# 2024–25 Mercer Bears men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Mercer Bears men's basketball team represented Mercer University in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bears, led by first-year head coach Ryan Ridder, played their home games at Hawkins Arena in Macon, Georgia as a member of the Southern Conference.

## Previous season

The Bears finished the 2023–24 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.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| November 7, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Virginia–Lynchburg | W 125–54 | 1–0 | Hawkins Arena (2,053) Macon, GA |
| November 11, 2024* 9:00 p.m., FS2 | | at DePaul | L 64–95 | 1–1 | Wintrust Arena (2,913) Chicago, IL |
| November 13, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Trinity Baptist | W 101–43 | 2–1 | Hawkins Arena (1,219) Macon, GA |
| November 16, 2024* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at South Alabama | L 66–75 | 2–2 | Mitchell Center (1,652) Mobile, AL |
| November 21, 2024* 7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | at South Carolina Fort Myers Tip-Off campus game | L 72–84 | 2–3 | Colonial Life Arena (11,054) Columbia, SC |
| November 25, 2024* 1:30 p.m., PTB Live | | vs. Jacksonville Fort Myers Tip-Off Palms Semifinals | W 90–89 $^{OT}$ | 3–3 | Suncoast Credit Union Arena (592) Fort Myers, FL |
| November 26, 2024* 1:30 p.m., PTB Live | | vs. Miami (OH) Fort Myers Tip-Off Palms Championship | L 72–75 | 3–4 | Suncoast Credit Union Arena (610) Fort Myers, FL |
| December 4, 2024* 11:00 a.m., ESPN+ | | West Georgia | W 86–72 | 4–4 | Hawkins Arena (1,309) Macon, GA |
| December 8, 2024* 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Stetson | W 89–83 $^{OT}$ | 5–4 | Edmunds Center (650) DeLand, FL |
| December 15, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Chicago State | W 75–63 | 6–4 | Hawkins Arena (812) Macon, GA |
| December 18, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Queens | L 66–73 | 6–5 | Curry Arena (512) Charlotte, NC |
| December 21, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Winthrop | L 97–102 | 6–6 | Winthrop Coliseum (1,587) Rock Hill, SC |
| December 28, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Georgia State | W 71–68 | 7–6 | GSU Convocation Center (1,710) Atlanta, GA |
| SoCon regular season ||||||
| January 1, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Chattanooga | W 99–94 $^{OT}$ | 8–6 (1–0) | Hawkins Arena (1,007) Macon, GA |
| January 4, 2025 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at VMI | W 70–67 | 9–6 (2–0) | Cameron Hall (536) Lexington, VA |
| January 8, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | East Tennessee State | L 68–70 | 9–7 (2–1) | Hawkins Arena (2,217) Macon, GA |
| January 12, 2025 3:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Western Carolina | L 82–85 | 9–8 (2–2) | Ramsey Center (1,420) Cullowhee, NC |
| January 15, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Samford | L 74–75 | 9–9 (2–3) | Hawkins Arena (2,219) Macon, GA |
| January 18, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Wofford | L 49–69 | 9–10 (2–4) | Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (1,925) Spartanburg, SC |
| January 22, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at UNC Greensboro | W 79–78 | 10–10 (3–4) | First Horizon Coliseum (807) Greensboro, NC |
| January 25, 2025 4:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Furman | L 74–79 | 10–11 (3–5) | Hawkins Arena (3,272) Macon, GA |
| January 29, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | The Citadel | W 80–46 | 11–11 (4–5) | Hawkins Arena (2,752) Macon, GA |
| February 1, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Chattanooga | L 84–93 | 11–12 (4–6) | McKenzie Arena (3,551) Chattanooga, TN |
| February 5, 2025 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Samford | L 79–100 | 11–13 (4–7) | Pete Hanna Center (1,284) Homewood, AL |
| February 8, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Wofford | L 66–77 | 11–14 (4–8) | Hawkins Arena Macon, GA |
| February 12, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Furman | L 72–96 | 11–15 (4–9) | Timmons Arena (1,987) Greenville, SC |
| February 15, 2025 4:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | VMI | L 71–80 | 11–16 (4–10) | Hawkins Arena (2,261) Macon, GA |
| February 19, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at The Citadel | W 62–52 | 12–16 (5–10) | McAlister Field House (1,443) Charleston, SC |
| February 22, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | UNC Greensboro | L 61–78 | 12–17 (5–11) | Hawkins Arena (2,129) Macon, GA |
| February 26, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at East Tennessee State | L 58–59 | 12–18 (5–12) | Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, TN |
| March 1, 2025 4:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Western Carolina | W 81–69 | 13–18 (6–12) | Hawkins Arena (1,975) Macon, GA |
| SoCon tournament ||||||
| March 7, 2025 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (8) | vs. (9) Western Carolina First round | W 67–66 | 14–18 | Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville, NC |
| March 8, 2025 12:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (8) | vs. (1) Chattanooga Quarterfinals | L 61–76 | 14–19 | Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. ||||||
Sources: