Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina men's basketball begins its pursuit of the 2025 Southern Conference Championship on Friday night with an opening-round matchup against No. 8 seed Mercer from the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville. Friday's regular-season finale rematch with the Bears is slated for a 5 p.m. tip-off.
FOR TICKETS CONTACT TICKET OFFICE at 828-227-2401 or see WCU Staff at Bier Garden Pregame
Friday's game will be televised on the NexStar network of affiliates (check local listings) and simulcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required). Each game WCU plays in Asheville will also be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network, with live audio available online at CatamountSports.com beginning 30 minutes before the announced tip-off time. Fans can also listen to the game locally in Sylva on 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC "The River."
Fans can also follow the game with live stats through StatBroadcast, which is available through a link at CatamountSports.com.
Matchup: No. 9 Western Carolina (8-21, 4-14 SoCon) vs No. 8 Mercer (13-18, 6-12 SoCon)
Date: Friday, Mar. 7
Time: 5 p.m.
Site: Harrah's Cherokee Center (Asheville, N.C.)
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Live Video: ESPN+ (paid subscription required) & Nexstar Networks
Live Audio: Catamount Sports Network
Radio: 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC "The River" (wrgc.com)
Twitter: @CatamountMBB
Catamount Central Pregame RSVP
About Western Carolina:
The Catamounts concluded the 2024-25 regular season last Saturday against Mercer, suffering an 81-69 defeat as senior Bernard Pelote led the way with 17 points as one of three in double figures for WCU. Pelote connected on six field goals, including three from beyond the arc, as redshirt sophomore Marcus Kell continued his torrid pace over the final month of SoCon play with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Classmate Cord Stansberry added 12 points with a pair of threes.
Kell comes into tournament play on a red-hot streak of double figures in the last 11 games as he's averaging 18.8 in the 11-game stretch to rank second in the league in that stretch of action. He's also fourth in rebounding in that timeframe at 8.4 boards per game, one of eight players in the league to have multiple double-doubles over the closing stretch of action. A Rock Hill, S.C. product, Kell has netted two of the final four SoCon Player of the Week awards.
During the year, Kell ranked second on the WCU squad in league play with a 14.7 point per game average and reached double figures 13 times. He is also second on the team with 6.1 rebounds per contest. In league play, Kell shoots at a 46.1 % (83-of-180) clip, including 38.8% (33-of-85) from 3-point range in SoCon action.
Senior Bernard Pelote begins the tournament, finishing the regular season sixth in the league in scoring during conference games at 16.3 points per game. The Savannah, Ga., product also tied for second in the league in conference games with 6.1 field goals per game. His 7.4 rebounds per game is third in conference play, and he's also tied for eighth in league play with 45 made threes and tops in defensive rebounds with 107 while checking in third overall with 133 boards.
Western Carolina ranks third in the league in rebounds with 38.5 per game over the regular season, as the Catamounts have boarded a league-high 28 defensive rebounds per contest, which ranks among the national leaders. WCU sits just 0.9 rebounds behind Mercer, Friday's opponent, for the top spot in the league. WCU also ranks third in the league in free-throw percentage at 75.1%, led by Cord Stansberry, who's connected a league-high 92.2%, ranking among the top free-throw shooters in the nation if qualified but hasn't reached the minimums.
Pelote leads the Catamounts on the glass with 7.4 rebounds per game—the second-best individual average in the SoCon. He also ranks first in the league with 5.9 defensive rebounds per game and second in the conference with 171 total defensive boards. Pelote and Kell are both tied for fourth in the league in conference play with 18 blocks. Junior post-Vernon Collins sits in a tie for seventh in conference play with 45 offensive rebounds.
Scouting the Opposition – Mercer Bears:
Mercer enters the tournament with a 13-18 record after the 12-point victory against WCU on Saturday in Macon. The Bears have had multiple close calls in league play with seven single-digit defeats, including falling 85-82 in Cullowhee to the Catamounts. Mercer comes in looking to right the ship after losing seven of their last nine games overall.
