MBB: Duke vs. Mercer, NCAAT R64 (3/21, 12:15, CBS)

[dukebballcamper90-91]

Even without Kelly, we should've never lost to Lehigh. Mercer will be a tough game. I think they will come to play, I hope we do. Let's GO DUKE!

[BlueDevilBrowns]

According to NCAA.com

Game is on CBS

We haven't played an early game very often recently. Show up early for those with tickets.

Sweet! I hate those 9:45 games so much. If we are fortunate enough to advance, we can get a nice dinner, a good night's rest, and a full off-day before Sunday.

[Bluedog]

Harlan, Miller, and Len Elmore with the call. Why did we have to get Elmore?!

[Tappan Zee Devil]

i don't know if y'all noticed at the end of today's game....this team, and the coaching staff are pissed!!!!


it's good that they are angry...

agreed - I hope that we have a "no prisoners taken" attitude for the next several weeks.

[UrinalCake]

i don't know if y'all noticed at the end of today's game....this team, and the coaching staff are pissed!!!!

I'm hoping that between our loss today, the way that we lost, and the fact that we're going to spend the entire week hearing the media proclaim that we have a good chance at losing this game... that we come out with an edge on friday. There's really no reason to not be motivated for this game.

I don't know anything about Mercer but from what I've read so far on this thread, I'm hoping Amile steps up and gives us some inside scoring. I think he had a really good ACCT and needs to take it to the next level and actually expect to be a scoring option, not just an afterthought who picks up occasional buckets.

[TexHawk]

We all like Pomeroy, so by far the most likely 14/3 upset is NCCU/Iowa State, 78 vs. 23.

3 seed projections via Kenpom:
Iowa State/North Carolina Central. 76-70. 73% probability.
Duke/Mercer. 79-67. 88%.
Creighton/Louisiana Lafayette. 87-74. 87%.
Syracuse/Western Michigan. 69-59. 84%.

[Ichabod Drain]

I graduated from Mercer in 2010, still live in Macon and attend most the Bears home games. This game is a personal nightmare for me as I have longed for the Bears to make the Tourny every year since I was a freshman, and now they're playing Duke who I have been a lifelong fan of. Here's what I can tell you:

To reiterate what has been said, Mercer is a team with extreme experience/leadership (SEVEN SENIORS). That's seven seniors who have been dying for a crack at the NCAA's for four years now. We are also really deep. There are 12 guys who average nine minutes or more. Also the entire starting five are seniors.

Mercer is very disciplined on the offensive end of the court. They are not afraid to take a possession deep into the shot clock and wait for a good shot. They are smothering on the defensive end of the ball and really get their momentum there.

Here are the major players:

Langston Hall - Senior PG - Langston set the ASUN career record for assists earlier this season. He is a very talented distributor and three point shooter but isn't too much of a threat to take it directly to the hoop.

Daniel Coursey - Senior C - Daniel has a good back to the basket game. He's got the jump hook down pat if he's close to the basket. He's a very good shot blocker and post defender. I'm not sure if he's quick enough to guard Amile but Mercer does really well with help defense. I saw someone say he's listed a 6-10 220 but if i had to guess I'd say he probably closer to 6-11 235.

Jake Gollon - Senior PF - This will be Duke's biggest advantage, partly because he'll guard Jabari and partly because he can be the biggest bonehead on the court at times. He's similar to Hairston but with a slightly better shot. I loathe Jake Gollon 98% of the time. And he's a sixth year senior... that's right he was granted two red shirts.

Bud Thomes - Senior SF - Bud was Mr Basketball in Colorado in High School. He's a little streaky but at times he can be lights out from three. He's not going to kill you with anything but the three.

Anthony White JR - Senior SG - White's a very well rounded SG who has the best mid range game on the team. He's got a goos shot be he also isn't going to take it straight to the hoop usually.

Ike Nwamu - Sophomore Wing - Ike is insanely atheletic and built like a brick house. He's comparable to Semi for all purposes. He's the most slasher like player we have on the team and can throw down some monster dunks. Hi shot from long range isn't that reliable though it's been a little better as of late.

The two other Centers are the backup PG Kevin Canevari and backup C Monty Brown.

Obviously my money is on Duke but Mercer is a very well rounded well coached team who loves to play defense and get's it's momentum from there and the three point line. As with most teams they have no answer for Jabari and probably Hood as well. If we guard the three well and play to our strengths it should be a decently easy win but don't expect the Bears to concede at any point.

Also they are pumped about playing DUKE!

[BlueDevilBrowns]

agreed - I hope that we have a "no prisoners taken" attitude for the next several weeks.

