The Furman Paladins (9-8) visit Mercer to play the Bears (12-4) in a game that has the potential to be low-scoring. The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 14 and will air on ES3.
The Bears beat Citadel 91-80 the last time they played. With 24 points and 17 rebounds, Stephon Jelks recorded his seventh double-double this season. The Paladins are coming off a 77-57 win over Samford in their last outing. Daniel Fowler played well, accumulating 12 points, four rebounds, and two steals.
Half-court execution will be at a premium as Mercer ranks 306th in the nation in possessions per game (66.5 possessions per game), while Furman is 331st (65.5).
Mercer, a seven-point favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Furman. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at 125 points. The Bears enter the game with records of 12-4 Straight Up (SU) and 7-4 Against The Spread (ATS). Mercer has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where it racks up an average of 41.9 rebounds per game. As for the Mercer defense, teams have to fight for open shots against the Bears, who have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the country at .380.
On the other side, Furman has a SU record of 9-8 and an ATS record of 4-4.
This is the first meeting of the season for Mercer and Furman. The last time they played, Furman came out on top, but Mercer still leads the head-to-head record, 5-2 SU, over their most recent matchups. However, Furman leads the matchup ATS with a record of 3-0. Neither team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers over the course of their latest five contests.
Predictions: SU Winner – Furman, ATS Winner – Furman, O/U – Over
Notes
Mercer and Furman hold winning records against the Southern Conference this season. The Mercer Bears sit at 2-1 SU and the Furman Paladins have a 3-1 record.
The Furman Paladins have a defensive rating of 94.8 (ranked 39th), while the Mercer Bears have an offensive rating of 107.8 (ranked 123rd).
The Mercer Bears average 66.5 possessions and 1.078 points per possession in games this season. The Furman Paladins average fewer possessions with 65.5, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.071.
The Furman Paladins average an effective field goal percentage of 50.5% this season. The Mercer Bears are a perfect 2-0 in games where opponents have an eFG% of 50.5% or greater.
On average, the Mercer Bears attempt 17.0 three point field goals per game and the Furman Paladins attempt 23.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 three pointers, Mercer has a winning record of 3-1, while Furman has a losing record of 5-8.
Ranked 18th in the nation, Mercer averages 41.9 rebounds per game. Furman ranks lower at 156th with 37.4 RPG.
The Furman Paladins rank 78th in offensive rebounds, and the Mercer Bears rank 11th in the nation in defensive rebounds.
On average, Furman forces a turnover rate of 22.4%. When Mercer turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 4-2 record.
