Perhaps no player exemplifies Bradley's remarkable against all odds postseason run better than senior Stephen Brust.

"I get it from my dad. When I was at a young age he told me, ‘You’ve got to dream big to win big.’ If you don’t believe then what’s the point?"

Three years ago Brust’s dream was simply to play division-one. He had to tryout just to make the team at Bradley after transferring from tiny Cedarville University in Ohio. Brust appeared in only 7 games that year, and then missed the entire 2005 season with a hip injury.

"When I came in here I really wasn’t up to the level of the guys who were playing. I might not have gotten many minutes even if I were here in 2005 because I was still developing as a player and a person. But it was definitely hard to sit out for a year."

Braves' coach Jim DeRose understands where Brust is coming from because he's been there himself.

"I’m a former NAIA player myself. I think all of us guys who didn’t play division-one probably have some sort of an inferiority complex."

But now, the former walk on is walking tall. Brust has been a clutch performer. It was his goal with 1:26 left at Creighton that gave the Braves their first Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title. 6 days later, in Bradley's NCAA opener with DePaul, Brust snapped a scoreless tie in the 61st minute. And then, there was Indiana, where Brust tied the game in the 69th minute before the Braves eventually upset the Hoosiers on penalty kicks. For a guy who barely made the team as a sophomore, he's really made his mark.

"For the past two years while I’ve been playing here I maybe scored two or three goals and I felt like the ball was never bouncing my way. But the ball is bouncing my way right now and I’m finishing my opportunities. I’m just happy to be a part of this."

Brust has come a long way from the player who transferred to Bradley from an NAIA school. And if the Braves can beat Ohio State Sunday in Columbus Brust's long journey will take him to the final four.