Mercer and East Tennessee State Meet in Early Blockbuster Matchup
The game that everyone will be glued to on Saturday is when Mercer travels to East Tennessee State in a huge league clash between two of the league's top three teams.
The SoCon office certainly didn't do the Bears any favors when they set the schedule for the SoCon back during the off-season, as the Bears and Bucs will meet Saturday afternoon at Freedom Hall in a clash set for 4 p.m. EST.
The Bears are off to an 0-1 start in league play after suffering a heartbreaking, 74-72, New Year's Eve loss at Furman. The Bucs got off to a strong start to league play, knocking off The Citadel, 74-49, in their SoCon opener in what was the very first SoCon game of the season.
Both Mercer and ETSU have a history that predates their membership in the SoCon, as the two spent nine years as conference rivals in the Atlantic Sun. The two will be meeting for the 44th time on Saturday, with ETSU holding the 30-13 all-time series edge.
Mercer, which was picked eighth in the preseason by the league's head coaches, came into league play with the league's highest NET ranking and third-highest KenPom ranking.
The Bucs and Bears played some extremely close contests last season, with ETSU getting two wins over the Bears by a combined three points, getting a 59-58 win in Johnson City late last season, while the Bucs grabbed a 70-68 win at Mercer in early January of last season.
Just like we got with Baraka Okojie against Alex Wilkins in the Mercer's first SoCon game at Furman, we get another when Okojie goes up against another of the league's top backcourt players, in ETSU's Brian Taylor III.
Okojie is posted his fourth 20-plus performance of the season in last Wednesday's loss at Furman, finishing that matchup by connecting on 7-of-16 shots from the field and made some clutch shots down the stretch to give the Bears a chance of pulling off a big win in Greenville.
The talented transfer from Memphis comes in ranking third overall in the SoCon in scoring, averaging 17.9 PPG, while leading the SoCon in assists-per-game, averaging 5.4 APG. Okojie has found his way into double figures in all 14 games this season for the Bears.
The talented guard leads a Mercer offense that is the best in the SoCon so far this season, as the Bears are averaging 82.9 PPG and shoot a league-best 48.8% from the field on the season. Mercer currently ranks sixth in the SoCon in three-point field goal percentage, connecting on 32.5% from deep this season.
While Okojie has been outstanding, he's not the only part of the offensive equation for Mercer, as Armani Mighty has been among the league's top big men through the early portion of the season. He is tied for eighth in the nation in field goal percentage this season, shooting a blistering 66.6% from the field so far this season. His 29 blocks also leads the league and makes him one of the top post defenders in the SoCon, as he offers
Mighty is a physical presence and along with Connor Serven and Brady Shoulders, highlight a gritty and tough front court for the Bears.
Helping supplement Okojie in the backcourt are Zaire Williams and Quinton Perkins II. Williams is not only a threat from three-point range but is also the Bears' top perimeter defender. Williams transferred into the program from Wagner, and has been a big key to Mercer's success so far early this season.
Countering Okojie, Williams and Perkins II is ETSU's outstanding backcourt, which is headed up by Taylor II, who recorded the school's fourth triple-double early this season in what was a lopsided win over Central Arkansas, as he posted 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the 80-57 home win.
Another big part of that Bucs backcourt includes veteran point guard Allen Strothers, who enters the game ranking 10th in school history in assists, and with six assists on Saturday, will surpass former Naval Academy transfer Greg Stephens for ninth in program history.
The Bucs have maybe the best depth of any team in the league so far, but like everyone this time of year, even their rotation has been affected due to injury, with forward Brayden Crump down with an injury, and that has altered the rotation and depth the Bucs have enjoyed underneath through the early portions of the season. Another question mark for Saturday's contest will be Milton Matthews III, who hasn't played since ETSU's game at North Carolina on Dec. 16.
Underneath, the Bucs won't be quite as big as the Bears, especially with Mighty at 6-10 and active underneath, but what the Bucs do have is a nice combo of athleticism and physicality, with wings Cam Morris III, Jordan McCullum and Blake Barkley form a solid trio in the frontcourt.
Barkley is one of the steals of the portal haul in the SoCon this season, as his skillset and hard-nosed work ethic has meshed perfectly with what head coach Brooks Savage was looking for. The former Northwestern Wildcat is having an all-conference season so far, and will look to continue his strong play with the start of SoCon play.
While Mercer's offense is outstanding, the Bears will face off against the league's top defensive team, in ETSU. Entering Saturday's contest at Freedom Hall, the Bucs rank 39th in the nation in total defense.
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