The Mercer Bears play the Duke Blue Devils on Friday in the 2014 NCAA Tournament round of 64. Tipoff is at 12:15 p.m. ET. Listen to the live radio broadcast or watch the live stream via the links provided below.
Third-seeded Duke hasn't lived up to the lofty expectations cast on them. They didn't win the ACC regular season championship, and a 72-63 loss to Virginia on Sunday kept them from winning the ACC Tournament championship.
Although expectations are always high for the Duke program under coach Mike Krzyzewski, many expected a stronger season with freshman star Jabari Parker, who leads the Blue Devils in scoring (19.3 ppg) and rebounding (8.8).
Parker could be a top three pick in the 2014 NBA draft, but the All-American hasn't announced whether he would declare for the upcoming draft. Still, it sounded ominous when Parker told the Associated Press, "This may be the last time we might play together with the guys on the team."
14th-seeded Mercer, meanwhile, is making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1985 and just their third appearance ever, according to the Associated Press. The Bearcats enter Friday's contest with four straight wins under their belt, including a 68-60 win against Florida Gulf Coast.
While Mercer doesn't have big-name players like other schools, they believe having a core group who's played together for multiple seasons gives them an advantage.
"Obviously, most of the mid majors aren't going to get too many top-50 recruits that are just planning on going to the NBA after one year, so I think that's a big benefit to us," guard Bud Thomas said.
The Bearcats are led by senior guard Langston Hall, who's averaging a team-high 14.7 points per game.
Listen to the live radio broadcast HERE, or watch the live stream HERE.
