Who's Playing

Samford @ Mercer

Current Records: Samford 10-3; Mercer 7-6

What to Know

The Mercer Bears won both of their matches against the Samford Bulldogs last season (77-70 and 87-59) and are aiming for the same result Wednesday. The Bears and Samford will face off in a Southern battle at 7 p.m. ET at Hawkins Arena. Given that these two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.

It looks like Mercer must have gotten on Santa's naughty list since the squad didn't end up with the win they were expected to receive two weeks ago. It was close but no cigar for Mercer as they fell 69-65 to the Troy Trojans. That makes it the first time this season Mercer has let down their home crowd.

Meanwhile, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 81-49, which was the final score in Samford's tilt against the Furman Paladins last Wednesday.

Mercer is the favorite in this one, with an expected 6-point margin of victory. They have failed bettors playing the spread in their past two games, so buyers beware.

The losses put the Bears at 7-6 and the Bulldogs at 10-3. Mercer is 3-2 after losses this year, Samford 2-0.

How To Watch

  • When: Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET
  • Where: Hawkins Arena -- Macon, Georgia
  • Follow: CBS Sports App

Odds

The Bears are a solid 6-point favorite against the Bulldogs, 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 6-point spread, and stayed right there.

Over/Under: -110

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Series History

Mercer have won all of the games they've played against Samford in the last eight years.

  • Mar 05, 2021 - Mercer 87 vs. Samford 59
  • Feb 10, 2021 - Mercer 77 vs. Samford 70
  • Feb 08, 2021 - Mercer 89 vs. Samford 82
  • Feb 19, 2020 - Mercer 106 vs. Samford 66
  • Jan 18, 2020 - Mercer 90 vs. Samford 75
  • Feb 21, 2019 - Mercer 65 vs. Samford 62
  • Jan 19, 2019 - Mercer 93 vs. Samford 87
  • Feb 12, 2018 - Mercer 74 vs. Samford 69
  • Jan 13, 2018 - Mercer 81 vs. Samford 50
  • Feb 27, 2017 - Mercer 88 vs. Samford 79
  • Jan 11, 2017 - Mercer 68 vs. Samford 65
  • Feb 01, 2016 - Mercer 85 vs. Samford 70
  • Jan 02, 2016 - Mercer 69 vs. Samford 50