Saturday, December 10
Clemson, S.C.
4:00 PM ET
Mercer University
at
Clemson
Photo by: Bill Hirsh
Mercer Eyes Tough Challenge at Clemson Saturday
12/9/2016 11:16:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – Set for its third game in a week with finals on the horizon, Mercer's men's basketball team will play at Clemson in the Tigers' newly renovated Littlejohn Coliseum Saturday afternoon.
Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. and will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra available on Watch ESPN.
GAMEDAY LINEUP
Date: Saturday, Dec. 10 | 4 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (5-4) at Clemson (5-2)
Location: Clemson, S.C. | Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000)
TV: ACC Network Extra | Watch ESPN
TV Talent: Don Munson (play-by-play), Bob Mihalic (analyst)
Radio: Mercer Sports Network (Flagship: 97.3 FM The Bull Icons) | iHeartRadio
Radio Talent: Rick Cameron (play-by-play)
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB
Game Notes: Mercer | SoCon | Clemson
Tickets: Purchase Here
Can't Make the Trip?
Scouting Clemson
Clemson enters the game with a 5-2 mark, having won their last three. In the lone common opponent, CU defeated Davidson 95-78 on Nov. 17.
The Tigers are led by Jaron Blossomgame's 17.4 points per game and Clemson has five players currently averaging double-digit points. Sidy Djitte is averaging 10.4 rebounds per game.
Coach Hoffman on Clemson
"They are going to be ready for us. They know how to guard as well as anybody in the country. It will be a tough game but we are excited about the opportunity we have in front of us, playing an ACC opponent in their building. I think our guys will be ready for the challenge."
Last Time Out
Demetre Rivers scored career highs with 30 points and 5 of 9 3-pointers and Mercer cruised past Division III Oglethorpe 98-41 on Wednesday night.
Rivers, who turned 21 Wednesday, scored 20 points and made four 3s in the first half, including back-to-back 3-pointers amid a game-breaking 17-2 run, and the Bears (5-4) led 45-25 at halftime.
Series History
Mercer and Clemson will meet for the 11th time overall and first time since 1994 in a series that dates back to the 1921-22 season.
Mercer won the first four meetings with Clemson taking the last six in the series.
Remember Us?
The players probably don't. Saturday's game will mark the first time in 22 years (and five days, to be exact) that Mercer and Clemson have met on the hardwood. That is longer that most of the players on both sides have been alive (Mercer's Demetre Rivers just turned 21 on Wednesday).
Despite the proximity (the two campuses are separated by 165 miles) this will only mark the 11th meeting between the Bears and the Tigers (but no lions, oh my!). The two teams met five times between 1922 and 1935 but were never conference mates as Mercer entered the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1921, the year after Clemson left for the Southern Conference. Mercer joined the SoCon starting with the 2014-15 season.
Last Time Out vs. the ACC - 2014 vs. Duke
Dunk City is long gone. Make way for the next bunch of bracket busters from the little-known Atlantic Sun Conference: Mercer.
Daniel Coursey scored 17 points as the 8,300-student school from Macon, Ga., delivered the biggest shocker in an already topsy-turvy NCAA tournament on Friday, going into Duke's backyard and knocking off the No. 3 seed Blue Devils, 78-71.
"This," Atlantic Sun player of the year Langston Hall said, "is what March Madness is all about."
Let's Make It Four in a Row
For Mercer, a win Saturday would mark the program's fourth consecutive win over an ACC opponent. In addition to the win over Duke, the Bears have recorded wins over Florida State and Georgia Tech in its last few games against ACC competition. The last Mercer loss to an ACC team was on Dec. 31, 2010 when the Bears fell at Georgia Tech, 87-78.
Top Strawberry Dish
With five assists in 17 minutes played on Dec. 7, 2016 against Oglethorpe, Jordan Strawberry moved into Mercer's top 10 charts with career assists. Entering the top 10 at 234 assists and with only 32 assists separating 10th from sixth, Strawberry is expected to move his way up the charts quickly this season.
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Assists - Career
Taking Care
Early this season Mercer is one of the better teams in the nation in taking care of the ball. Entering this week's games, the Bears are ranked 29th nationally and first in the Southern Conference in turnovers per game. Mercer is only giving away the ball at a rate of 11.2 per game, one of the best marks in the nation.
Does It Get Any Easier?
Bob Hoffman claimed before the season started that this might be Mercer's toughest schedule yet in his nine years in Macon. He might be right. Mercer's strength of schedule currently ranks 46th in the nation (tied with Texas A&M). Bears opponents have accumulated a record of 32-19 so far this season, a .627 winning clip ranking 46thth nationally and first in the Southern Conference.
How to Follow the Bears:
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerMBB (Twitter), /MercerBasketball (Facebook) and @Mercer_MBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. and will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra available on Watch ESPN.
