FAYETTEVILLE -- Mercer came close to pulling off an SEC road upset earlier this week at Auburn.
The Tigers held on to win 78-71 after the Bears pulled to within 69-68 with less than a minute to play.
"I give Mercer a lot of credit," Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl said. "They're hard to guard."
The Bears (8-2) get another shot at an SEC upset when they play Arkansas (5-4) Saturday night at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock.
It will be the first time Arkansas and Mercer have played since the 1999-2000 season, when the Razorbacks won 71-54 at the Big Island Invitational in Hilo, Hawaii, to improve to 4-0 against the Bears.