Men’s basketball (8-5) has defied expectations early this season as it has racked up eight wins through its first 13 games, its most since 2021-22. Ahead of Head Coach Ryan Ridder’s second season at the helm, the team was selected to finish eighth in the preseason coaches’ poll, but it currently sits tied for fourth place going into Southern Conference play, which starts on the road on Wednesday.
That standing has been buoyed by an undefeated record at home through six games in Hawkins Arena.
The Bears’ surprising start has been anchored by Baraka Okojie ‘27, who transferred to Mercer after a year playing at Georgetown University and the University of Memphis. Okojie leads the team with 17.6 points per contest, and has started every game so far this season. The guard has shown a keen eye for his teammates while averaging a SoCon-leading 5.6 assists per game.
Mercer’s defense has been buttressed by Armani Mighty ‘27, who started his career at Boston College before finding his way to Macon. The 6-foot-10-inch center has recorded six double-doubles while adding 1.8 blocks per game on the defensive end. As a team, the Bears have played pesky defense, recording nearly 10 steals a game and holding opponents to 73 points per game.
While Mercer has taken on some strong opponents – No. 18 University of Tennessee, Clemson University and the University of Central Florida – it has also played three opponents at the Division II level or lower. As the team begins its Southern Conference push in Greenville, S.C., it will take on last year’s SoCon runner-up, Furman University (9-4).
The Paladins are riding a five-game winning streak and hold the second-best offense and defense in the conference. The Paladins were selected to finish in a close second in the preseason poll, and Cooper Bowser and Tom House were both placed on the preseason all-conference team.
Furman is led by Alex Wilkins, a freshman guard who has eclipsed 20 points five times this season on his way to averaging 16.8 points a game. Mercer’s Mighty will have to contend with Bowser, who is shooting 81% from the field this season, including a 31-for-34 stretch in his last four games.
Gabriel Kopp '26 is double majoring in Journalism and Law and Public Policy at Mercer University. He has written for The Cluster since he started at Mercer, and currently works as Editor-in-Chief. When he isn't working on a Washington Post crossword, he enjoys going for runs around Macon and reading The New York Times or the AJC while sipping coffee.
