“We’re a team that defends, rebounds, and breaks well,” Lautier-Ogunleye said.

Wardle was a guard under former MSU assistant coach Tom Crean at Marquette University during his 1997-2001 playing career, and said he essentially comes from the Tom Izzo coaching tree.

“A lot of what we do is man-to-man, rebounding is an emphasis for us,” Wardle said. “We like to get up and down when the opportunities are there and push it… it’s a great challenge.”

The Braves are led by second-team All-Missouri Valley point guard Darrell Brown, a junior from Memphis. Brown is the Braves’ leading scorer, at 14.7 points per game. Brown is undersized, at 5-foot-10, 190, and does not consider himself an explosive athlete. He compared himself to MSU point guard Cassius Winston, the Big Ten Player of the Year, who has similar measurements.

“(Winston is a) great point guard,” Brown said. “He knows how to play the game. I respect that he’s not the most athletic just like myself, but he still knows how to play the game. It’ll be a good battle.”

Wardle said he thinks the two point guards have dealt with similar attention from opposing defense, and likes Brown’s motor against Winston.

“You can’t measure a person’s heart,” Wardle said. “For Darrell, it’s all gas, no brakes. I say that all year. When he has the gas pedal down the whole game and never lets off, he’s going to be productive.”

The Braves are the champions of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, having defeated Northern Iowa 57-54 on March 10 in St. Louis. They trailed by 18 points in the first half of that game, and by 15 at halftime. Wardle said he loves his team’s fight, but warned they can’t fall in that hole tomorrow.

“We do not want to be down 18 to Michigan State tomorrow, let me make that clear,” he said. “Down two, three four possessions our group is going to battle. We have shown that all year. We have heart. We have toughness, and even if the shots aren’t falling we’ve got to stay committed to the defense and the rebounding. If we can do that, we can play with anybody.”

Brown emphasized that, while Bradley is not an explosive offensive team — the Braves rank 243rd in Ken Pomeroy’s Adjusted Offensive rating — they believe they can win with defense.

“We feel like we play defense like no other team they’ve played,” Brown said. “That alone gives us a chance regardless of who they have and who we have. As long as we play defense, we have a chance, and I like our chances.”

The Action Network lists Michigan State as a 18.5-point favorite for Thursday’s game, scheduled for approximately 2:45 p.m.