayed his displeasure in a big way Sunday.
Brown scored 21 points to lead the fourth-seeded Braves to their 10th NCAA Tournament with an 80-66 victory against seventh-seeded Valparaiso in the MVC championship game in St. Louis.
Bradley (23-11) claimed its fourth MVC title and became the ninth team in conference history to defend its tournament crown.
Brown, who entered the game averaging 15.3 points, was certain he deserved first-team all-conference honors. The perceived snub bothered him.
Braves coach Brian Wardle, meanwhile, made sure to keep Brown properly motivated. He jokingly called Brown ‘‘second team’’ at every opportunity.
‘‘In the hotel, he kept calling me that,’’ Brown said. ‘‘I thought it was funny. But I’m a self-driven person; he really didn’t have to do that. I felt disrespected, so I took it upon myself to prove everybody wrong.’’ Wardle’s actions paid off. ‘‘He came in with a chip on his shoulder, and he proved it,’’ Wardle said. ‘‘There’s nothing better than when you see true hard work pay off. He let everyone see what he was made of. It was great.’’
Elijah Childs added 17 points, Ja’Shon Henry 16, Nate Kennell 14 and Ville Tahvanainen 10 for Bradley, which lost to Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Javon FreemanLiberty paced the Crusaders (19-16) with 22 points and 10 rebounds.