JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Jan. 2, 2026) - It will take exactly three days and one game into 2026 for ETSU to play a pivotal conference matchup.
The ETSU men's basketball team welcomes the Mercer Bears on Saturday in a pivotal early SoCon clash. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at Freedom Hall.
MATCHUP: ETSU (9-5, 1-0) vs. Mercer (8-6, 0-1)
DATE: January 3, 2026, 4:00pm
VENUE: Freedom Hall Civic Center (Johnson City, Tenn.)
TV: ESPN+ (
Keith Brake, Bruce Tranbarger)
RADIO: WXSM-AM 640 (
Jay Sandos)
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast
TICKETS: ETSUTickets.com
GAME SPONSOR: Garza Law Firm
The Bucs got back to basics on Tuesday with a 74-49 win over The Citadel in Charleston, snapping a three-game losing streak in their first game back from the holiday break. Four Bucs scored in double figures led by
Blake Barkley with 17. The 49 points allowed is a season-low for the SoCon's top-ranked defense and the 39th-ranked defense in the country.
Allen Strothers enters Saturday's game 10th in school history in assists, needing six to tie Greg Stephens for ninth-most as a Buccaneer.
Mercer dropped their SoCon opener at Furman on New Year's Eve, 74-72. The Bears have defied expectations after being picked eighth in the SoCon preseason poll and boasted one of the league's best records entering SoCon play. They are the top scoring offense and rebounding team in the SoCon and also capitalize in transition with 17.07 fast break points per game, the 29th most in the country. A corps of quick guards is complemented by 6'10" junior Amani Mighty, who ranks in the top 30 in the country in both rebounds per game (9.3) and total blocked shots (29) while contributing 12.9 points per game.
In 43 prior meetings with Mercer, ETSU has a clear upper hand with a 30-13 series lead. They swept the season series in 2024-25, including a dramatic 59-58 win in the home finale last season where
Quimari Peterson hit the game-winning three with 51 seconds left and the Bucs' defense held on for the win.
For more information on ETSU men's basketball, go to ETSUBucs.com.
