St. Louis – Five wins just three years ago. Winless start through five games in league play in 2018-19. Down 18 in the second half of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship.
None of it mattered as the Bradley men's basketball team claimed its first Valley title in 31 years and earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 57-54 come-from-behind victory against Northern Iowa in Sunday's championship contest.
The Braves (20-14) trailed by 18, 35-17, with 17 minutes remaining in the game before finishing with a 40-19 run to capture the third title in school history – Bradley also won the league crown in 1980 and 1988.