The Bradley Braves will be part of college basketball’s opening day in the 2025-26 season.
Bradley has signed on to face St. Bonaventure in a Nov. 3 game at Rock Hill Sports and Event Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The game is part of the second annual Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase.
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The schedule appears to make the Bradley game, which tips at 10 a.m. central time, the second overall game of the 2025-26 NCAA college basketball season.
“I was watching this tournament on TV last year, and I liked it,” Bradley coach Brian Wardle said. “This is an opportunity, a chance to get into a situation where we can play a really good team, a top-100 team.
“We’re excited to play St. Bonaventure and be part of this. They were very talented last season, and will be again this year.”
St. Bonaventure went 22-12 last season and earned an NIT bid, losing in the opening round to Kent State. The Bonnies have six seniors and two juniors on their roster. Bradley went 28-9 last year, gained the NIT quarterfinals and is re-tooling with a new starting guard tandem.
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What is the Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase?
There are 12 teams lined up for the Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase on Nov. 3, split in two sites at Rock Hill and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Fellow Missouri Valley Conference teams Drake and Murray State are also part of the lineup. Below are the matchups, with 2024-25 NET rankings in parentheses:
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Queens (199) vs Winthrop (163), 7 a.m.
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Bradley (80) vs St. Bonaventure (97), 10 a.m.
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High Point (82) vs Furman (127), 5:30 p.m.
At Sioux Falls, South Dakota
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Murray State (146) vs Omaha (160), 12:30 p.m.
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Drake (56) vs Northern Arizona (248), 3 p.m.
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South Dakota State (130) vs Merrimack (182), 8 p.m.
More: ‘More playing time’: Bradley men’s basketball coach earns contract extension
How did the Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase begin?
The college trend in which mid-majors find it difficult to schedule a high-major team led to the concept of the Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase, which started in 2024. It’s designed to help teams gain a neutral setting on which to play an opponent projected to be a strong team in the country.
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In the inaugural event last season, Saint Louis played Santa Clara, College of Charleston played Southern Illinois and McNeese State played South Dakota State.
How to watch the Opening Day Showcase
The Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase games will be broadcast on The Field of 68’s YouTube Channel and X feeds.
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men’s basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Braves basketball picked to play in Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase
