Halftime Report

Only one more half stands between UNCG and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Mercer 48-35.

UNCG came into the matchup with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We'll see if they're able to flip the script or if it'll just be more of the same.

Who's Playing

Mercer Bears @ UNCG Spartans

Current Records: Mercer 9-10, UNCG 12-7

How To Watch

What to Know

We've got another exciting Southern matchup on schedule as the UNCG Spartans and the Mercer Bears are set to tip at 7:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday at First Horizon Coliseum. The Spartans will be looking to keep their nine-game home win streak dating back to last season alive.

Last Saturday, UNCG blew past Western Carolina, posting an 83-55 win. The over/under was set at 138.5 points, so nice work oddsmakers; you were right on the money.

UNCG's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kenyon Giles led the charge by going 6 for 11 en route to 15 points. Ronald Polite III was another key player, posting 11 points in addition to six assists.

Meanwhile, Mercer's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their fourth straight defeat. They wound up on the wrong side of a bruising 69-49 walloping at the hands of Wofford. The game marked the Bears' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Mercer struggled to work together and finished the game with only six assists. Sadly, that's becoming something of a trend for them; they were averaging 15.7 assists per game earlier this season, but in their last five matches they've fallen to only 10.6 per game.

UNCG has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a massive bump to their 12-7 record this season. As for Mercer, they now have a losing record at 9-10.

Keep an eye on the arc in Wednesday's matchup: UNCG has made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 10.2 threes per game. However, it's not like Mercer struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.8. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

Looking forward, UNCG is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by nine points. For those looking to play the spread, take note: they are a solid 4-1 against the spread when playing at home.

Odds

UNCG is a big 9-point favorite against Mercer, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 9-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is 144.5 points.

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Series History

UNCG has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Mercer.

  • Feb 24, 2024 - Mercer 86 vs. UNCG 72
  • Jan 27, 2024 - Mercer 70 vs. UNCG 64
  • Feb 02, 2023 - UNCG 69 vs. Mercer 49
  • Jan 21, 2023 - UNCG 59 vs. Mercer 48
  • Feb 13, 2022 - Mercer 73 vs. UNCG 64
  • Jan 15, 2022 - Mercer 58 vs. UNCG 49
  • Mar 08, 2021 - UNCG 69 vs. Mercer 61
  • Feb 13, 2021 - UNCG 77 vs. Mercer 74
  • Jan 27, 2021 - UNCG 81 vs. Mercer 68
  • Feb 15, 2020 - UNCG 67 vs. Mercer 55