Furman (10-3, 0-0) vs. Mercer (5-6, 0-0)
Hawkins Arena, Macon, Georgia; Friday, 7:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Furman looks for its ninth straight win in the head-to-head series over Mercer. Furman has won by an average of 8 points in its last eight wins over the Bears. Mercer's last win in the series came on Jan. 14, 2016, a 69-65 win.
PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE: Both of these teams have relied heavily on their seniors this year. Ethan Stair, Djordje Dimitrijevic and James Glisson III have collectively accounted for 59 percent of Mercer's scoring this season. For Furman, Clay Mounce, Noah Gurley and Jordan Lyons have scored 56 percent of the team's points this season, including 60 percent of all Paladins points over their last five.MIGHTY MOUNCE: Mounce has connected on 43.9 percent of the 66 3-pointers he's attempted and has made 8 of 23 over the last five games. He's also converted 62.5 percent of his foul shots this season.
WINNING WHEN: Furman is a perfect 7-0 when it holds an opponent to 63 points or fewer. The Paladins are 3-3 when opponents score more than 63.
ASSIST-TO-FG RATIO: The Paladins have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Bears. Mercer has 42 assists on 73 field goals (57.5 percent) over its past three games while Furman has assists on 56 of 91 field goals (61.5 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The Furman offense has recorded a turnover on only 15.9 percent of its possessions, which is the 14th-best rate in the nation. The Mercer defense has forced opposing teams to turn the ball over on just 18.2 percent of all possessions (ranked 279th among Division I teams).
