Bears Take on SEC Foe Alabama in Rocket City Classic Tuesday

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Mercer's men's basketball team continues its stretch of challenging non-conference road games by taking on the Alabama Crimson Tide Tuesday, Dec. 19 in Huntsville, Ala. Tipoff time is set for 9 p.m. (ET) inside the Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center and will be televised live on the SEC Network.

The game is part of a doubleheader – the Rocket City Classic – with the opening game featuring the University of Alabama in Huntsville playing Shorter at 6:15 p.m. (ET).

GAMEDAY LINEUP
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017 | 9:00 p.m. ET
Teams: Mercer (6-5) vs. Alabama (7-3)
Location: Huntsville, Ala. | Propst Arena at Von Braun Center
TV: SEC Network
Live Stats: RollTide.com/LiveStats
Radio: 97.3 FM, 103.3 FM, iHeart Radio and Sports Mic – Rick Cameron
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB

SERIES HISTORY
• Overall: Alabama leads 6-3
• In Tuscaloosa: 6-2
• In Macon: N/A
• Neutral Sites: Mercer leads 1-0
• Current Streak: W1
• Last Meeting: W, 66-59 at Alabama (12/22/12)

BEAR NECESSITIES
About The Crimson Tide
Alabama, a member of the Southeastern Conference, is 7-3 on the season. Most recently the Crimson Tide lost a hard-fought 88-82 decision at nationally ranked Arizona on Dec. 9. Mercer and Alabama have two common opponents on the schedule. Both have played Central Florida and Memphis. Mercer dropped its season opener to UCF 88-79 and lost a double-overtime heartbreaker to Memphis 83-81. Alabama defeated Memphis 82-70 in its season opener and lost at home to UCF 65-62.

Alabama is led in scoring by freshman guard Collin Sexton, whose 21.8 scoring average ranks 21^st in the NCAA. Donta Hall is the team's leading rebounder at 8.0 boards per contest and is also averaging 12.2 points per contest. Alabama is coached by Avery Johnson, who is in his third season at the helm. Johnson played 19 seasons in the NBA and also spent seven years as a head coach in the league, where he was named the NBA Coach of the Year in 2006 with the Dallas Mavericks.

Bears Held in High Regard
Mercer has been tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the Southern Conference men's championship by the league's head coaches. The Bears were narrow favorites to claim the SoCon crown, tallying four first-place votes and 71 total points with Samford a close runner-up, earning three first-place votes and 70 total points.

Bears Rank High in Southern Conference Team Statistics
Here's a look at where the Bears' rank near the top of this week's SoCon men's basketball statistics:

Team Statistics

1^st in assist/turnover ratio (1.3)
1^st in rebounding defense (30.0)
2^nd in scoring margin (+11.8)
2^nd in field goal% (47.7%)
2^nd in 3-pt. field goal% (44.0%) – 5th in NCAA
2^nd in rebounding margin (+4.5)
3^rd in scoring offense (80.4)
3rd in assists (16.1)
3^rd in scoring defense (68.5)
3^rd in free throw% (73.8%)
3rd in field goal% defense (42.6%)

Individual Statistics (player must appear in at least 75% of team's games)

Stephon Jelks – 1^st in 3-pt. field goal% (62.1%)
Stephon Jelks – 2nd in defensive rebounds (5.7)
Stephon Jelks – 4^th in rebounding (7.2)
Jordan Strawberry – 1st in assist/turnover ratio (2.8)
Jordan Strawberry – 3rd in assists (4.3)
Ethan Stair – 4th in field goal% (58.2%)
Demetre Rivers – 2nd in free throw% (88.5%)

Holland Offensive Extraordinaire
In games played through Dec. 18, Ria'n Holland is rated the #1 player in the nation in Offensive Efficiency according to Ken Pomeroy, a nationally acclaimed basketball statistician who produces the website Kenpom.com. Holland's Offensive Efficiency rating of 150.9 is based upon a formula that examines total offensive possessions and individual points produced. The four components that make up the total offensive possessions include scoring possessions, missed field goal possessions, missed free throw possessions and turnovers.

