After adding two more wins to their total for the 2023-23 season last week, Mercyhurst Men's Basketball jumps into two national polls, coming in 20th in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Poll and the D2SIDA Men's Basketball DII Poll.
So far this season the Lakers are 13-3 overall and 9-3 in conference play, sitting tied for second in the PSAC West just below IUP. Mercyhurst has played some inspired ball of late, winning four of their last five contests with double-digit wins in all of them. The Lakers have proven to be especially tough at home so far in the campaign as they currently sit 9-0 on Owen McCormick Court. They look to remain undefeated inside their friendly confines this Saturday when they host Seton Hill, giving them their first double-digit win streak at home since the 2014-15 season when the team won 11 straight and finished 12-2.
Mercyhurst's defense has been one of the best in the nation to this point as they have allowed the fewest points of any team at 964. Their opponents average 60.2 points per game which is tied for the sixth lowest in all of DII. The Laker's interior defense is a large reason for that as teams shoot 39.5 % from the field against them, the 11th lowest in the country. The fact that Mercyhurst forces 17.4 turnovers a contest, which ranks 16th, also plays a major factor in keeping teams from being able to get in a groove on offense.
The team currently has four players averaging 10 or more points a game with Jeff Planutis leading the way with 15.3 while Michael Bradley has 12.4, Nicholas Lang 11.6, and Aidan Reichert with 10.8 coming off the bench. The team's three-point shooting has proven to be top-notch as five players have attempted 10 or more threes and hit them at a 35% clip or better. That coupled with the fact that teams average 17.4 turnovers a game against Mercyhurst makes the Lakers one of the more well-rounded squads in DII.
Mercyhurst plays two more games on the week after falling to UPJ on Monday in a 73-61 loss. The team heads to Clarion to take on the Golden Eagles on Wednesday with Seton Hill to follow on Saturday, January 28th, at 3:00 p.m. inside the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
