RALEIGH, N.C. – There was a level of confidence and poise, the air of a veteran team that expected to win on college basketball's biggest stage.
There was execution, huge defense, clutch free throws down the stretch and adjustments and basically a team that finished solidly against a quality opponent.
And then there was Duke.
Mercer found this dancing thing very much to its liking and began the second full day of the NCAA tournament with a bracket-busting 78-71 victory over third-seeded Duke on Friday at PNC Arena.
"They're not just a good team; they're an outstanding team," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said of the Bears (27-8), the Atlantic Sun champions from Macon, Ga. "So well-coached. You can tell those guys played a lot of basketball together."
The 14th-seeded Bears, with a starting lineup of five seniors, rushed to the edge of the court in front of their fans and reacted like a midmajor team that beat Duke 30 miles from its campus should: hugging and yelling and, of course, dancing.
There was plenty of energy to dance after a game with nine ties and 13 lead changes, Mercer having answers all afternoon.
"Our guys believed they could win, which is also another major thing that transpired," coach Bob Hoffman said.