Yes. This team can go as far as it wants to go. The talent is there. The skill is there. Just have to give consistent effort and 40 minutes of concentration.

I don't believe matchups are as important as our team's mindset before and during the games.


It's all about "us".

Let's do this Devils!!!

[Newton_14]

According to NCAA.com

Game is on CBS

We haven't played an early game very often recently. Show up early for those with tickets.

You can get upperlevel tickets through the NCAA website (which takes you to the NC State website if you want to skip the extra step). Tickets for the 1st Session are $66 ea. Prices on Stubhub are quite a bit higher.

[gumbomoop]

I graduated from Mercer in 2010, still live in Macon and attend most the Bears home games. This game is a personal nightmare for me as I have longed for the Bears to make the Tourny every year since I was a freshman, and now they're playing Duke who I have been a lifelong fan of. Here's what I can tell you:

To reiterate what has been said, Mercer is a team with extreme experience/leadership (SEVEN SENIORS). That's seven seniors who have been dying for a crack at the NCAA's for four years now. We are also really deep. There are 12 guys who average nine minutes or more. Also the entire starting five are seniors.

Mercer is very disciplined on the offensive end of the court. They are not afraid to take a possession deep into the shot clock and wait for a good shot. They are smothering on the defensive end of the ball and really get their momentum there.

Here are the major players:

Langston Hall - Senior PG - Langston set the ASUN career record for assists earlier this season. He is a very talented distributor and three point shooter but isn't too much of a threat to take it directly to the hoop.

Daniel Coursey - Senior C - Daniel has a good back to the basket game. He's got the jump hook down pat if he's close to the basket. He's a very good shot blocker and post defender. I'm not sure if he's quick enough to guard Amile but Mercer does really well with help defense. I saw someone say he's listed a 6-10 220 but if i had to guess I'd say he probably closer to 6-11 235.

Jake Gollon - Senior PF - This will be Duke's biggest advantage, partly because he'll guard Jabari and partly because he can be the biggest bonehead on the court at times. He's similar to Hairston but with a slightly better shot. I loathe Jake Gollon 98% of the time. And he's a sixth year senior... that's right he was granted two red shirts.

Bud Thomes - Senior SF - Bud was Mr Basketball in Colorado in High School. He's a little streaky but at times he can be lights out from three. He's not going to kill you with anything but the three.

Anthony White JR - Senior SG - White's a very well rounded SG who has the best mid range game on the team. He's got a goos shot be he also isn't going to take it straight to the hoop usually.

Ike Nwamu - Sophomore Wing - Ike is insanely atheletic and built like a brick house. He's comparable to Semi for all purposes. He's the most slasher like player we have on the team and can throw down some monster dunks. Hi shot from long range isn't that reliable though it's been a little better as of late.

The two other Centers are the backup PG Kevin Canevari and backup C Monty Brown.

Obviously my money is on Duke but Mercer is a very well rounded well coached team who loves to play defense and get's it's momentum from there and the three point line. As with most teams they have no answer for Jabari and probably Hood as well. If we guard the three well and play to our strengths it should be a decently easy win but don't expect the Bears to concede at any point.

Also they are pumped about playing DUKE!

Many thanks for detailed report. Look forward to further posts from you as game approaches. Any tidbits, or even larger thoughts and points, will be appreciated.

[tbyers11]

3 seed projections via Kenpom:
Iowa State/North Carolina Central. 76-70. 73% probability.
Duke/Mercer. 79-67. 88%.
Creighton/Louisiana Lafayette. 87-74. 87%.
Syracuse/Western Michigan. 69-59. 84%.

Duke's is a little higher because KenPom considers this a semi-home game for us. I don't know exactly how much that it is but I'd guess about 2 points or about 5%.

Still my take is that Mercer isn't really a tough draw for us by the numbers. It is about your basic 3-14 draw.

[gofurman]

if it makes anyone feel better Duke opened as a 13 point favorite.. So Vegas thinks half the money will go on either side of 13 points

Now I am sure we were about that over Lehigh too... a few more, UVA is a 20 pt fav... UNC is a 4 point fav - go Providence !

[NYBri]

I graduated from Mercer in 2010, still live in Macon and attend most the Bears home games. This game is a personal nightmare for me as I have longed for the Bears to make the Tourny every year since I was a freshman, and now they're playing Duke who I have been a lifelong fan of. Here's what I can tell you:

To reiterate what has been said, Mercer is a team with extreme experience/leadership (SEVEN SENIORS). That's seven seniors who have been dying for a crack at the NCAA's for four years now. We are also really deep. There are 12 guys who average nine minutes or more. Also the entire starting five are seniors.

