Saturday, February 11
Johnson City, Tenn.
4:00 PM ET
Mercer University
at
ETSU
Bears Head to Red Hot ETSU Saturday
2/10/2017 5:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – After a win at VMI, Mercer will head west from the Cumberland Gap to Johnson City, Tennessee as the Bears hope to upend ETSU on the road for the first time since 2014.
GAMEDAY DETAILS
Date: Saturday, Feb. 11 | 4 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (12-14, 6-7 SoCon) at ETSU (19-6, 9-3 SoCon)
Location: Johnson City, Tenn. | Freedom Hall (6,500)
TV: ESPN3 | Watch ESPN
TV Talent: Jay Sandos (play-by-play), Bruce Tranbarger (analyst)
Radio: Mercer Sports Network (Flagship: 97.3 FM The Bull Icons) | iHeartRadio
Radio Talent: Rick Cameron (play-by-play)
Live Stats: MercerBears.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB
Tickets: Click Here to Purchase
Game Notes: Mercer | SoCon | ETSU
Series History
East Tennessee State has a 17-8 advantage but until last year the series had trended towards the Bears. ETSU has a 9-3 advantage in games played in Johnson City and the Bucs have come out on top in five of the last six meetings.
Scouting ETSU
Winners of five of their last six, East Tennessee State enters Saturday's game with a 19-6 record, posting a 9-3 mark in Southern Conference play. That puts the Bucs in sole possession of second place, just one game behind league-leading Furman.
Last Time Out - Mercer 81, VMI 51 on Feb. 9, 2017
Ria'n Holland had 18 points to lead five players in double figures as Mercer roared past VMI for an 81-51 victory on Thursday night.
Holland was 7 of 14 from the field. Jordan Strawberry added 12 points while dishing out five assists to give him 300 assists in his career. Desmond Ringer, Demetre Rivers and Cory Kilby chipped in 10 apiece for Mercer (12-14, 6-7 Southern Conference), which has won four of the last six games.
Last Time vs. ETSU - ETSU 67, Mercer 58 on Jan. 7, 2017
MACON, Ga. - Ria'n Holland scored 15 of his game-high 24 points in the second half but a late run by ETSU propelled the Bucs to a 67-58 win over host Mercer at Hawkins Arena.
T.J. Cromer scored 23 points and Desonta Bradford had 15 points to lead East Tennessee State (13-3, 3-0 Southern Conference).
With the score tied at 27, Cromer hit a 3, a layup and another 3 to give East Tennessee State a 35-30 lead. The Bears then responded with a 12-0 run and led 42-35 with 11:41 to play.
Bradford's layup with 6:57 left gave East Tennessee State (13-3, 3-0 Southern Conference) the lead for good at 48-47. He followed with a dunk and Cromer added a 3 capping an 18-5 Buccaneers run.
Jordan Strawberry added a layup and Mercer (7-10, 1-3) couldn't get closer.
Bears Own the Boards
For the second consecutive year, Mercer is leading the Southern Conference in rebounding margin. Mercer enters this game ranked first in the conference (and 27th in the nation) in rebounding margin with a +6.2 differential after leading the SoCon last season with a +8.8 margin. Should that mark hold Mercer would be the first team since Appalachian State (2008-09 and 2009-10) to lead the SoCon in rebounding margin in back-to-back years.
New Hotel for Mercer This Season
This season, Mercer seems to have a new place to dwell. It's located at the end of Lonely Street at Heartbreak Hotel. At least, that is what it feels like as the Bears have played in 11 one-possession games this season, inexplicably falling eight times on last-second shots.
Those wounds are fresh too when you consider five of those losses have come in the last eight games.
Mercer in One-Possession Games (3-8)
Date     Opponent          W/L      Score
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It's Nothing New
Close games seem to be the norm for the Bears. Mercer played in 1 games decided by one possession last season, posting a 7-3 record in those games. That adds to the growing number of close games this season (see above).
Close Games under Bob Hoffman (by season)
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Leading the SoCon
Mercer's 11 one-possession games this season leads all Southern Conference teams. Samford is not far behind Mercer with nine one-possession games. Alas, fate has smiled warmer upon the Bulldogs as Samford is 5-4 in those one-possession games.
The Word is Out
Don't poke the Bears. Or, more appropriately, don't foul the Bears. Mercer ranks 289th in the country and eighth in the Southern Conference in free throw attempts this season with only 436 trips to the line. That is probably because when they do, it is...
...Practically Free Money
Mercer ranks 24th in the nation in free throw pct. with a 76.2 success rate at the line. More impressively, the Southern Conference itself is a quality free throw shooting league as while the Bears are in the top 25 in free throw shooting, Mercer ranks only second in the Southern Conference behind Wofford (fifth nationally, 78.4 pct.) while The Citadel ranks 24th (76.2).
How Do They Stay So Close?
But looking closer at this Mercer team, how do the Bears stay so close in so many games? Credit Mercer's defense, led by "defensive coordinator" and associate head coach Doug Esleeck. Mercer is ranked highly nationally in field goal percentage defense (38th) and scoring defense (59th) and follows up on those opposing teams' missed shots by ranking 27th nationally in rebounding margin and 44th nationally in total rebounds.
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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.
GAMEDAY DETAILS
Date: Saturday, Feb. 11 | 4 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (12-14, 6-7 SoCon) at ETSU (19-6, 9-3 SoCon)
Location: Johnson City, Tenn. | Freedom Hall (6,500)
TV: ESPN3 | Watch ESPN
TV Talent: Jay Sandos (play-by-play), Bruce Tranbarger (analyst)
Radio: Mercer Sports Network (Flagship: 97.3 FM The Bull Icons) | iHeartRadio
Radio Talent: Rick Cameron (play-by-play)
Live Stats: MercerBears.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB
Tickets: Click Here to Purchase
Game Notes: Mercer | SoCon | ETSU
Series History
East Tennessee State has a 17-8 advantage but until last year the series had trended towards the Bears. ETSU has a 9-3 advantage in games played in Johnson City and the Bucs have come out on top in five of the last six meetings.
Scouting ETSU
Winners of five of their last six, East Tennessee State enters Saturday's game with a 19-6 record, posting a 9-3 mark in Southern Conference play. That puts the Bucs in sole possession of second place, just one game behind league-leading Furman.
Last Time Out - Mercer 81, VMI 51 on Feb. 9, 2017
Ria'n Holland had 18 points to lead five players in double figures as Mercer roared past VMI for an 81-51 victory on Thursday night.
Holland was 7 of 14 from the field. Jordan Strawberry added 12 points while dishing out five assists to give him 300 assists in his career. Desmond Ringer, Demetre Rivers and Cory Kilby chipped in 10 apiece for Mercer (12-14, 6-7 Southern Conference), which has won four of the last six games.
Last Time vs. ETSU - ETSU 67, Mercer 58 on Jan. 7, 2017
MACON, Ga. - Ria'n Holland scored 15 of his game-high 24 points in the second half but a late run by ETSU propelled the Bucs to a 67-58 win over host Mercer at Hawkins Arena.
T.J. Cromer scored 23 points and Desonta Bradford had 15 points to lead East Tennessee State (13-3, 3-0 Southern Conference).
With the score tied at 27, Cromer hit a 3, a layup and another 3 to give East Tennessee State a 35-30 lead. The Bears then responded with a 12-0 run and led 42-35 with 11:41 to play.
Bradford's layup with 6:57 left gave East Tennessee State (13-3, 3-0 Southern Conference) the lead for good at 48-47. He followed with a dunk and Cromer added a 3 capping an 18-5 Buccaneers run.
Jordan Strawberry added a layup and Mercer (7-10, 1-3) couldn't get closer.
