Mercer’s Moment: Mercer Beats Duke!

For years, the Mercer University men’s basketball team had been building toward the NCAA Tournament only to come up short in agonizing fashion several times. But the Bears finally got over the hump to reach the tournament and take part in March Madness in 2014, and in doing so, they put their previous close calls behind them. When Mercer did get to college basketball’s biggest stage, one of basketball’s proudest programs–Duke–was standing in their way. Plenty of attention was on the matchup because it was DUKE and everything that comes with facing the Blue Devils. The Bears, however, were up to the task. Ready for their moment, they came through with one of the NCAA Tournament’s biggest upsets, which changed their program and the university forever. How did they get there? What did they overcome for their big moment against Duke? And what did it mean for the players, coaches, and fans to pull off the historic upset? Head coach Bob Hoffman, the team’s seven special seniors, and others look back through those times, the tough ones and the ones they cherish, and that memorable day when the Bears took down the Blue Devils.