Mercer men's basketball team picked third in Southern Conference

The Mercer men's basketball team was picked to finish third Thursday in the Southern Conference by the conference's head coaches and media members.

The top three in both polls were the same with Chattanooga picked first and Wofford second. The Bears received one first-place vote in the coaches' poll.

The complete coaches poll was Chattanooga, Wofford, Mercer, East Tennessee State, Furman, UNC Greensboro, Samford, Western Carolina, The Citadel and VMI.

The complete media poll was Chattanooga, Wofford, Mercer, East Tennessee State, Furman, Western Carolina, Samford, UNC Greensboro, The Citadel and VMI.

Mercer finished third in the conference last year in its first Southern Conference season. The Bears open their season Nov. 13 against Allen, while the 2016 Southern Conference tournament will be held March 4-7 in Asheville, North Carolina.

This story was originally published October 22, 2015 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Mercer men's basketball team picked third in Southern Conference ."