The Mercer Bears will be at Greensboro Coliseum to square off against the UNC Greensboro Spartans in a Southern matchup. The game starts at 1:00 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 28 and will air on ES3.
The Spartans enter this game hoping for similar success after dismantling Citadel 92-63 on Thursday. Marvin Smith played a key role, recording his third double-double this season with 18 points and 16 rebounds. The Bears, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 91-82 loss against VMI on Thursday. Phillip Leonard had a good shooting night, leading the team with 16 points.
Diante Baldwin has been playing at a high level over the last five games for the Spartans. During that stretch, he has averaged 17.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 three-pointers.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Bears won the first game 81-67. Jestin Lewis was a top performer in the victory with 23 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals, and three three-pointers.
The Spartans are hoping to improve on their records of 13-17 Straight Up (SU) and 13-11 Against The Spread (ATS). The Spartans are one of the best in Division I in terms of three-point field goals, making 8.0 shots per game from beyond the arc.
As for their opponent, the Bears have 18-12 SU and 12-13 ATS records. Mercer is one of the better rebounding teams in Division I. The Bears average 40.2 rebounds per game, making them the 26th-best team in the country for that category. Switching gears to the Mercer defense, the Bears have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the nation at .402.
Following the Bears’ latest win over the Spartans, their SU record against UNC Greensboro moves to 3-0. The Bears also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 2-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mercer, ATS Winner – Mercer
Notes
In its last game, UNC Greensboro won by a margin of 29 points. Mercer is 5-1 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. UNC Greensboro has a 3-2 record in blowouts.
UNC Greensboro averages 68.8 possessions per game, scoring 1.065 points on each possession. While Mercer averages fewer possessions per game with 66.2, they score more points per possession with 1.103.
The Mercer Bears average an effective field goal percentage of 50.8% this season. The UNC Greensboro Spartans have a subpar record of 1-16 when opponents have an eFG% of 50.8% or greater.
UNC Greensboro attempts an average of 23.0 three pointers per game and Mercer attempts 17.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the UNC Greensboro Spartans have a losing 10-16 record while the Mercer Bears have a 4-3 record.
Mercer ranks 95th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.20. UNC Greensboro is ranked lower at 162nd with an A/TO of 1.08.
UNC Greensboro ranks 261st in offensive rebounds, while Mercer ranks 43rd in defensive rebounds.
On average, Mercer makes 5.1 steals per game. UNC Greensboro is an underachieving 6-11 when it allows at least 5 steals.
