GAME NOTES: In a rematch of an NCAA Tournament contest last season, the Mercer Bears will hit the road to take on the Tennessee Volunteers in a non- conference tilt Monday at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Mercer enters this contest having won three of its last four games, including a 67-46 victory over Bethune-Cookman Friday. The matchup for the Bears in Knoxville will be the first of a six-game road trip spanning into January.

Tennessee has also won three of its last four games, and sports a 5-4 record on the season. The Vols are a perfect 4-0 at home, and are in the midst of a four-game homestand. They defeated Tennessee Tech, 61-58, in their last outing.

The last time these two teams met up on the floor, Tennessee earned a berth into the Sweet 16 with a dominant 83-63 win over Mercer late in March. But the Bears hold the slight edge in the all-time series, leading 3-2 entering this clash.

Mercer owned Bethune-Cookman from start to finish in a game that featured no lead changes and no tied scores. The Bears went into halftime up 33-24 over the Wildcats, and never looked back. Ike Nwamu netted 22 points to lead Mercer in the win, while both Darious Moten and Jibri Bryan chipped in 10 points. T.J. Hallice scored nine points with seven rebounds, and Phillip Leonard grabbed seven boards and dished out seven assists in the win.

Nwamu enters the contest with Tennessee as Mercer's only double-digit scorer, netting 17.3 ppg on 46.9 percent shooting from the floor. Both Hallice (9.6 ppg) and Leonard (9.3 ppg) are close, with Moten (9.0 ppg) right there in tow. The Bears as a unit are scoring 66.0 ppg this season, but have performed better on the defensive side of the ball, allowing just 60.9 ppg to opponents, who are shooting 38.5 percent from the field. Hallice leads Mercer in rebounding this season, grabbing 6.2 boards per outing.

The Volunteers narrowly edged their in-state rival Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles on Friday to move above the .500 mark. Tennessee Tech took a 32-26 lead into the intermission after Tennessee shot just 33.3 percent from the floor. But the Vols exploded in the second period on 60 percent shooting to grab the lead back. Josh Richardson netted 19 points to pace the Vols, while Devon Baulkman chipped in with 10 points off the bench. Kevin Punter and Willie Carmichael each contributed eight points in the win for Tennessee.

The Volunteers aren't as loaded with all-around talent as they were last season, and it has showed so far in the team's 5-4 record. The Vols are scoring 66.0 ppg this season on 43.8 percent shooting, and are allowing opponents to net 67.7 ppg against them. Richardson has been the bright spot for Tennessee, netting 16.9 ppg with a team-best 23 assists. Punter (10.6 ppg) and Armani Moore (10.4 ppg) solidify a trio of double-digit scorers for the Vols this season, but the next closest to double-figure scoring is Detrick Mostella at 6.9 ppg.

Neither team appears nearly as strong as the 2013-14 versions of themselves. Mercer pulled off the upset of Duke in the second round of the tournament last season, and then was downed by this very Tennessee squad. Things have changed after losing some key players in the offseason. Still, a 4-0 record at home does count for something, so Tennessee will have the edge.