# 2023–24 Mercer Bears men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Mercer Bears men's basketball team represented Mercer University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bears, led by fifth-year head coach Greg Gary, played their home games at Hawkins Arena in Macon, Georgia as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon). The Bears finished the season 16–17, 8–10 in SoCon play, to finish in eighth place. They defeated The Citadel in the first round of the SoCon tournament, before losing to Samford in the quarterfinals. Following the conclusion of the season, head coach Greg Gary and the school parted ways.

## Previous season

The Bears finished the 2022–23 season 14–19, 6–12 in SoCon play, to finish in eighth place. They defeated The Citadel in the first round of the SoCon tournament, before losing to Furman in the quarterfinals.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| November 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Clark Atlanta | L 64–71 | 0–1 | Hawkins Arena (1,272) Macon, GA |
| November 9, 2023* 8:00 p.m. | | at Chicago State | W 66–61 | 1–1 | Jones Convocation Center (233) Chicago, IL |
| November 14, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Morehead State | L 66–74 | 1–2 | Ellis Johnson Arena (1,455) Morehead, KY |
| November 17, 2023* 8:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | at No. 22 Alabama Emerald Coast Classic campus-site game | L 67–98 | 1–3 | Coleman Coliseum (10,300) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| November 24, 2023* 12:00 p.m. | | vs. Tennessee State Emerald Coast Classic semifinals | W 60–59 | 2–3 | The Arena at NFSC (100) Niceville, FL |
| November 25, 2023* 1:30 p.m. | | vs. Western Michigan Emerald Coast Classic championship | L 66–72 | 2–4 | The Arena at NFSC (150) Niceville, FL |
| December 1, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | at Georgia | L 69–80 | 2–5 | Stegeman Coliseum (5,694) Athens, GA |
| December 6, 2023* 11:00 a.m., ESPN+ | | South Alabama | L 62–83 | 2–6 | Hawkins Arena (3,207) Macon, GA |
| December 9, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Georgia State | W 64–60 | 3–6 | Hawkins Arena (1,527) Macon, GA |
| December 16, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Florida Gulf Coast | W 70–65 | 4–6 | Hawkins Arena (1,009) Macon, GA |
| December 19, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Queens | W 84–65 | 5–6 | Hawkins Arena (839) Macon, GA |
| December 21, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Thomas | W 98–75 | 6–6 | Hawkins Arena (437) Macon, GA |
| December 29, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Talladega | W 74–50 | 7–6 | Hawkins Arena (1,257) Macon, GA |
| SoCon regular season ||||||
| January 3, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at East Tennessee State | L 69–80 | 7–7 (0–1) | Freedom Hall Civic Center (3,529) Johnson City, TN |
| January 6, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at VMI | W 86–64 | 8–7 (1–1) | Cameron Hall (322) Lexington, VA |
| January 10, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Wofford | L 73–74 | 8–8 (1–2) | Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (1,150) Spartanburg, SC |
| January 13, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Western Carolina | L 52–64 | 8–9 (1–3) | Hawkins Arena (3,227) Macon, GA |
| January 17, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Chattanooga | L 60–74 | 8–10 (1–4) | Hawkins Arena (1,872) Macon, GA |
| January 20, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Samford | L 80–87 | 8–11 (1–5) | Pete Hanna Center (2,516) Homewood, AL |
| January 24, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at The Citadel | L 66–68 | 8–12 (1–6) | McAlister Field House (1,283) Charleston, SC |
| January 27, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at UNC Greensboro | W 70–64 | 9–12 (2–6) | Greensboro Coliseum (1,686) Greensboro, NC |
| January 31, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | East Tennessee State | L 49–54 | 9–13 (2–7) | Hawkins Arena (2,163) Macon, GA |
| February 3, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | VMI | W 90–69 | 10–13 (3–7) | Hawkins Arena (2,438) Macon, GA |
| February 7, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Furman | W 78–69 | 11–13 (4–7) | Hawkins Arena (1,989) Macon, GA |
| February 10, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at West Carolina | L 46–79 | 11–14 (4–8) | Ramsey Center (2,588) Cullowhee, NC |
| February 14, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Wofford | L 60–73 | 11–15 (4–9) | Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (1,762) Spartanburg, SC |
| February 17, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Samford | W 88–84 | 12–15 (5–9) | Hawkins Arena (2,901) Macon, GA |
| February 21, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | The Citadel | W 87–78 | 13–15 (6–9) | Hawkins Arena (1,514) Macon, GA |
| February 24, 2024 4:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | UNC Greensboro | W 86–72 | 14–15 (7–9) | Hawkins Arena (2,772) Macon, GA |
| February 28, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Chattanooga | L 75–84 | 14–16 (7–10) | McKenzie Arena (3,054) Chattanooga, TN |
| March 2, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Furman | W 82–75 | 15–16 (8–10) | Timmons Arena (2,457) Greenville, SC |
| SoCon tournament ||||||
| March 8, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (8) | vs. (9) The Citadel First round | W 84–76 | 16–16 | Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville, NC |
| March 9, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (8) | vs. (1) Samford Quarterfinals | L 57–70 | 16–17 | Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. ||||||
Sources: