Mercer To Face The Citadel In First Round Of Conference Tournament
3/7/2024 2:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MACON – Mercer basketball (15-16, 7-10) travels to Asheville, N.C. for the Southern Conference Tournament at Harrah's Cherokee Center. The Bears' first round matchup will be against The Citadel Bulldogs (11-20, 3-15) on Friday at 5 p.m and will be streamed on ESPN+.
Mercer has made one conference tournament championship appearance since joining the Southern Conference in the 2014-15 season and did so as a No. 7 seed. The Bears lost to the No. 1 seed UNC Greensboro 69-61 in 2021. That year also accounts for all three of MU's SoCon All-Tournament Team selections. Since the turn of the century, the Bears made one other championship game appearance (2010) and hosted the tournament three years (2010, 2011, 2012). The Bears produced seven Atlantic Sun All-Tournament Team members and one Tournament MVP during that time.
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Mercer has made one conference tournament championship appearance since joining the Southern Conference in the 2014-15 season and did so as a No. 7 seed. The Bears lost to the No. 1 seed UNC Greensboro 69-61 in 2021. That year also accounts for all three of MU's SoCon All-Tournament Team selections. Since the turn of the century, the Bears made one other championship game appearance (2010) and hosted the tournament three years (2010, 2011, 2012). The Bears produced seven Atlantic Sun All-Tournament Team members and one Tournament MVP during that time.
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| GAMEDAY INFO |
| Mercer (15-16, 7-10Â SoCon) vs. The Citadel (11-20, 3-15 SoCon) Friday, March 8 | 5 p.m. EST Asheville, N.C. |Â Harrah's Cherokee Center LIVE STATS TV:Â ESPN+Â | Radio: SportsMic |
| LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BEARS |
| Mercer ended the 2023-24 regular season with an 82-75 win at Furman to sweep the season series for the first time since the 2014-2015 season. The Bears shot 55 percent from the field and 60 percent from three. Jalyn McCreary led the way with 21 points for his seventh game of the season with at least 20 points. David Thomas scored 18 points while pulling down four rebounds and dishing out six assists. The Mercer defense held the Paladins to just 25 percent 3-point and 41 percent field goal shooting. The Bears forced 11 turnovers that translated into 14 points on the other end. |
| SCOUTING REPORT |
| Since Mercer joined the SoCon in 2014, The Citadel has advanced past the first round only three times (2022, 2021, and 2017). Most recently, the No. 9 Bulldogs took down No. 8 ETSU 84-76 in overtime in 2022. While The Citadel has only three conference wins this season, one of those came over Mercer and another over Chattanooga, the No. 3 seed in the tournament. The Citadel's Quentin Millora-Brown is third in the SoCon in rebounding, averaging 9.3 per game. He is second in field goal percentage behind Mercer's Alex Holt, shooting 59.4 percent. |
| LOOKING AHEAD |
| The quarterfinal round of the conference tournament will be on Saturday, March 9. The winner of the Mercer vs. The Citadel game will play Samford at noon. |
| STAY CONNECTED |
| Follow Mercer Men's Basketball on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" Mercer Men's Basketball on Facebook. |
| SUPPORT THE BEARS |
| Fans can help support the Mercer athletics department by making a gift to the Mercer Athletic Foundation. To find out more information about the Mercer Athletic Foundation, visit SupportMAF.com or email maf@mercer.edu. |
Players Mentioned
Sunday, May 10
Saturday, May 09
Saturday, May 09
Sunday, May 03
