More like Bradley Cowards. The Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champs returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 13 years overshadowed their own feel-good story. The athletic department tried to ban a longtime beat reporter from access, claiming he didn’t “promote the Bradley brand,” as if that were his role. The Peoria Journal Star’s Dave Reynolds said coach Brian Wardle — who gained national attention in 2013 for bullying a player at Wisconsin-Green Bay — accused him of “always looking for the negative.” Bradley rescinded its ban in the face of criticism but only after establishing its “brand” to be one of insecure paranoia and strong-arm tactics.