Stony Brook, N.Y. - Game #35: Stony Brook (23-11) vs. Mercer(18-15)

Wed., Mar. 18 • HawkinsArena(3,200) • Macon, Ga. • 7:00 p.m. ET

LINKS: WATCH |STATS|LISTEN

NOTES: STONY BROOK |MERCER

Stony Brook Seawolves (23-11)
Head Coach: Steve Pikiell, 10th season
Career Record: 171-166
Record at SBU:166-148

Mercer Bears (18-15)
Head Coach: Bob Hoffman, seventh season
Career Record: 454-253
Record at MU: 144-97

Tipoff:The Stony Brook men's basketball team willtravel to face Mercer in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational Wednesday. The winner gets either Eastern Michigan or Louisiana-Monroe on Monday. Wednesday's game will be shown live on ESPN3.

Last Time Out: Despite a combined 43 points from juniors Carson Puriefoy (Wenonah, N.J.) and Jameel Warney (Plainfield, N.J.), the Seawolves fell to Albany, 51-50, in the championship game of the America East Playoffs. Puriefoy accounted for his seventh 20-point game of the season with 23 points and Warney posted his nation-leading 23rd double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds.

Opponent:Mercer, which beat Duke last year in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, also returns to the postseason for the fourth straight year. In their first year in the Southern Conference, the Bears advanced to the semifinals before losing to tournament runner-up Furman, 52-49. Ike Nwamu leads Mercer in scoring at 14.7 points per game.

Series:Wednesday's game will be the first against Mercer as well as a school from the Southern Conference. Interestingly, Stony Brook has competed in the Mercer Tournament. During the 1971-72 season, the Seawolves, known as the Patriots at the time, played Georgia Southern and Texas Wesleyan.