# 2015–16 Mercer Bears men's basketball team

The 2015–16 Mercer Bears men's basketball team represented Mercer University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bears, led by eighth year head coach Bob Hoffman, played their home games at Hawkins Arena on the university's Macon, Georgia campus and were second year members of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 19–15, 8–10 in SoCon play to finish in seventh place. They defeated The Citadel in the first round of the SoCon tournament to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to East Tennessee State. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they lost in the first round to Coastal Carolina.

## Murder of Jibri Bryan

Jibri Bryan, a sixth-year senior, was shot and killed on February 2, 2016. He was found with a gunshot wound to the head in the driver's seat of a Chevy Monte Carlo parked in a convenience store in Macon, Georgia. Bryan played in six games in the 2015–16 season due to a knee injury, averaging 7.8 points per game. Jarvis Clinton Miller has been charged in the murder of Bryan after attempting to flee from the crime scene. In a statement, Mercer coach Bob Hoffman said, "Jibri Bryan was a special young man who was a great contributor to our team and did everything that was asked of him.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Opponent | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season |||||
| 11/13/2015* 7:00 pm | Allen | W 96–70 | 1–0 | Hawkins Arena (3,201) Macon, GA |
| 11/16/2015* 7:00 pm | George Mason | W 69–60 | 2–0 | Hawkins Arena (2,427) Macon, GA |
| 11/19/2015* 7:00 pm | Alabama State | W 70–49 | 3–0 | Hawkins Arena (3,437) Macon, GA |
| 11/23/2015* 7:00 pm | at Davidson | L 71–77 | 3–1 | John M. Belk Arena (3,861) Davidson, NC |
| 11/26/2015* 8:00 pm, ASN | vs. Tulane Challenge in Music City | W 71–61 | 4–1 | Nashville Municipal Auditorium (350) Nashville, TN |
| 11/27/2015* 6:00 pm | vs. Appalachian State Challenge in Music City | W 71–70 | 5–1 | Nashville Municipal Auditorium Nashville, TN |
| 11/29/2015* 7:00 pm, ASN | vs. Western Michigan Challenge in Music City | W 68–65 | 6–1 | Nashville Municipal Auditorium Nashville, TN |
| 12/02/2015* 7:00 pm | Hiwassee Challenge in Music City | W 82–47 | 7–1 | Hawkins Arena (2,172) Macon, GA |
| 12/05/2015* 4:30 pm | Alcorn State | W 68–43 | 8–1 | Hawkins Arena (2,963) Macon, GA |
| 12/15/2015* 9:00 pm, SECN | at Auburn | L 71–78 | 8–2 | Auburn Arena (8,033) Auburn, AL |
| 12/19/2015* 8:00 pm | vs. Arkansas North Little Rock Showcase | W 69–66 $^{OT}$ | 9–2 | Verizon Arena (9,120) North Little Rock, AR |
| 12/22/2015* 9:00 pm, ESPNU | at Ohio State | L 44–64 | 9–3 | Value City Arena (11,460) Columbus |
| 12/30/2015* 2:00 pm | at Kennesaw State | W 76–73 | 10–3 | KSU Convocation Center (1,903) Kennesaw, GA |
| 01/02/2016 4:30 pm, ESPN3 | Samford | W 69–50 | 11–3 (1–0) | Hawkins Arena (3,715) Macon, GA |
| 01/05/2016 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | at Chattanooga | L 62–74 | 11–4 (1–1) | McKenzie Arena (3,361) Chattanooga, TN |
| 01/09/2016 1:00 pm, ESPN3 | at The Citadel | W 91–80 | 12–4 (2–1) | McAlister Field House Charleston, SC |
| 01/14/2016 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | Furman | W 69–65 | 13–4 (3–1) | Hawkins Arena (3,672) Macon, GA |
| 01/16/2016 4:30 pm, ESPN3 | Wofford | W 70–69 $^{OT}$ | 14–4 (4–1) | Hawkins Arena (4,502) Macon, GA |
| 01/21/2016 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | at East Tennessee State | L 63–65 $^{OT}$ | 14–5 (4–2) | Freedom Hall Civic Center (3,003) Johnson City, TN |
| 01/24/2016 1:00 pm | at Western Carolina Postponed from 1/23/16 | L 80–86 $^{2OT}$ | 14–6 (4–3) | Ramsey Center (1,112) Cullowhee, NC |
| 01/28/2016 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | VMI | W 73–58 | 15–6 (5–3) | Hawkins Arena (2,693) Macon, GA |
| 01/30/2016 4:30 pm, ESPN3 | UNC Greensboro | W 81–67 | 16–6 (6–3) | Hawkins Arena (4,032) Macon, GA |
| 02/01/2016 8:00 pm | at Samford | W 85–70 | 17–6 (7–3) | Pete Hanna Center (1,263) Homewood, AL |
| 02/06/2016 4:30 pm, ESPN3 | The Citadel | W 88–72 | 18–6 (8–3) | Hawkins Arena (4,772) Macon, GA |
| 02/08/2016 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | Chattanooga | L 66–72 $^{OT}$ | 18–7 (8–4) | Hawkins Arena (3,721) Macon, GA |
| 02/11/2016 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | at Wofford | L 70–79 | 18–8 (8–5) | Benjamin Johnson Arena (2,023) Spartanburg, SC |
| 02/13/2016 4:00 pm, ESPN3 | at Furman | L 74–85 | 18–9 (8–6) | Timmons Arena (2,368) Greenville, SC |
| 02/18/2016 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | Western Carolina | L 65–72 | 18–10 (8–7) | Hawkins Arena (3,627) Macon, GA |
| 02/20/2016 4:30 pm, ESPN3 | East Tennessee State | L 74–77 | 18–11 (8–8) | Hawkins Arena (3,874) Macon, GA |
| 02/25/2016 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | at VMI | L 82–91 | 18–12 (8–9) | Cameron Hall (1,194) Lexington, VA |
| 02/28/2016 1:00 pm, ESPN3 | at UNC Greensboro | L 65–69 | 18–13 (8–10) | Greensboro Coliseum (3,156) Greensboro, NC |
| SoCon tournament |||||
| 03/04/2016 7:30 pm, ESPN3 | vs. The Citadel First round | W 71–69 | 19–13 | U.S. Cellular Center (2,411) Asheville, NC |
| 03/05/2016 6:00 pm, ESPN3 | vs. East Tennessee State Quarterfinals | L 65–81 | 19–14 | U.S. Cellular Center Asheville, NC |
| CIT |||||
| 03/15/2016* 7:00 pm | at Coastal Carolina First round | L 57–65 | 19–15 | HTC Center (940) Conway, SC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||