Bears Own the Boards
For the second consecutive year, Mercer is leading the Southern Conference in rebounding margin. Mercer enters this game ranked first in the conference (and 27th in the nation) in rebounding margin with a +6.2 differential after leading the SoCon last season with a +8.8 margin. Should that mark hold Mercer would be the first team since Appalachian State (2008-09 and 2009-10) to lead the SoCon in rebounding margin in back-to-back years.
New Hotel for Mercer This Season
This season, Mercer seems to have a new place to dwell. It's located at the end of Lonely Street at Heartbreak Hotel. At least, that is what it feels like as the Bears have played in 11 one-possession games this season, inexplicably falling eight times on last-second shots.
Those wounds are fresh too when you consider five of those losses have come in the last eight games.
Mercer in One-Possession Games (3-8)
Date     Opponent          W/L      Score
| Nov. 25 | vs. East Carolina | W | 70-66 |
| Nov. 26 | vs. Akron | L | 63-65 |
| Dec. 18 | at Auburn | L | 74-76 |
| Dec. 22 | La Salle | L (3OT) | 96-98 |
| Dec. 28 | at Kennesaw State | W | 80-76 |
| Jan. 2 | at Furman | L | 69-71 |
| Jan. 11 | at Samford | W | 68-65 |
| Jan. 14 | Chattanooga | L | 68-70 |
| Jan. 19 | at UNCG | L | 66-68 |
| Feb. 2 | Furman | L | 68-70 |
| Feb. 4 | Wofford | L | 62-65 |
It's Nothing New
Close games seem to be the norm for the Bears. Mercer played in 1 games decided by one possession last season, posting a 7-3 record in those games. That adds to the growing number of close games this season (see above).
Close Games under Bob Hoffman (by season)
| 2016-17 | 11 (3-8) | 2011-12 | 6 (2-4) |
| 2015-16 | 10 (7-3) | 2010-11 | 8 (5-3) |
| 2014-15 | 11 (5-6) | 2009-10 | 9 (3-6) |
| 2013-14 | 7 (5-2) | 2008-09 | 8 (5-3) |
| 2012-13 | 5 (1-4) | Â | Â |
Leading the SoCon
Mercer's 11 one-possession games this season leads all Southern Conference teams. Samford is not far behind Mercer with nine one-possession games. Alas, fate has smiled warmer upon the Bulldogs as Samford is 5-4 in those one-possession games.
The Word is Out
Don't poke the Bears. Or, more appropriately, don't foul the Bears. Mercer ranks 289th in the country and eighth in the Southern Conference in free throw attempts this season with only 436 trips to the line. That is probably because when they do, it is...
...Practically Free Money
Mercer ranks 24th in the nation in free throw pct. with a 76.2 success rate at the line. More impressively, the Southern Conference itself is a quality free throw shooting league as while the Bears are in the top 25 in free throw shooting, Mercer ranks only second in the Southern Conference behind Wofford (fifth nationally, 78.4 pct.) while The Citadel ranks 24th (76.2).
How Do They Stay So Close?
But looking closer at this Mercer team, how do the Bears stay so close in so many games? Credit Mercer's defense, led by "defensive coordinator" and associate head coach Doug Esleeck. Mercer is ranked highly nationally in field goal percentage defense (38th) and scoring defense (59th) and follows up on those opposing teams' missed shots by ranking 27th nationally in rebounding margin and 44th nationally in total rebounds.
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| Top Defense | Â | Â | Â | Rebounding Success | Â | Â | |
| Category | National | SoCon | Stat | Category | National | SoCon | Stat |
| Field Goal Pct. Defense | 38 | 1 | 40.5 | Rebounding Margin | 27 | 1 | 6.2 |
| Scoring Defense | 59 | 2 | 66.9 | Total Rebounds | 44 | 2 | 968 |
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.
Players Mentioned
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