Mercer is very disciplined on the offensive end of the court. They are not afraid to take a possession deep into the shot clock and wait for a good shot. They are smothering on the defensive end of the ball and really get their momentum there.

Here are the major players:

Langston Hall - Senior PG - Langston set the ASUN career record for assists earlier this season. He is a very talented distributor and three point shooter but isn't too much of a threat to take it directly to the hoop.

Daniel Coursey - Senior C - Daniel has a good back to the basket game. He's got the jump hook down pat if he's close to the basket. He's a very good shot blocker and post defender. I'm not sure if he's quick enough to guard Amile but Mercer does really well with help defense. I saw someone say he's listed a 6-10 220 but if i had to guess I'd say he probably closer to 6-11 235.

Jake Gollon - Senior PF - This will be Duke's biggest advantage, partly because he'll guard Jabari and partly because he can be the biggest bonehead on the court at times. He's similar to Hairston but with a slightly better shot. I loathe Jake Gollon 98% of the time. And he's a sixth year senior... that's right he was granted two red shirts.

Bud Thomes - Senior SF - Bud was Mr Basketball in Colorado in High School. He's a little streaky but at times he can be lights out from three. He's not going to kill you with anything but the three.

Anthony White JR - Senior SG - White's a very well rounded SG who has the best mid range game on the team. He's got a goos shot be he also isn't going to take it straight to the hoop usually.

Ike Nwamu - Sophomore Wing - Ike is insanely atheletic and built like a brick house. He's comparable to Semi for all purposes. He's the most slasher like player we have on the team and can throw down some monster dunks. Hi shot from long range isn't that reliable though it's been a little better as of late.

The two other Centers are the backup PG Kevin Canevari and backup C Monty Brown.

Obviously my money is on Duke but Mercer is a very well rounded well coached team who loves to play defense and get's it's momentum from there and the three point line. As with most teams they have no answer for Jabari and probably Hood as well. If we guard the three well and play to our strengths it should be a decently easy win but don't expect the Bears to concede at any point.

Also they are pumped about playing DUKE!

Totally fine analysis.

Jabari will not let us lose to Mercer. Take that to the bank.

[gofurman]

We all like Pomeroy, so by far the most likely 14/3 upset is NCCU/Iowa State, 78 vs. 23.

NCCU beat NC State - they are no joke !

[Newton_14]

NCCU beat NC State - they are no joke !

Central is a solid team and well coached. Unless they are star struck by the first time ever appearance, I expect them to challenge hard for 40 minutes and have an outside chance of winning. I hope they pull it off. that would be cool.

[gofurman]

This is a bit ironic--arguing that Duke should drive less and shoot more threes? But I agree completely with you.

That is ironic. I like the way th team is driving more and playing inside a lil better -esp Jabari !!! (And amile too, nice that he is doing more than just put backs sometimes, that's a big help if he gets 10 pts )

I like strong inside play. We need it

Go duke

[ice-9]

We all like Pomeroy, so by far the most likely 14/3 upset is NCCU/Iowa State, 78 vs. 23.

Nice!!! I actually have this in my bracket!

[ice-9]

I graduated from Mercer in 2010, still live in Macon and attend most the Bears home games. This game is a personal nightmare for me as I have longed for the Bears to make the Tourny every year since I was a freshman, and now they're playing Duke who I have been a lifelong fan of. Here's what I can tell you:

To reiterate what has been said, Mercer is a team with extreme experience/leadership (SEVEN SENIORS). That's seven seniors who have been dying for a crack at the NCAA's for four years now. We are also really deep. There are 12 guys who average nine minutes or more. Also the entire starting five are seniors.

Mercer is very disciplined on the offensive end of the court. They are not afraid to take a possession deep into the shot clock and wait for a good shot. They are smothering on the defensive end of the ball and really get their momentum there.

Here are the major players:

Langston Hall - Senior PG - Langston set the ASUN career record for assists earlier this season. He is a very talented distributor and three point shooter but isn't too much of a threat to take it directly to the hoop.

Daniel Coursey - Senior C - Daniel has a good back to the basket game. He's got the jump hook down pat if he's close to the basket. He's a very good shot blocker and post defender. I'm not sure if he's quick enough to guard Amile but Mercer does really well with help defense. I saw someone say he's listed a 6-10 220 but if i had to guess I'd say he probably closer to 6-11 235.

Jake Gollon - Senior PF - This will be Duke's biggest advantage, partly because he'll guard Jabari and partly because he can be the biggest bonehead on the court at times. He's similar to Hairston but with a slightly better shot. I loathe Jake Gollon 98% of the time. And he's a sixth year senior... that's right he was granted two red shirts.