Holland Back on Track
Holland has returned from a three-game absence due to injury with a vengeance in his last two outings vs. Florida A&M and La Salle. The 6-0 senior went for 24 points on seven of 10 shooting from the field, including six of eight behind the three point arc in the victory over the Rattlers. In Sunday's loss at La Salle, Holland scored a career-high 33 points, connecting on 10 of 19 field goal attempts, including six of nine from three point range. In the eight games that he has played, he leads the team in scoring (22.3) and free throw shooting (39-42 for 92.9%). He is shooting a sizzling 61.1% from three point land (33-54). Holland was named the Southern Conference Player of the Week for his performance in the team's opening two games. He went for 31 points in the 88-79 loss at Central Florida and then came back with a 16-point effort in the victory over Toccoa Falls. That 31-point effort vs. UCF was the second-highest output in his Mercer career. The 6-0 product of Fayetteville, N.C., scored a career-best 32 points last season vs. The Citadel. Holland was named to the Paradise Jam All-Tournament team as he averaged 18.3 points during the three-game stretch, including a 29-point effort in the victory over Drexel. Holland has scored in double figures in 35 of the 40 career games he has played at Mercer.

Stair To Play In Front Of Hometown Fans
Ethan Stair can truly say "This is my town" when he steps onto the court inside the Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center Tuesday night when Mercer takes on Alabama. The 6-5 sophomore prepped at Hazel Green High School, located in a suburb of Huntsville, where he was a four-year basketball letterman. Stair scored more than 1,500 points and grabbed more than 1,000 rebounds during his stellar career. He averaged 22.4 points and 12.3 rebounds his senior season, a campaign that saw him earn all-state, all-district and all-league honors. Stair is currently averaging 8.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per contest for the Bears, while averaging 21.3 minutes per outing.

This and That
Mercer continues to rank among the nation's leaders in three point marksmanship. The Bears are 2^nd in the SoCon in three-point shooting % (44.0%), which ranks 5th in the NCAA … Stephon Jelks is coming off a season-high 22 point effort vs. La Salle. In that contest, the 6-7 senior was seven of eight from the floor, including three of four behind the arc, and a perfect five for five from the charity stripe. Jelks flirted with a triple-double in the win over Florida A&M, scoring 12 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and handing out seven assists in that contest. Jelks leads the club in rebounding (7.2), which ranks 4^th in the SoCon and is the Bears' 2nd leading scorer (10.5). He also has been extremely accurate behind the three-point line, connecting on 18 of his 29 attempts for 62.1% which leads the Southern Conference … Jordan Strawberry continues to pace the SoCon in assist/turnover ratio (2.8). The senior guard has dished out 47 assists (3^rd in the league) while committing just 17 turnovers. He is also Mercer's 3rd leading scorer with a 9.8 per game average … Demetre Rivers is 2nd in the SoCon in free throw shooting percentage, connecting on 88.5% of his attempts … Senior Desmond Ringer has upped his scoring average to 7.1 points per game and is shooting 78.6% from the free throw line … The Bears are receiving strong contributions off the bench. Ethan Stair is the league's 7th most accurate field goal shooter (54.7%) and is averaging 8.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per outing. Freshman Marcus Cohen (5.1 ppg), Cory Kilby (4.4 ppg), and Jaylen Stowe (3.2 ppg) are all averaging 14 or more minutes of playing time per contest.

Senior Leadership
Six seniors return from last year's team. Those senior leaders include: Desmond Ringer, Jordan Strawberry, Ria'n Holland, Demetre Rivers, Rashad Lewis, and Stephon Jelks. Holland is the team's leading returning scorer at 17.2 points per game; Jelks paced the club with 6.7 rebounds per outing; while Strawberry dished out a team-best 4.3 assists per contest.

Speaking of Seniors
Mercer is one of only two teams in the nation to start five seniors this season, with Texas Tech being the other. The Bears are currently 6-5 on the year and have been rated in the CollegeInsider.com Top 25 Mid-Major poll for the majority of the season, while the Red Raiders of the Big 12 Conference sport a 9-1 record and are currently ranked No. 24 in this week's Associated Press poll.

Returning Firepower
Mercer returns all five starters from last season's club. Those five starters – Ria'n Holland, Jordan Strawberry, Demetre Rivers, Desmond Ringer, and Stephon Jelks – combined to score a total of 1,744 of the team's 2,269 points on the season. That translates to nearly 77% of the Bears' offensive output from last year. In total, nine players are back from the 2016-17 team.

