Mercer University
Western Carolina
Mercer To Play Western Carolina Friday In SoCon Tournament First Round
3/6/2025 9:47:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Tip-off is at 5 p.m. from Harrah's Cherokee Center In Asheville, North Carolina
ABOUT THE GAME
What: SoCon Tournament - First Round
Opponent:Â Western Carolina
Date:Â Friday, March 7
Time:Â 5 p.m.
Location: Asheville, N.C. | Harrah's Cherokee Center
TV:Â ESPN+
Radio:Â SportsMic
Live Statistics:Â MercerStats.com
Twitter Updates:Â @MercerMBB
SOCON TOURNAMENT
Mercer has won at least one game in each of the last four SoCon Tournaments. Mercer hasn't played Western Carolina in the SoCon Tournament since the 2021-22 season.
SERIES HISTORY
Friday's game will be the 32nd all-time meeting between Mercer and Western Carolina. Western Carolina leads the all-time series, 17-14. The Catamounts had won five in a row before the Bears put an end to that streak last Saturday with an 81-69 win at home.
LAST TIME OUT
Ahmad Robinson scored 28 points to reach 1,000 points for his career and the Mercer men's basketball team defeated Western Carolina 81-69 on Senior Day Saturday evening from Hawkins Arena.
Robinson led all scorers with 28Â points and hit a pair of free throws in the final seconds to reach exactly 1,000 career points. It was a game in which the Bears led for nearly 37 minutes and led by as much as 15 points before Robinson and the Bears put the game away in the final minutes.
NEED TO KNOW
Ahmad Robinson and Tyler Johnson each finished in the top five in the conference in scoring. Robinson finished third in the SoCon at 16.9 points per game and Johnson finished fifth at 16.1 points per game. Mercer was the only team in the SoCon to have two teammates finish the regular season in the top five in the conference in scoring.
SCOUTING WESTERN CAROLINA
Western Carolina enters the tournament with an 8-21 record, and finished with a 4-14 mark in conference play.
The Catamounts have struggled on the road as they have just one win away from home this year with a record of 1-14. Western Carolina has lost four straight games, and is coming off an 81-69 loss in Macon to the Bears last Saturday.
The Catamounts have struggled on both ends of the floor all year as they rank second to last in the SoCon in scoring offense at 69.8 points per game and last in scoring defense at 79.4 points per game.
Bernard Pelote leads the Catamounts in scoring at 14.3 points per game, however Marcus Kell has recently won back-to-back SoCon Player of the Week recognitions as he is averaging 20.6 points per game over his last eight games.
STAY CONNECTED
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