It is the third game in six days for the Hornets as they are getting road-tested early in the season.  ASU will look to build on two impressive games to start the season.  A win at Virginia Tech of the ACC and a narrow two-point loss at reigning Conference USA champions Alabama-Birmingham.
 
"We have so much work to do if we expect to win more games this season," Head Coach Lewis Jackson said.  "Our defense has got to be better.  We have fouled so much in the first two games both teams we have played have shot 40 free throws.  If our defense does not get better we will continue giving up free points with free throws."
 
Mercer is an impressive team coming off a 19-win season and already has a 2-0 record this season defeating Allen University and coming off a nine-point win over George Mason.
 
"We are going to face another good team," Jackson said.  "We always want to play a competitive pre-conference schedule and that is especially true this season.  Mercer is a lot like us.  They play a lot of guards and get the ball down the court and get up shots."
 
Mercer has three players in double digits with Phillip Leonard's 13.5 points per game leading the team.  Jestin Lewis (12.0) and Stephon Jelks (11.0) are the others.
 
For the Hornets Jamel Waters will enter the game averaging 15.5 points per game.  He is coming off a week which saw College Sports Madness name him their SWAC Player of the Week.
 
Newcomer Torloft Thomas has stepped into the starting lineup and is averaging 11.5 points per game.  The Hornets are getting strong production off the bench.  Bobby Brown, who could be a starter, has continued to be solid in his role of providing a spark when he enters the game.  He is averaging 12.5 points per game and teammate Corvon Butler also comes off the bench and averages 11.5 points per game.
 
"We have done some good things on offense, but we still have a lot of work to get to where we need to be," Jackson said.  "We get caught taking shots to fast at times and most of the time those are bad shots.  We want to get down the court and get some shots up, but they have to be good shots and in the scheme of our offense."
 
For the third time this season the Hornets will have a chance to play before a national audience as ESPN3 will pick up the broadcast of the game.