Preseason Watch List
Holland was named to the 2017-18 Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch List, as announced by CollegeInsider.com earlier this month. The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the nation's top NCAA Division I mid-major player. Holland is one of 51 mid-major players included on the preseason watch list. The award is named after Lou Henson, who coached college basketball for 41 years and was sixth all-time in career Division I wins (779) when he left the game in 2005. Holland is one of four players from SoCon teams included on the watch list. Players on teams from the following conferences are eligible for the award: America East, ASUN, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro-Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt and West Coast. The winner of the 2017-18 Lou Henson Award will be announced on March 31, 2018 at the CollegeInsider.com Awards Event in San Antonio, Texas, the site of the men's NCAA Basketball Championship.

Holland was also named to the preseason All-Southern Conference team as selected by the league's coaches prior to the start of this year.

Coach Hoffman-Led Bears Own 10 Power Conference Wins
Under Head Coach Bob Hoffman's leadership, Mercer has posted some impressive victories over power conference programs. Two of those victories have come against Alabama; both times on the Crimson Tide's home court in Tuscaloosa. The Bears' most celebrated power conference victory came against No. 6 Duke in the NCAA Championship Tournament, when Mercer knocked off the Blue Devils 78-71 on March 21, 2014 in Raleigh, N.C. Most recently on this win list, Mercer defeated Arkansas 69-66 on Dec. 19, 2015 in Fayetteville, Ark.
Here's a complete list of Mercer's power conference wins under Coach Hoffman:

Mercer 69, Arkansas 66 – December 19, 2015 – Fayetteville, Arkansas
Mercer 78, Duke 71 – March 21, 2014 – Raleigh, North Carolina
Mercer 79, Ole Miss 76 – December 22, 2013 – Oxford, Mississippi
Mercer 77, Seton Hall 74 – November 16, 2013 – Macon, Georgia
Mercer 75, Tennessee 67 – March 20, 2013 – Knoxville, Tennessee
Mercer 66, Alabama 59 – December 22, 2012 – Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Mercer 61, Florida State 56 – December 2, 2012 – Tallahassee, Florida
Mercer 65, Georgia Tech 59 – December 22, 2010 – Atlanta, Georgia
Mercer 78, Auburn 74 – November 19, 2008 – Auburn, Alabama
Mercer 72, Alabama 69 – November 16, 2008 – Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Coach Hoffman Closing In On 500 Victories
Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman has certainly achieved a great deal of success during his coaching career and he is closing in on a milestone that will only add to his list of superlative accomplishments. Coach Hoffman heads into Tuesday's game against Alabama with 496 victories at the collegiate men's level, just four shy of 500. Coach Hoffman accumulated 243 wins as the head coach at Oklahoma Baptist from 1990-99; 68 victories while at Texas Pan-American (1999-2004); and he has won 185 games as Mercer's head coach (2008-present). Coach Hoffman has led Mercer to unprecedented success during his tenure with the Bears. The two-time Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year has directed Mercer to 18 post-season victories and 10 power conference wins. Twice the Bears have won a school-record 27 games (2011-12 and 2013-14) under his leadership.

Series History
This will be the 10^th meeting between these two schools, with Alabama holding a 6-3 edge in the series. Mercer is 2-6 vs. Alabama in Tuscaloosa, with the two wins coming on Nov. 16, 2008 (72-69) and Dec. 22, 2012 (66-59). The Bears also defeated the Crimson Tide 28-23 on a neutral site during the 1922-23 season, the first ever meeting between the two programs.

What's Next
Following Tuesday's game, Mercer returns home for its final non-conference contest of the season as the Bears host Kennesaw State Thursday, Dec. 28 at Hawkins Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

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.

###

Bears Take on SEC Foe Alabama in Rocket City Classic Tuesday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Marcus Cohen

Ria'n Holland

Stephon Jelks

Cory Kilby

Rashad Lewis

Desmond Ringer

Demetre Rivers

Ethan Stair

Jaylen Stowe

Jordan Strawberry

Footer

Mercer University Athletics

Bears Take on SEC Foe Alabama in Rocket City Classic Tuesday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Marcus Cohen

Ria'n Holland

Stephon Jelks

Cory Kilby

Rashad Lewis

Desmond Ringer

Demetre Rivers

Ethan Stair

Jaylen Stowe

Jordan Strawberry

Related Videos

Sponsors

Footer