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Matt Freed, Post-Gazette The Bradley bench gets caught up in the moment -- the final moments actually -- of the Braves' surprising win Friday night vs. Kansas in Round 1. Click photo for larger image. 
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Matchup: Pitt (25-7) vs. Bradley (21-10), 12:10 p.m. today, The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Mich.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Bradley Braves seemed destined for mediocrity after losing four of five games in a mid-January swoon that sent coach Jim Les desperately searching for answers. At that point, finishing the season with a winning record was the goal. The NCAA tournament was a pipe dream.
On Jan. 11, Bradley was 8-6 after an overtime loss at Wichita State. Les benched two starters in an attempt to jump-start his fledgling squad. In the intervening 67 days, the Braves have gone from also-rans to one of the NCAA tournament darlings after beating No. 4 seed Kansas, 77-73, Friday night in a first-round game.
"I thought all along, even when we were struggling, that we were a good basketball team," Les said. "We were having stretches in games where we were struggling. What we talked about was that you are a good basketball team and keep your confidence up. We needed to make some adjustments to start a game better or finish the game better.
"It's gotten to the point where they're enjoying playing defense and taking pride in it. We're going to see where that takes us. When the light went on with this group I was pretty confident that this group could go a long way."
With one more victory today, Bradley can ascend to heights it has not seen in more than a half century. No. 13 seed Bradley and No. 5 seed Pitt meet today in a second-round game for the right to go to the Sweet 16. Bradley has not been to the third round of the NCAA tournament since 1954.
Ever since Les has stressed defense, Bradley has been a dangerous team. The Braves have won 13 of their past 17 games. They did not give up more than 70 points in their previous nine games before Friday and held opponents to an average of 52.6 points per game in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.
Even with its late-season improvement, Bradley was a bubble team on selection Sunday. The Braves had a spotty resume. They were 20-10 and a pedestrian 11-7 in the Missouri Valley. As a No. 13 seed, they were one of the final four at-large teams admitted to the field.
Bradley was the fourth team from the upstart MVC to get into the tournament. The MVC has acquitted itself quite well this far. Wichita State advanced to the Sweet 16 yesterday with a win against No. 2 seed Tennessee. Northern Iowa lost a close game to Georgetown and Southern Illinois lost respectably to West Virginia.
"I think we're a Cinderella team, but I think we're just as good as any team out there," Bradley sophomore Daniel Ruffin said.
"We feel like we have a little more desire than to win just one game," Bradley senior Marcellus Sommerville said. "We want to show the world what we can do."
Les has come to understand that his players have what he terms "a quiet confidence." He said they exhibited this attitude throughout the postseason and in the days leading up to the Kansas game.
"I was scared to death," Les said. "I didn't know if they realized what we were facing, all the different things they're experiencing. I was nervous about it. I wasn't sure they were comprehending the magnitude of our opportunity. But they seem to be able to enjoy it and step back focus on it at the same time."
Bradley looked nothing like a mid-major program in beating Kansas. Bradley had a double-digit lead for much of the second half and withstood a late Kansas charge. The Braves are athletic, like to gamble on defense and have a 7-footer to take on Pitt's Aaron Gray in the middle.
Sophomore Patrick O'Bryant was the MVC defensive player of the year and ranks ninth in Division I in blocks with 3.1 per game. He is an efficient all-around player who averages 13.2 points and eight rebounds per game.
Gray averages 13.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
"That's when I play my best, against the best competition," Gray said. "Sometimes my problem is playing against guys who don't have much of a post presence. It will be a great challenge. I'm looking forward to it."
Pitt senior guard Carl Krauser said the Panthers are going to challenge O'Bryant and test his shot-blocking capabilities.
"We're going to take it right to him," Krauser said. "He's not going to block everything. We're going to right at him and hope to get him in foul trouble. "
Sommerville is Bradley's leading scorer. He averages 15.5 points per game and led the Braves with 21 points against Kansas. He made 5 of 9 3-point attempts against the Jayhawks. Five other players average five points or more per game to form a well-balanced squad.
"We'll throw our best punch and see what happens," Les said. "I don't care what anyone says. Our league is a major basketball conference. It's a battle night in and night out. We play against a lot of different styles. We're prepared to play against a physical team like Pitt."
