Mercer Bears men's basketball

Mercer Bears
Mercer Bears
	2024–25 Mercer Bears men's basketball team
University	Mercer University
Head coach	Ryan Ridder (1st season)
Conference	SoCon
Location	Macon, Georgia
Arena	Hawkins Arena ; (capacity: 3,500)
Nickname	Bears
Student section	Mercer Maniacs
Colors	Black and orange;
NCAA tournament round of 32
	1972*, 2014
NCAA tournament appearances
	1972, 1981, 1985, 2014; at Division II level
Conference tournament champions
	SIAA: 1922, 1924, 1925; TAAC/A-Sun: 1981, 1985, 2014
Conference regular season champions
	TAAC/A-Sun: 2003, 2013, 2014

The Mercer Bears men's basketball team represents Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, United States. The school's team competes in the Southern Conference. They are led by head coach Ryan Ridder and play their home games at Hawkins Arena.

History

Mercer has competed in the NCAA tournament three times, including 1981 and 1985; the team lost in the first round in both years.^[2] The Bears won the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, defeating Utah State in the championship game; the victory was the first postseason championship won by a team from the Atlantic Sun Conference.^[3]

Mercer's biggest win occurred at the 2014 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, where they beat third-seed Duke in the second round.

Postseason

NCAA Division I tournament results

The Bears have appeared in three NCAA Division I Tournaments. Their combined record is 1–3. Their latest appearance was the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1981	First round	Arkansas	L 67–73
1985	First round	Georgia Tech	L 58–65
2014	Second Round Third round	Duke Tennessee	W 78–71 L 63–83

NCAA Division II tournament results

The Bears have appeared in one NCAA Division II tournament. Their record is 0–2.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1972	Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game	Roanoke Florida Southern	L 72–78 L 83–85

NIT results

The Bears have appeared in one National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Their record is 1–1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2013	First round Second Round	Tennessee BYU	W 75–67 L 71–90

CBI results

The Bears have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) two times. Their combined record is 2–2.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2015	First round Quarterfinals	Stony Brook Louisiana–Monroe	W 72–70 L 69–71
2018	First round Quarterfinals	Grand Canyon North Texas	W 78–73 L 67–96

CIT results

The Bears have appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) two times. They are 5–1 and were champions in 2012.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2012	First round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals	Tennessee State Georgia State Old Dominion Fairfield Utah State	W 68–60 W 64–59 W 79–73 W 64–59 W 70–67
2016	First round	Coastal Carolina	L 57–65

NAIA Tournament results

The Bears have appeared in two NAIA Tournaments. Their combined record is 0–2.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1948	First round	Hamline	L 41–85
1954	First round	Arkansas Tech	L 72–100

NIBT results

The Bears participated in the 1922 National Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament, the first national championship tournament ever held in intercollegiate basketball. Their record is 0–1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1922	Semifinals	Wabash	L 25–62

Players

Retired numbers

Mercer has retired six numbers in program history.^[4]

No.	Player	Years
Mercer Bears retired numbers
4	Scott Emerson	1999–2004
7	Tommy Mixon	1951–1955
13	Glenn Wilkes	1946–1950
21	Langston Hall	2010–2014
24	Eric Chambers	1983–1985
42	Sam Mitchell	1981–1985