ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team will face the No. 5-ranked Duke Blue Devils for the 29th time and for the fifth-straight season on Wednesday, Dec. 21, inside the Greensboro Coliseum. The last time the Phoenix hosted Duke in the Greensboro Coliseum was on Dec. 31, 2013.

COVERAGE
The game will be broadcasted on ESPN2 and can also be watched on the WatchESPN app. Doug Sherman and Brian Biancardi will be on the call. You can also listen to the action on the Elon IMG Sports Network on 104.5 FM, 1200 AM or on the TuneIn app and listen to Taylor Durham and Ryan Meizinger live from the Coliseum. The Elon basketball pregame show begins at 5:30 p.m.

SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday will mark the 28th all-time meeting between the Elon Phoenix and Duke Blue Devils since the series started back in 1911. Elon and Duke will face off for the sixth time in the last seven years, and second time at Greensboro Coliseum. The Blue Devils have won seven straight in the series, and have the upper hand in all contests during Elon's Division I era. Elon's last win against Duke was just over 94 years ago on Feb. 6, 1922, where the Fighting Christians won 30-29 over Duke, who was then called Trinity.  Duke defeated Elon 105-66 last season on Dec. 28, 2015 in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

ELON AGAINST RANKED TEAMS
Wednesday's game against No. 5 Duke will be Elon's 24th against a nationally-ranked team since transitioning to Division I. Elon is currently 0-23 in those games. This will be the sixth time the Phoenix has faced a top-five team and first since facing the #2-ranked Blue Devils in 2014. Last season, Elon played two games against nationally-ranked foes. The maroon and gold's last game against a ranked team was against #15 Duke on Dec. 28, 2015. Earlier last season, Elon faced #24 Michigan on the road falling 88-68 on Nov. 16, 2015.

In 2014-15, Elon's lone game against a ranked opponent was #2 Duke on Dec. 15, 2014. The Phoenix faced three nationally ranked teams during the 2013-14 year - #7 Duke, #21 Colorado and #15/16 UMass.  Elon's game against UMass in 2014 at Alumni Gym marked the first time in school history it hosted a nationally ranked team. The 10-point margin of defeat against UMass is the closest Elon has been in any game versus a nationally ranked team.

Elon vs. nationally-ranked opponents:
Dec. 28, 2015, at #15 Duke....................................L, 66-105
Nov. 16, 2015, at #24 Michigan...............................L, 68-88
Dec. 15, 2014, at #2 Duke.......................................L, 62-75
Jan. 18, 2014, vs. #15/16 UMass..............................L, 74-84
Dec. 31, 2013, vs. #7 Duke....................................L, 48-86
Dec. 13, 2013, at #21 Colorado............................L, 63-80
Dec. 20, 2012, at #1 Duke .....................................L, 54-76
Dec. 29, 2011, at #5 North Carolina ................... L, 62-100
Dec. 20, 2010, at #1 Duke......................................L, 72-98
March 10, 2008, vs. #23 Davidson......................L, 49-65
Dec. 16, 2006, at #21 Notre Dame......................L, 63-94
Nov. 10, 2006, at #23 Georgia Tech....................L, 49-83
Dec. 3, 2005, at #22 Wake Forest.........................L, 59-78
Dec. 15, 2004, at #5 Wake Forest.........................L, 67-85
Nov. 18, 2004, at #19 NC State.............................L, 45-71
Dec. 30, 2003, at #12 Cincinnati....................... L, 63-102
Nov. 22, 2003, at #19 Wake Forest......................L, 55-97
Jan. 7, 2003, at #17 Wake Forest..........................L, 56-98
Dec. 21, 2002, at #14 Marquette.........................L, 57-89
Nov. 30, 2011, at #16 Ball State......................... L, 65-106
Dec. 30, 1999, at #24 DePaul................................L, 56-80
Nov. 22, 1999, at #17 Tennessee..........................L, 56-95
*Dec. 21, 1998, at #6 Stanford..............................L, 58-82
 
*Division I transitional year

ELON VS. CURRENT ACC MEMBERS
The Phoenix has an all-time record of 34-126 against current ACC members. The last time Elon defeated one of the current members was in 2005 when the Phoenix went on the road to defeat the Oliver Purnell-coached Clemson Tigers, 74-69, on December 30, 2005. Elon's record against current ACC teams are as follows: Clemson (1-1), Duke (7-21), Florida State (0-1), Georgia Tech (0-3), Miami (1-0), North Carolina (4-18), NC State (8-21), Notre Dame (0-2), Virginia (0-6), Virginia Tech (7-14), Wake Forest (6-38), Syracuse (0-1).

DUKE/ELON CONNECTION
Current senior guard Ryder Bowline's grandfather is Jerry Robertson, who played for the Duke Blue Devils from 1956-59. He wore #14 and was a team captain in 1958-59. In thanks for a generous gift from Jerry and his wife Jeanne (Pronounced "Genie") Robertson, the playing court inside Alumni Gym was renamed 'Robertson Court' when the gym was renovated in the summer of 2010. Ryder's grandmother, Jeanne Robertson, is a world renown humorist and is a former Miss North Carolina (1964).

HEAD COACH MATT MATHENY
Head coach Matt Matheny won his 110th game at Elon on Thursday, Nov. 17, at South Florida. With the win, he passed Mark Simons for the fifth most in program history. Matheny currently has 114 career victories and is two wins away from moving into fourth all-time. Robert "Bob" Burton (1986-93) won 115 games at Elon.

336 AND COUNTING
The Elon men's basketball program has made at least one three-point field goal in 336 consecutive games (not including exhibition games). The last time Elon did not make a three in a game was Jan. 30, 2006, at Georgia Southern when the team went 0-of-14 from deep. Elon is currently averaging 9.8 triples per game. The Phoenix averaged 9.5 made three pointers a game last season. 

HIGH POWERED OFFENSE
The Phoenix was averaging 84.5 points per game in its first eight games, which was ranked first in the CAA. Elon has been held to under 70 points in its last three contests and its scoring average has dropped to 78.8 points per game, which is fourth in the conference. Elon is currently shooting 46.3 percent from the field, which also ranks third in the CAA and its 9.8 three-pointers made per game ranks second in the league. Elon is also third in the CAA in assists (15.5 apg).

Elon has brought back most of its players from last season that contributed to the fourth-highest scoring team in the CAA. The Phoenix averaged 75.9 points per game, were second in the CAA with 15.3 assists per game, and a league-best 9.5 triples per game. Dainan Swoope and Tyler Seibring contributed to Elon's success behind the three-point line ranking 12th (60 3PTM) and 13th (59 3PTM) respectively. Luke Eddy also finished with 144 assists last season, which is the 10th-most assists in Elon single-season record books.

SHARING THE WEALTH
Elon has five players averaging double-digit scoring this season. Brian Dawkins is leading the way with 12.5 ppg. He is followed by Tyler Seibring (12.4 ppg), Steven Santa Ana (12.0 ppg), Luke Eddy (11.4 ppg) and Dainan Swoope (10.6 ppg). All five players have led the team in scoring during contests. Dawkins has been the team's top scorer in a team-high four games this season.

UP NEXT
After a week for Christmas break, the Phoenix returns to action on Wednesday, Dec. 28, inside Alumni Gym. Elon will host Central Pennsylvania for its final non-conference game of the season.