Men's and women's basketball had regular seasons that surpassed expectations this year as each team notched convincing winning seasons after posting losing regular season records and exited the Southern Conference tournament early last spring.
The men's team was supported this season primarily by their dominance at home, finishing 14-1 in Hawkins Arena, their best home record since the 2013-2014 season. They also finished 11-7 in the Southern Conference, good for second place going into playoffs.
The Bears will face No. 5 Western Carolina University (14-15, 10-8 SoCon) in Asheville, N.C. on Saturday, March 7 in the SoCon Tournament quarterfinals. Mercer split the season series against the Catamounts, winning in mid-January but falling to the team in the penultimate game of the season, 78-74 in North Carolina.
The women's team also improved drastically, totaling nine more wins than last year's squad and besting the SoCon's No. 1-ranked team in their most recent game. As the No. 5 seed, Mercer will open the SoCon tournament Thursday against No. 4 seed Furman University at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville.
Men's basketball
Mercer defeated East Tennessee State University (21-10, 13-5 SoCon) 82-76 Saturday at Hawkins Arena to close the regular season with a 19-12 overall record. Mercer tied for second in the Southern Conference standings but earned the No. 4 seed for the conference tournament following tiebreakers.
Zaire Williams '26 lead the team with 23 points while four other Bears recorded double figures in the regular-season finale. He shot 7-of-9 from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point range. Armani Mighty ‘27 recorded 10 points and 13 rebounds for his 16th double-double of the season. Baraka Okojie ‘27, the team's leading scorer, added 14 points and eight assists.
Mercer shot 52.4% from three-point range to put out the Buccaneers. They led 49-35 at halftime and did not trail the entire game. ETSU cut the deficit to 74-73 with three minutes remaining before Mercer converted key free throws in the final minute to secure the win.
The Bears dropped the season opener on Nov. 3 at No. 17 University of Tennessee, but then won seven of their next eight contests. Mercer then faced a string of larger opponents like Clemson University and the University of Central Florida before beginning conference play with a close loss against Furman on Dec. 31.
In conference action, Mercer posted home victories against Wofford College, the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and Samford University before getting revenge against Furman, defeating the Paladins 69-64 on Feb. 11.
Mercer scored at least 100 points three times during the season, including 122 against Baptist University on Dec. 28. Their SoCon-leading offense is led by Memphis transfer Okojie, who is second in the SoCon with nearly 20 points per game.
The team's offensive consistency is underlined by their foul discipline, as they commit the least amount of fouls in the conference, yet are top-three in their ability to get to the line. Okojie's skills in the paint lead him to attempt nearly nine free throws a game, the most in the conference.
The team's rebounding is also a strength that gives them the ability to stay in games. Only one of their conference losses, against Samford on Feb. 7, was by more than six points. Big man Armani Mighty '27 leads the team in rebounds and is second in the conference in boards per game. Mighty also leads the SoCon in blocks and field goal percentage.
The team will rely on offensive dominance and their scrappy ability, supported by Brady Shoulders '28 and Williams, who are top five in the SoCon in steals, to make a deep SoCon run for the first time in years. The Bears have won three of their last four games entering the tournament.
Women's basketball
Mercer closed its regular season Saturday with a 68-55 victory over SoCon's No. 1-ranked University of Tennessee-Chattanooga (18-9, 10-4 SoCon) in Hawkins Arena. The Bears finished 17-12 overall and 7-7 in SoCon play.
The Bears outscored the Mocs 38-28 in the second half and used a 12-0 run late in the third quarter to build a double-digit lead that they held for the rest of the game.
Talia Kemp ‘28 scored a career-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting in 23 minutes. The sophomore transfer student and Nahawa Diarra '26 have played a large part in Mercer's strong defense this season as they both finished in the top six for steals in the conference. Diarra leads the team in points per game and rebounds per game, as well as finishing second in assists.
The team has spread out the minutes and scoring opportunities across the squad as eight of the 12 members of the roster average more than 15 minutes per game, and no player averages more than 11 points per game.
The Bears are best in the SoCon in shooting from deep, but have often relied on successful defensive stands to protect their leads. Mercer is 14-0 when holding opponents under 60 points this season, and often out-rebounded opponents to stifle second chance points.
The Bears will face off against Furman (17-12, 9-5 SoCon), with whom they split the season series, in the first round of the SoCon tournament on Thursday, March 5. Mercer forced the Paladin's league-leading offense into 22 turnovers in their 80-63 win on Feb. 21.
