DAVIDSON, N.C. (Interstat) — Mercer will carry a 1-1 record into its Saturday men’s NCAA Division I basketball game against Davidson at Belk Arena in Davidson, N.C. The Bears are the visiting team, and the Wildcats are 1-0 this season. Mercer’s nickname is the Bears, and Davidson’s nickname is the Wildcats.

KJ LaMonte is a guard and a player to watch for Mercer. In his most recent outing, LaMonte played 32 minutes and recorded 21 points, four rebounds and five assists in the Bears’ 96-67 loss at Virginia Tech. He also logged 20 minutes and finished with 14 points and four rebounds in Mercer’s 90-53 win against Reinhardt. In the Virginia Tech game, Karon Boyd, a guard, added 22 minutes, 12 points, six rebounds and one assist, and Makoi Mabor Makoi, a forward, had 26 minutes, eight points, four rebounds, one assist and one block. Mercer’s earlier result was a 90-53 home win over Reinhardt.

Sam Brown is a guard and a player to watch for Davidson. In the Wildcats’ most recent game, Brown scored 22 points in 32 minutes with four rebounds and three assists in a 76-61 win at Washington State. Ian Platteeuw, a forward, added 33 minutes, 10 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and two blocks, and Nick Janowski, a guard, had 34 minutes, 21 points, three rebounds and four assists. Davidson opened the season with that victory.

Davidson’s next 10 games include Bradley at Davidson, Howard at Davidson, Charlotte at Davidson, Northern Iowa at Davidson in Fort Myers, Florida, Tulane at Davidson in Fort Myers, Florida, Davidson at Florida Atlantic, Dartmouth at Davidson, Davidson at College of Charleston, South Carolina Upstate at Davidson and Davidson at Drake in Kansas City, Missouri. Mercer’s next 10 games include Mercer at Georgia Southern, Mercer at West Virginia, Mercer at Presbyterian, Charleston Southern at Mercer, Mercer at Florida Atlantic, Georgia Southern-East at Mercer, Mercer at Georgia State, Wofford at Mercer, Mercer at Arizona State and Mercer at New Mexico. Belk Arena will host the Saturday matchup between the Bears and the Wildcats.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Mercer 78, Davidson 68. Interstat’s ELO system gives Davidson an 84 percent probability to win. Davidson is installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -11.5, and the over/under is 148.