GAMEDAY LINEUP
Date: Saturday, Dec. 10 | 4 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (5-4) at Clemson (5-2)
Location: Clemson, S.C. | Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000)
TV: ACC Network Extra | Watch ESPN
TV Talent: Don Munson (play-by-play), Bob Mihalic (analyst)
Radio: Mercer Sports Network (Flagship: 97.3 FM The Bull Icons) | iHeartRadio
Radio Talent: Rick Cameron (play-by-play)
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB
Game Notes: Mercer | SoCon | Clemson
Tickets: Purchase Here
Can't Make the Trip?
Scouting Clemson
Clemson enters the game with a 5-2 mark, having won their last three. In the lone common opponent, CU defeated Davidson 95-78 on Nov. 17.
The Tigers are led by Jaron Blossomgame's 17.4 points per game and Clemson has five players currently averaging double-digit points. Sidy Djitte is averaging 10.4 rebounds per game.
Coach Hoffman on Clemson
"They are going to be ready for us. They know how to guard as well as anybody in the country. It will be a tough game but we are excited about the opportunity we have in front of us, playing an ACC opponent in their building. I think our guys will be ready for the challenge."
Last Time Out
Demetre Rivers scored career highs with 30 points and 5 of 9 3-pointers and Mercer cruised past Division III Oglethorpe 98-41 on Wednesday night.
Rivers, who turned 21 Wednesday, scored 20 points and made four 3s in the first half, including back-to-back 3-pointers amid a game-breaking 17-2 run, and the Bears (5-4) led 45-25 at halftime.
Series History
Mercer and Clemson will meet for the 11th time overall and first time since 1994 in a series that dates back to the 1921-22 season.
Mercer won the first four meetings with Clemson taking the last six in the series.
Remember Us?
The players probably don't. Saturday's game will mark the first time in 22 years (and five days, to be exact) that Mercer and Clemson have met on the hardwood. That is longer that most of the players on both sides have been alive (Mercer's Demetre Rivers just turned 21 on Wednesday).
Despite the proximity (the two campuses are separated by 165 miles) this will only mark the 11th meeting between the Bears and the Tigers (but no lions, oh my!). The two teams met five times between 1922 and 1935 but were never conference mates as Mercer entered the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1921, the year after Clemson left for the Southern Conference. Mercer joined the SoCon starting with the 2014-15 season.
Last Time Out vs. the ACC - 2014 vs. Duke
Dunk City is long gone. Make way for the next bunch of bracket busters from the little-known Atlantic Sun Conference: Mercer.
Daniel Coursey scored 17 points as the 8,300-student school from Macon, Ga., delivered the biggest shocker in an already topsy-turvy NCAA tournament on Friday, going into Duke's backyard and knocking off the No. 3 seed Blue Devils, 78-71.
"This," Atlantic Sun player of the year Langston Hall said, "is what March Madness is all about."
Let's Make It Four in a Row
For Mercer, a win Saturday would mark the program's fourth consecutive win over an ACC opponent. In addition to the win over Duke, the Bears have recorded wins over Florida State and Georgia Tech in its last few games against ACC competition. The last Mercer loss to an ACC team was on Dec. 31, 2010 when the Bears fell at Georgia Tech, 87-78.
Top Strawberry Dish
With five assists in 17 minutes played on Dec. 7, 2016 against Oglethorpe, Jordan Strawberry moved into Mercer's top 10 charts with career assists. Entering the top 10 at 234 assists and with only 32 assists separating 10th from sixth, Strawberry is expected to move his way up the charts quickly this season.
Â
Assists - Career
| 1. | Langston Hall | 633 | 2010-14 |
| 2. | Elston Harris | 541 | 1982-86 |
| 3. | James Florence | 436 | 2006-10 |
| 4. | Korey McCray | 344 | 1997-01 |
| 5. | Phillip Leonard | 337 | 2013-16 |
| 6. | Everett Callaway | 266 | 1985-87 |
| 7. | Pete Geter | 262 | 1983-87 |
| 8. | Keith Czapla | 257 | 1983-85 |
| 9. | Clarence Baker | 239 | 2001-03 |
| 10. | Jordan Strawberry | 234 | 2014-Pres. |
Taking Care
Early this season Mercer is one of the better teams in the nation in taking care of the ball. Entering this week's games, the Bears are ranked 29th nationally and first in the Southern Conference in turnovers per game. Mercer is only giving away the ball at a rate of 11.2 per game, one of the best marks in the nation.
Does It Get Any Easier?
Bob Hoffman claimed before the season started that this might be Mercer's toughest schedule yet in his nine years in Macon. He might be right. Mercer's strength of schedule currently ranks 46th in the nation (tied with Texas A&M). Bears opponents have accumulated a record of 32-19 so far this season, a .627 winning clip ranking 46thth nationally and first in the Southern Conference.
How to Follow the Bears:
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerMBB (Twitter), /MercerBasketball (Facebook) and @Mercer_MBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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Players Mentioned
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