Mercer eager to take on big-name competition

Mercer will get a respite from the rigors of competition during a break for final exams.

But the Bears (8-1) will dive head-first into one of their most challenging stretches of the season after that. They will play four times on the road, including a trio of contests against Power Five teams -- at Auburn on Dec. 15, at Arkansas on Dec. 19 and at Ohio State on Dec. 22.

The away-from-home stretch wraps up Dec. 30 at Kennesaw State, leading into Mercer's Jan. 2 Southern Conference opener against Samford.

"We look forward to it. We've been thinking about this all year, these are the big three games that we want to play this year," sophomore forward Stephon Jelks said.

"I feel like if we just keep just playing together and bring the energy, we can beat all three (of them)."

Mercer will aim to replicate its recent performance that has powered the Bears to an 8-1 start, besting the mark set in the 1984-85 season. Three Mercer players have given the Bears a balanced look offensively, with senior guards Phillip Leonard, Jestin Lewis and Jelks each averaging at least 10 points per game.

Auburn is 4-1, with its only loss coming to Colorado, under second-year head coach Bruce Pearl. Arkansas is 3-4 with losses to Georgia Tech, Stanford and Wake Forest.

Ohio State (3-4) recently snapped a four-game losing streak by beating VMI.

Regardless of records or history, the Bears relish to chance to compete not only in the spotlight, but in rabid arenas of competition, as well.

Winning in the home arenas of power conferences is not foreign to Mercer. Two years ago, the Bears won at Mississippi and toppled Florida State the year before in Tallahassee.

"I love it, myself. We've been blessed to win some of those and be in a lot of those games. I think our guys will relish the opportunity to be in that environment," Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman said. "I believe our guys are good enough to win at anywhere, any time and at any place. We'll have to play at a high level to beat some really good teams."

And like many other games during a season, Mercer is taking the "one game at a time" approach. And with Auburn being on the scheduling docket next, the sole focus is on the Tigers.

"We're very focused on one game at a time, so right now, we're preparing for Auburn and take it one game a time," senior guard Jibri Bryan said. "We're excited for the chance and are excited for the opportunity."

And when it comes time for Mercer to take on Auburn in an arena that was been energized by the hiring of Pearl, the Bears have a pretty good idea of what to expect and what to focus in on between now and then.

"We know we're going to get pressed once we walk in the door at Auburn and at Arkansas. Hopefully we can get some transition baskets and get to the free-throw line a little bit," Hoffman said. "We'll have to get better taking care of the ball. We'll have to jump-stop and not run over people as much as we have in the last couple of games. There will be transition baskets. If you can get in the lane and 2-foot stop and find others, you can get some easy layups."

MERCER MOVES UP MID-MAJOR RANKINGS

After winning five straight, Mercer rose to No. 20 on Monday in the CollegeInsider.com mid-major poll.

Mercer's spot in the poll marks the second week the Bears have been in the rankings this season after making their debut at No. 24 last week.

The mid-major poll is made up of teams from the America East, A-Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Great West, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt and West Coast conferences.

This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 9:24 PM with the headline "Mercer eager to take on big-name competition ."