Under the direction of first-year head coach Ryan Ridder, the Bears are led by senior guard Ahmad Robinson – a New Hampshire transfer –who's averaging 16.9 points per game as he's eclipsed double figures in all but five games in the 2024-25 season including each of his past four. He's gone over 25 points in seven games, including a season-high of 33 against UNCG. Robinson has done it all over the court, making 43% (174-of-405) from the field, 49 threes, and his free throws at a 71.6% clip.
Tyler Johnson, a USC Aiken transfer, checks into Saturday's matchup averaging 16.1 points per game. Both he and Robinson are among the league leaders with 20+ point games, Robinson having 10 and Johnson having seven. Johnson has been effective from distance, connecting on a team-high 91 3-pointers at a 39.4% rate to pace Mercer.
Senior center Alex Holt – a transfer from High Point a season ago – rounds out the trio in double figures with 10.8 points per game to go along with a team-high 6.9 rebounds per contest. Holt has recorded three double-doubles, including in the first matchup with WCU, with 21 points and 11 rebounds. He also has been effective inside, sitting in fifth in the league at 58.0 percent (138-of-238) in field goal percentage.
Robinson ranks second in the league with 153 assists. The senior guard has recorded three double-doubles for the Bears and a team-best 59 steals, ranking second in the SoCon for thefts.
As a scoring offense, Mercer is tied for third in points per game at 76.9 and is tops in rebounds per game at 39.4 per contest. Mercer is also second in the league in defensive rebounds at 27.6 per game, just behind WCU, which sits at 28.0. The Bears rank second in the SoCon with 8.6 steals.
Season Series vs Mercer:
The two teams split the regular season showdowns. Both squads won on their respective home courts: WCU won 85-82 in Cullowhee, and Mercer claimed the 81-69 triumph in Macon to close out the regular season.
Stansberry and Pelote both scored double figures in the two matchups between the Bears and Catamounts. The Bermuda Dunes, Calif. native had a team-high 14.5 points/game average, connecting on 60% (9-of-15) field goals and making five threes at a 55.6% clip. Pelote averaged 13.5 points per game, shooting 41.7% (10-of-24), while also leading the team on the glass with 7.5 rebounds, including a double-double in the home win.
Emery totaled 16 points off the bench in Cullowhee, averaging 12 ppg, as Kell rounded out the quartet in double figures with 11 ppg, including 15 pts and 11 rebs in Macon last week. WCU averaged 11 threes per game in the season series with Mercer.
On the Mercer side, the Bears were led by Robinson, who totaled 23 points/game, including 28 last time out. He made 41% from the field and connected on 41.7% of his threes. Holt averaged a near double-double with 16.5 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per night. Jah Nze didn't see action in the second game but had 13 points in 17 minutes off the bench in Cullowhee.
Series History:
Western Carolina holds the upper hand in the series against Mercer with a 17-14 record, as the Bears snapped a five-game win streak for the Catamounts last time the two teams met. Friday marks the third head-to-head battle the two teams have had in the conference tournament, with each team winning in the tourney matchups. Mercer claimed an 81-53 battle in Asheville during the 2021-22 season as WCU eliminated the Bears 70-56 in Asheville as part of the 2019-20 tournament.
Up Next for Western Carolina:
The winner of Friday night's game will get the regular season champion Chattanooga on Saturday, with tip-off set for 12 p.m… The semifinals are set for Sunday, March 9, at 4 p.m. against the winner of the #4 Samford vs #5 Furman matchup. The tournament championship will be broadcast on either ESPN or ESPN2 at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 10, from Asheville.
The Catamount Club's Catamount Central for the duration of the tournament is the Bier Garden (46 Haywood St., Asheville, NC 28801). Pregame socials are scheduled two hours ahead of every game the Catamounts play in Asheville, with the first gathering scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon. The Catamount Club requests an RSVP for those planning on attending—CLICK HERE TO RSVP.
For tickets to the 2025 Ingles SoCon Basketball Championship, contact the Catamount Athletics ticket office at (828) 227-2401 or purchase them online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount men's basketball and WCU Athletics through our social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@catamountmbb @wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@CatamountMBB, @catamounts).
