ELON, N.C. – Elon University men's basketball opens the 2021 Shriners Children's Charleston Classic on Thursday, Nov. 18, against West Virginia. Tipoff in the contest is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. at TD Arena in Charleston, S.C.
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The Phoenix will then take on either Marquette or Ole Miss on Friday, Nov. 19, for day two of the Classic.
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COVERAGE
- Listen to the Elon Sports Network from Learfield IMG College's coverage on The Varsity Network app.
- Longtime voice of the Phoenix,Â
Taylor Durham, will be on the call with the pregame show beginning at 8:30 p.m.
- Elon's game against West Virginia will be broadcasted live on ESPN2.
-Â Live Stats are available and can be found by visitingÂ
https://elonstats.com.
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THE MATCHUP
- Sunday afternoon marks the second meeting between Elon and WVU in program history.
- The Phoenix currently trails West Virginia, 1-0, in the all-time series.
- The Mountaineers defeated Elon, 92-47, in the most recent contest between the two programs in 2008.
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SCOUTING ELON
- Junior forwardÂ
Zac Ervin leads the team in scoring at 15.7 points per game along with 5.3 rebounds per contest. Ervin has made 12-of-25 (48.0%) of his threes through the first three games. He leads the conference in both threes made (12) and threes made per game (4.0) while also ranking in the top-15 nationally in both categories.
- Junior guard and Preseason All-CAA First Team honoreeÂ
Hunter McIntosh, ranks second on the team in scoring at 12.7 points per game.
- Sophomore centerÂ
Michael Graham ranks third on the team in scoring (12.0 ppg), while leading the team in rebounding (10.0 rpg) and blocks (1.0 bpg).
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Torrence Watson rounds out the top-5 scorers on the team, posting 11.3 points per game through three games.
- CAA All-Rookie honoreeÂ
Darius Burford currently leads the team in assists (4.0 apg), adding 11.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per outing as well.
- Junior forwardÂ
Hunter Woods leads the team in steals (1.3 spg), while ranking second in assists (3.3 apg). Woods is also averaging 9.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest.
- Freshman centerÂ
Sam Sherry has gotten his Elon career off to a solid start, averaging 5.3 points, 2.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds in about 13 minutes of action per game.
- CenterÂ
Andrew Junkin blocked two shots in his Elon debut against Florida.
- The Phoenix set a program record for points at Schar Center (107), threes made (20) and assists (27) in last week's win over Randolph.
- Elon currently ranks first in the CAA in three-point percentage (42.4), threes made per game (12) and assist to turnover ratio (1.87), while ranking second in threes made (36), assists per game (19.3) and scoring margin (16.3).
- SeniorsÂ
Chuck Hannah (2.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg in 2020-21) andÂ
Kris Wooten (6.0 ppg, 54.5% 3PT) will serve as the team captains for the 2021-22 season as they enter their fourth year at Elon.
- Elon enters this year with the most experienced group during Schrage's tenure, bolstering a roster with 10 upperclassmen.
- This season marks the third for Head CoachÂ
Mike Schrage at the helm of the Elon program.
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SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA
- West Virginia enters the contest with a 2-0 overall record after winning their previous two games against Oakland and Pittsburgh respectively.
- Bob Huggins is in the midst of his 15
th season as the head coach of the Mountaineers program. Huggins has compiled a 312-171 record in his 15 seasons at WVU.
- The Mountaineers are led by Taz Sherman, who leads the team in scoring (17.5 ppg) and rebounding (4.5 rpg). WVU has also gotten major contributions from Jalen Bridges who ranks second on the team in rebounding (4.5 rpg) and scoring (12.5 ppg).
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SCOUTING MARQUETTE
- Marquette enters the tournament with a 3-0 overall record after defeating Illinois, 67-66, in their most recent outing.
- Shaka Smart is in the midst of his first season as the head coach of the Golden Eagles' program. Smart has compiled a 275-142 record in 12 seasons as a head coach for three different programs.
- The Golden Eagles are led by senior guard Darryl Morsell, who leads the team in scoring at 22.7 ppg. Marquette has also gotten major contributions from Justin Lewis, who leads the team in rebounding (8.7 rpg) while ranking second in scoring (17.0 ppg).
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SCOUTING OLE MISS
- Ole Miss enters the classic with a 2-0 record after defeating Charleston Southern, 93-68, in the most recent contest.
- Kermit Davis is in the midst of his fourth season at the helm of the Ole Miss program. Davis has compiled a 456-280 record in his 23 seasons as a head coach at the Division I level.
- Jarkel Joiner is leading the way for the Rebels, averaging 18.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per contest.
LAST TIME OUT
- Elon won its second consecutive game on Sunday, Nov. 14, defeating Bluefield, 89-72, at Schar Center. The win moved the Phoenix to 2-0 at home and 2-1 overall this season.
- Zac Ervin led the way for the Phoenix, dropping a career-high 29 points and eight rebounds in just over 32 minutes. Ervin knocked down six threes on the night, marking his second consecutive game with at least five made threes.
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Darius Burford added 18 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, logging his first career double-double in 33 minutes of action. Burford's 12 rebounds and six assists were each career-highs for the sophomore.
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Michael Graham posted his first career double-double, finishing the afternoon with 11 points, 11 rebounds and one blocked shot. Graham shot 5-of-8 from the field and grabbed five  of his 11 boards on the offensive glass.
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Hunter Woods chipped in 10 points and five assists in 24 minutes.
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Hunter McIntosh andÂ
Torrence Watson combined for 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the win.
- The Phoenix held a 36-16 advantage in points in the paint and a 21-9 advantage in assists.
- Elon has now started 2-1 or better in each of Schrage's three seasons with the program.
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THE FACES OF 2021-22
- Elon returns four starters inÂ
Chuck Hannah,Â
Hunter Woods, All-CAA Second Team honoreeÂ
Hunter McIntosh and CAA All-Rookie selectionÂ
Darius Burford.
- Other returnees for the Phoenix includes seniorsÂ
Jerald Gillens-Butler,Â
Kris Wooten andÂ
Charlie Mendys, juniorsÂ
Ben Daugherty andÂ
Zac Ervin, and sophomoresÂ
Michael Graham andÂ
JaDun Michael.
-Additionally, the maroon and gold welcomes five newcomers to the squad in Mizzou transferÂ
Torrence Watson, Mississippi State transferÂ
Andrew Junkin and freshmenÂ
RJ Noord,Â
Sam Sherry andÂ
Reece Clark.
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CAA PRESEASON POLL
- The Colonial Athletic Association announced its preseason poll on Thursday, Oct. 28, with Elon tabbed to finish sixth.
- The Phoenix had two student-athletes earn preseason all-conference honors inÂ
Hunter McIntosh (1st Team) andÂ
Jerald Gillens-Butler (Honorable Mention).
- Elon earned a total of 202 points in the poll, including one first-place vote.
- Delaware was chosen as the preseason favorite with 296 points and 19 first-place votes, followed by Northeastern with 246 points and seven first-place votes. Drexel (234 points; five first-place votes), James Madison (224 points, three first-place votes) and Hofstra (211 points; one first-place vote) rounded out the top five.
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COMING SOON
- Elon is set to play West Virginia on Thursday, Nov. 18, to open the Charleston Classic.
- The Phoenix begins day two of the Charleston Classic with a bout against either Marquette or Ole Miss on Nov. 19.
- Elon's opponent for the final day of the Charleston Classic is to be determined.
- The Phoenix returns home on Saturday, Nov. 27, to host Jacksonville State at 1 p.m. at Schar Center.
--ELON--