Mercer at St. John's 11/6/19 - College Basketball Picks & Predictions

On Wednesday the Mercer Bears visit Carnesecca Arena in Queens, New York to play the St. John’s Red Storm in the opening game of the college basketball regular season for both. Mercer played one exhibition game prior to the start of the season and beat St. Andrews 86-55. Four players for the Bears scored in double figures led by Ethan Stair 23. Stair posted a double-double with 11 rebounds.

Mercer will use the 3-point shot as a weapon throughout the season. In the exhibition win over St. Andrews, the Bears made 12 three-pointers, with 10 coming during the first half when the regulars were on the court. Mitch Prendergast will be the long-distance sharpshooter for the Bears and hit five of his eight 3-pointers in the lopsided victory.

St. John’s is coming off a successful 21-13 season and made their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2015. Chris Mullin resigned as head coach following the season and Mike Anderson was signed to run the program. Mustapha Heron and LJ Figueroa are the two top players returning from last season. The two averaged 14-plus points each per game last season. Three other players return but no one amongst the three averages more than 2.1 points per game

Two freshmen and five transfers are amongst the new faces on St. John’s with the biggest two being Eli Wright from Mississippi State and David Caraher a transfer from Houston Baptist, while the best freshmen in the group is Julian Champagnie. Wright was a four-star recruit that never made it with the Bulldogs while Caraher averaged 16.2 points per game in one season at Houston Baptist.