The Mercer Bears (4-1) face the Appalachian State Mountaineers (2-3) at Nashville Municipal Auditorium. Action begins at 6:00 pm ET on Friday, Nov. 27.
The Bears come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, defeating Tulane 71-61 on Thursday. Stephon Jelks played a key role, recording his third double-double this season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Mountaineers, meanwhile, are coming off a 73-62 win against Liberty on Thursday. Frank Eaves shot 3 for 6 and led in scoring with 18 points.
While the Bears are 3-1 Straight Up (SU) so far, they’ve managed an Against The Spread (ATS) record of 2-0 so far. The Bears have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the 38th-ranked rebounding team in Division I, averaging 43.8 per game, while the Mountaineers rank 186th in the nation with 37.4 per game. The Bears, sporting the 45th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I (1.46), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, teams have to fight for open shots against the Bears, who have the best opponent field-goal percentage in the country at .358.
In the other locker room, the Mountaineers have started the season poorly ATS with a 0-2 record to go along with a 2-3 SU record. The Mountaineers have the best opponent field-goal percentage in the nation at .450.
Mercer and Appalachian State will be facing off for their first head-to-head game in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mercer, ATS Winner – Mercer
Notes
Appalachian State scores just 60.7 points per away game (ranked 259th). Mercer ranks 81st in points allowed at home, giving up 59.7 points.
The Mercer Bears have the nation’s top defense, with a defensive rating of 93.5. The Appalachian State Mountaineers have an offensive rating of 94.5 (ranked 312th).
The Appalachian State Mountaineers average a field goal percentage of 36.7% this season. The Mercer Bears have a winning 2-1 record in games where opponents have a FG% of 36.7% or greater.
The Mercer Bears rank higher based on their field goal percentage (105th) than their effective field goal percentage (156th). The Appalachian State Mountaineers rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (326th) than their field goal percentage (335th).
Mercer ranks 54th in assists, registering 17.2 per game. Appalachian State performs worse at 335th with 9.8 assists per game.
Mercer, the 38th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 43.8 rebounds per game. Appalachian State does worse, ranked 186th with 37.4.
The Appalachian State Mountaineers average 5.0 steals per game. The Mercer Bears are undefeated with a 3-0 record when they give up at least 5 steals.
