East Tennessee State Buccaneers @ Mercer Bears
East Tennessee State visits Mercer following Okojie's 22-point performance
East Tennessee State Buccaneers (21-9, 13-4 SoCon) at Mercer Bears (18-12, 10-7 SoCon)
Macon, Georgia; Saturday, 4:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Mercer hosts East Tennessee State after Baraka Okojie scored 22 points in Mercer's 78-74 loss to the Western Carolina Catamounts.
The Bears have gone 13-1 in home games. Mercer ranks third in the SoCon in rebounding averaging 33.9 rebounds. Armani Mighty leads the Bears with 10.6 boards.
The Buccaneers are 13-4 against conference opponents. East Tennessee State scores 78.3 points and has outscored opponents by 9.8 points per game.
Mercer averages 83.0 points, 14.5 more per game than the 68.5 East Tennessee State allows. East Tennessee State averages 78.3 points per game, 2.9 more than the 75.4 Mercer allows to opponents.
The teams meet for the second time in conference play this season. East Tennessee State won 77-71 in the last matchup on Jan. 3. Brian Taylor II led East Tennessee State with 21 points, and Brady Shoulders led Mercer with 21 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mighty is averaging 13.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks for the Bears. Zaire Williams is averaging 1.9 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Blake Barkley is averaging 14 points and 5.7 rebounds for the Buccaneers. Taylor is averaging 14.5 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Bears: 5-5, averaging 78.3 points, 31.1 rebounds, 11.7 assists, 5.8 steals and 3.2 blocks per game while shooting 45.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 76.2 points per game.
Buccaneers: 7-3, averaging 79.9 points, 31.1 rebounds, 14.8 assists, 7.7 steals and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 48.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 71.7 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Game Information
Macon, GA
2025-26 Standings
| Southern ConferenceSouthern Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Tennessee State | 13-4 | - | 21-9 |
| Wofford | 11-6 | 2 | 19-11 |
| Furman | 10-7 | 3 | 19-11 |
| Mercer | 10-7 | 3 | 18-12 |
| Samford | 10-7 | 3 | 17-13 |
| Western Carolina | 9-8 | 4 | 13-15 |
| UNC Greensboro | 9-8 | 4 | 13-17 |
| Chattanooga | 6-11 | 7 | 12-18 |
| The Citadel | 6-11 | 7 | 9-21 |
| VMI | 1-16 | 12 | 6-24 |
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