ELON, N.C. – Elon University men's basketball rounds out the 2021 Shriners Children's Charleston Classic on Sunday, Nov. 21, against Temple. Tipoff in the contest is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at TD Arena in Charleston, S.C.
 
COVERAGE
- Listen to the Elon Sports Network from Learfield IMG College's coverage on The Varsity Network app.
- Longtime voice of the Phoenix, Taylor Durham, will be on the call with the pregame show beginning at 10:00 a.m.
- Elon's game against Temple will be broadcasted live on ESPN2.
- Live Stats are available and can be found by visiting https://elonstats.com.
 
THE MATCHUP
- Sunday morning marks the first meeting between Elon and Temple in program history.
 
SCOUTING ELON
- Junior forward Zac Ervin leads the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game along with 5.4 rebounds per contest.
- Junior guard and Preseason All-CAA First Team honoree Hunter McIntosh, ranks third on the team in scoring at 10.2 points per game.
- Sophomore center Michael Graham ranks fifth on the team in scoring (8.4 ppg), while leading the team in rebounding (7.0 rpg) and blocks (1.0 bpg).
- Torrence Watson is tied for third on the team in scoring, posting 10.2 points per game through three games.
- CAA All-Rookie honoree Darius Burford currently leads the team in assists (3.6 apg), adding 12.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per outing as well.
- Freshman center Sam Sherry has gotten his Elon career off to a solid start, averaging 4.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in about 13 minutes of action per game.
- Center 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.
- Seniors Chuck Hannah (2.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg in 2020-21) and 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 Coach Mike Schrage at the helm of the Elon program.
 
SCOUTING TEMPLE
- Temple enters the contest with a 1-3 overall record after winning their previous two games at the Charleston Classic.
- Aaron McKie is in the midst of his third season as the head coach of the Owls program. McKie previous played at Temple and is now serving as the head man at his alma mater.
- The Owls are led by Khaliff Battle, who leads the team in scoring at 17.8 ppg.
 
LAST TIME OUT
- Elon fell to Ole Miss, 74-56, in its second game at the Charleston Classic on Friday, Nov. 19.
- Darius Burford led the way for the Phoenix, dropping 16 points, four assists and three rebounds in 31 minutes. Burford has now scored at least 10 points in three consecutive games.
- Zac Ervin chipped in 13 points and four rebounds in 25 minutes of action. The totals marked Ervin's fourth consecutive 10+ point scoring night.
- Jerald Gillens-Butler added 12 points and a team-high three steals on the evening. It was Butler's first game scoring at least 10 points since scoring 12 points against Campbell in December of last season.
- Sam Sherry logged his first collegiate dunk, throwing down a one-handed jam early in the first half. Sherry finished the night with four points and two rebounds in 19 minutes.
- RJ Noord scored the first point of his college career, knocking down a free throw to finish the night with one point and one rebound in three minutes.
- Hunter Woods and Michael Graham combined for six points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in the loss.
 
THE FACES OF 2021-22
- Elon returns four starters in Chuck Hannah, Hunter Woods, All-CAA Second Team honoree Hunter McIntosh and CAA All-Rookie selection Darius Burford.
- Other returnees for the Phoenix includes seniors Jerald Gillens-Butler, Kris Wooten and Charlie Mendys, juniors Ben Daugherty and Zac Ervin, and sophomores Michael Graham and JaDun Michael.
-Additionally, the maroon and gold welcomes five newcomers to the squad in Mizzou transfer Torrence Watson, Mississippi State transfer Andrew Junkin and freshmen RJ Noord, Sam Sherry and Reece Clark.
 
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 in Hunter McIntosh (1st Team) and 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.
 
COMING SOON
- Elon is set to play Temple on Sunday, Nov. 21, to round out the Charleston Classic.
- The Phoenix then returns home on Saturday, Nov. 27, to host Jacksonville State at 1 p.m. at Schar Center.