Mercer University
UC Santa Barb.
Men's Basketball Faces UCSB in Great Alaska Shootout Semifinal
11/28/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MERCER GAME NOTES | UCSB GAME NOTES | GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT BRACKET
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Mercer men's basketball team looks to stay alive in the winner's bracket of the Great Alaska Shootout on Friday, squaring off against UC Santa Barbara at 12 a.m. EST.
The semifinal will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network at 2 a.m. EST.
Mercer advanced to the event's semifinal round via a 77-71 overtime win against Rice in Thursday night's quarterfinal. The Bears are 3-2 overall and aim to string together back-to-back wins for the first time this year.
GAME DETAILS
Date: Friday, November 27 | 12:00 a.m. (EST)
Teams: Mercer (3-2) vs. UC Santa Barbara (2-2)
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Television: CBS Sports Network (Ed Cohen, Pete Gillen, Rontina McCann)
Radio: New Country 96.5 | IHeartRadio (Rick Cameron)
Livestats: GoSeawolves.com
Tickets: UAA Ticket Sales
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
UCSB is 2-2 on the year after advancing to the Great Alaska Shootout Semifinals with a 71-45 victory over Washington State on Thursday night. The Gauchos have won two-straight, with a 91-45 win over The Master's College preceding last night's triumph.
The Gauchos return four starters from last year's team that finished 21-9 (12-4 Big West). The squad was picked second of Big West teams in preseason polling of the league's coaches.
Among UCSB's returners is 2014 Big West Player of the Year, Alan Williams, who also earned Big West Preseason All-Conference honors this season. Williams ranks fourth nationally with 12.3 rebounds per game and is one of Division I players with three or more double-doubles this year.
Head coach Bob Williams is in his 17th season at UCSB and touts a 271-212 record at the school. Williams has guided the Gauchos to four NCAA Tournament berths, most recently appearing in the event in 2011.
FAST FACTS
Mercer's OT win over Rice marked the team's sixth win in its last seven overtime games. The Bears are 12-2 in their last 14 overtime contests.
Junior Jibri Bryan and senior T.J. Hallice both booked career-high scoring totals on Thursday night. Bryan scored 11 of his 20 points at the free throw line while Hallice finished with 12 points on 3-of-4 shooting from the floor.
Mercer may be making its first appearance in the Great Alaska Shootout, but head coach Bob Hoffman is no stranger to the event. Hoffman participated in the 2004 edition of the tournament as an Assistant Coach under Kelvin Sampson at Oklahoma. Hoffman helped the Sooners go 2-1 with wins over High Point and Minnesota.
Bob Hoffman moved into third place in on Mercer's all-time wins list on Thursday night. Hoffman's 129 wins trials only Robert Wilder (147) and Bill Bibb (222).
Friday's game is the first meeting between UC Santa Barbara and Mercer on the hardwood.