Bud Thomes - Senior SF - Bud was Mr Basketball in Colorado in High School. He's a little streaky but at times he can be lights out from three. He's not going to kill you with anything but the three.

Anthony White JR - Senior SG - White's a very well rounded SG who has the best mid range game on the team. He's got a goos shot be he also isn't going to take it straight to the hoop usually.

Ike Nwamu - Sophomore Wing - Ike is insanely atheletic and built like a brick house. He's comparable to Semi for all purposes. He's the most slasher like player we have on the team and can throw down some monster dunks. Hi shot from long range isn't that reliable though it's been a little better as of late.

The two other Centers are the backup PG Kevin Canevari and backup C Monty Brown.

Obviously my money is on Duke but Mercer is a very well rounded well coached team who loves to play defense and get's it's momentum from there and the three point line. As with most teams they have no answer for Jabari and probably Hood as well. If we guard the three well and play to our strengths it should be a decently easy win but don't expect the Bears to concede at any point.

Also they are pumped about playing DUKE!

Great, thanks for this! Sounds like we'd match up pretty well.

[Troublemaker]

I graduated from Mercer in 2010, still live in Macon and attend most the Bears home games. This game is a personal nightmare for me as I have longed for the Bears to make the Tourny every year since I was a freshman, and now they're playing Duke who I have been a lifelong fan of. Here's what I can tell you:

Thanks, Ichabod!

Your scouting report dovetails nicely with their statistical profile -- a team that shoots threes but doesn't draw fouls.

I don't like the fact that Mercer starts 5 seniors, but overall, they don't appear to be a bad matchup for Duke.

[jmck214]

I graduated from Mercer in 2010, still live in Macon and attend most the Bears home games. This game is a personal nightmare for me as I have longed for the Bears to make the Tourny every year since I was a freshman, and now they're playing Duke who I have been a lifelong fan of. Here's what I can tell you:

To reiterate what has been said, Mercer is a team with extreme experience/leadership (SEVEN SENIORS). That's seven seniors who have been dying for a crack at the NCAA's for four years now. We are also really deep. There are 12 guys who average nine minutes or more. Also the entire starting five are seniors.

Mercer is very disciplined on the offensive end of the court. They are not afraid to take a possession deep into the shot clock and wait for a good shot. They are smothering on the defensive end of the ball and really get their momentum there.

Here are the major players:

Langston Hall - Senior PG - Langston set the ASUN career record for assists earlier this season. He is a very talented distributor and three point shooter but isn't too much of a threat to take it directly to the hoop.

Daniel Coursey - Senior C - Daniel has a good back to the basket game. He's got the jump hook down pat if he's close to the basket. He's a very good shot blocker and post defender. I'm not sure if he's quick enough to guard Amile but Mercer does really well with help defense. I saw someone say he's listed a 6-10 220 but if i had to guess I'd say he probably closer to 6-11 235.

Jake Gollon - Senior PF - This will be Duke's biggest advantage, partly because he'll guard Jabari and partly because he can be the biggest bonehead on the court at times. He's similar to Hairston but with a slightly better shot. I loathe Jake Gollon 98% of the time. And he's a sixth year senior... that's right he was granted two red shirts.

Bud Thomes - Senior SF - Bud was Mr Basketball in Colorado in High School. He's a little streaky but at times he can be lights out from three. He's not going to kill you with anything but the three.

Anthony White JR - Senior SG - White's a very well rounded SG who has the best mid range game on the team. He's got a goos shot be he also isn't going to take it straight to the hoop usually.

Ike Nwamu - Sophomore Wing - Ike is insanely atheletic and built like a brick house. He's comparable to Semi for all purposes. He's the most slasher like player we have on the team and can throw down some monster dunks. Hi shot from long range isn't that reliable though it's been a little better as of late.

The two other Centers are the backup PG Kevin Canevari and backup C Monty Brown.

Obviously my money is on Duke but Mercer is a very well rounded well coached team who loves to play defense and get's it's momentum from there and the three point line. As with most teams they have no answer for Jabari and probably Hood as well. If we guard the three well and play to our strengths it should be a decently easy win but don't expect the Bears to concede at any point.

Also they are pumped about playing DUKE!

I know what you are going through. I am a Rhode Island graduate and my only trip to Cameron was the 2008 November game between URI and Duke. I figured Duke would run away with the victory but the game was a lot closer than I thought and URI actually had a lead with under two minutes to go. I was rooting for Duke but I felt kind of guilty going against my alma mater and URI ended up being on the wrong side of the bubble that year so it's safe to say a win at Duke would have gotten them in.