Throughout the preseason, the Mercer Bears have garnered quite a bit of attention. After winning the conference outright, Mercer is poised to make a run at the championship once again. Picked as one of the feature teams of the Atlantic Sun Conference, there is a shot for Mercer to repeat and bring home the hardware for a second consecutive season.
The Opponent
Coming of a hot 24-win campaign, the Mercer Bears return a plethora of depth including four starters. In addition to the four, the coaching staff signed a class of five more talented players who will look to crack the rotation. Currently, Head Coach Bob Hoffman has 12 players averaging more that ten minutes per game.
Leading the charge for the Bears is none other than senior point guard Langston Hall. Tabbed as a preseason All-Conference pick, this kid has lived up to the billing through eight games. But, the biggest asset Hall possesses is his size. At 6-4, opposing defenders often find themselves unable to compete with the length of this dynamic player. With 5.6 assists credited to his name per game, Hall leads the team in the category as well as in points with 16.4 ppg.
To aide in the efforts, Daniel Coursey, another preseason All-Conference pick, steps up to the plate. Standing at 6-10, this senior forward is experienced and plays within his abilities. Only logging 22 minutes per game, Coursey averages 11.1 points to go along with a team high 6.8 rebounds.
With the current rotation, Mercer has three other players averaging double-digits in scoring.
Team Averages
POINTS PER GAME
86.9 - Ranks 21st nationally
REBOUNDS PER GAME
40.8 - Ranks 36th nationally
ASSISTS PER GAME
18.1 - Ranks 11th nationally
FIELD GOAL PCT
.481 - Ranks 71st nationally
The Game
Mercer travels to Oklahoma to take on the Sooners on Monday, December 2nd at 8:00 PM CST and can be found on ESPNU.