Mercer hoops focused on ‘margins’ after close SoCon losses

The Mercer men’s basketball team kicked off its Southern Conference schedule with two losses last week — but things could have looked a lot different if not for a few bad bounces.

The most obvious example came when the Bears had the chance for a game-tying bucket Dec. 31 against Furman, but star point guard Baraka Okojie couldn’t knock it down as Mercer failed to knock off the Paladins.

Granted, that’s one moment head coach Ryan Ridder actually wouldn’t go back and change.

“Whenever you get your best player taking the shot to tie the game, I think we’d all sign up for that,” Ridder said.

No, it was the little things — the errors in what Ridder called “the margins,” the offensive cogs that stopped turning for just long enough to doom the Bears to a pair of losses — that the head coach focused on when he spoke with the media Monday afternoon.

“We have a good, composed group. I was a little surprised down the stretch of that (Furman) game that we weren’t as composed… in terms of some of those uncharacteristic turnovers,” Ridder said. “In transition they kicked our butts. We put them on the free throw line, bailed out shooters and then didn’t have enough toughness down the stretch to rebound the ball.”

The Bears improved on that in their next game against East Tennessee State on Jan. 3 but had other small problems that ultimately led to a 77-71 loss that was an even closer game until the final few minutes.

“We’re up with five minutes to go (against ETSU) and they come up with a 50/50 ball, and then we just had some uncharacteristic offensive lulls,” Ridder said. “It just kind of unraveled in the last five minutes.”

The two losses, however close, dropped Mercer to 8-7 on the year and put the Bears in a hole in the standings to start SoCon play. 

The defeats were reminiscent of some of Mercer’s conference woes last season, when it lost several close games to SoCon opponents across a year that Ridder once referred to as a “what-if” type of season.

After two close ones to start SoCon play this time around, Ridder doesn’t think his team’s record is fooling anyone.

“If you take the week and summarize it, we’ve got a really good basketball team,” he said.“The record would say 0-2, but I think you’re a possession or two away from feeling a lot different. That’s kind of the message to these guys this week, is it’s not time to hit the panic button.”

But the head coach hasn’t had to worry much about his team panicking, he said. The group — which is made up of several transfers but still tight-knit, he noted — is a resilient and confident one.

“Right now we’re just a connected group. We’re 0-2, but I think if you were in our locker room you wouldn’t feel that way. You come in practice, you won’t feel that way,” Ridder said. “We’re a fun group. Come watch us play.”

The stats back him up, at least as far as the team’s talent goes. 

Mercer is No. 146 in the NET, one of NCAA basketball’s most revered rankings. Only ETSU ranks higher at No. 124. The Bears have played three teams in the Top 35 of the NET and kept it close with one of them. Okojie is averaging 17.7 points per game, good for third-most in the conference. Other players like Armani Mighty and Brady Shoulders are contributing.

“I don’t want to minimize what Brady Shoulders has done. He’s one of the most winning basketball players I’ve ever been around,” Ridder said of his sophomore team captain. “I’m not sure that we’ve ever said, ‘Man, Brady disappointed us.’ I mean, he does everything right.”

For all the statistical and emotional silver linings, though, an 0-2 start is still a hurdle for Mercer. Ridder named several areas the Bears have to improve in to bounce back, including turnovers, hustling up and down the floor and offensive mindset.

Mercer plays its first home SoCon game against The Citadel on Wednesday before another home tilt Saturday afternoon against Wofford.