ELON, N.C. – First-year Elon head men’s basketball coach Matt Matheny announced the 2009-10 schedule on Thursday. The Phoenix will face a slate that includes an appearance in the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off, matchups with four teams that advanced to postseason play in 2009, including NCAA Tournament participant Wake Forest, and 12 contests at Alumni Gym.

Elon will get off to a quick start when it travels to Lipscomb on Saturday, Nov. 14 to open the season. Only two days later, the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off pits Elon against Charlotte in a first-round contest at Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday, Nov. 16. The Phoenix will challenge Duke or Coastal Carolina in the second-round game on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

“It is an honor to be included in an event as prestigious as the NIT,” Matheny said. “We are part of a great field in the Duke region and are looking forward to playing in storied Cameron Indoor Stadium.

“With games on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday, we start the season in a tournament format,” explained Matheny. “This will allow us to gauge where we are and prepare throughout the season for March when we compete in another tournament setting.”

The Phoenix could then head to the NIT semifinals and championship, Nov. 25-27 at Madison Square Garden or compete in the third and fourth-round games at a to-be-determined campus site on Nov. 23-24.

Local fans will get their first chance to see the Phoenix in action at Alumni Gym when Elon hosts Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham on Friday, Nov. 20. Elon will also entertain UNC Wilmington on Sunday, Nov. 29 prior to embarking on a four-game road trip that includes the Southern Conference opener.

The Phoenix begins conference play with back-to-back league contests against Samford on Dec. 3 and 2009 SoCon Tournament champion and NCAA Tournament participant Chattanooga on Dec. 5.

Elon will return to its home state to take on two Atlantic Coast Conference foes, beginning with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Sunday, Dec. 13. The Phoenix heads to Raleigh, N.C., for a bout with NC State on Dec. 17.

“We want to play against the best competition so that we will be best prepared for the battles in the Southern Conference,” Matheny noted. “There are great ACC opponents, including Wake Forest and NC State, that are in our region and present opportunities to challenge our players.”

Before getting into the heart of conference play, Elon will host Haverford College on Monday, Dec. 21 and travel to Ohio University on Dec. 29 and Navy on Jan. 2.

The Phoenix will host nine SoCon games, starting with Furman on Jan. 7 and Wofford and Jan. 9. After traveling to Appalachian State (Jan. 13) and Western Carolina (Jan. 16), Elon will be back on its home turf for return trips from Samford (Jan. 21) and Chattanooga (Jan. 23).

Elon plays its next three games on the road, traveling to UNC Greensboro (Jan 28), Wofford (Feb. 3), Furman (Feb. 6), before returning to its home court for three of its next four games. The Phoenix hosts Western Carolina (Feb. 8), The Citadel (Feb. 13) and UNC Greensboro (Feb. 17) with a trip to College of Charleston (Feb. 11) in between.

Before the conclusion of conference play, the Phoenix will compete in the ESPN Bracketbuster on Saturday, Feb. 20 with its opponent to be determined. Including the Bracketbuster game, Elon will play four games in eight days to close out the regular season. The Phoenix hosts Appalachian State on Feb. 22, travels to Georgia Southern on Feb. 25 and returns to Alumni Gym to host the three-time defending SoCon South Division champion Davidson Wildcats in the season finale on Feb. 27.