ELON, N.C. – Elon University men's basketball returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 27, when it welcomes Jacksonville State to Schar Center for a 1 p.m. matchup with the Gamecocks.
 
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 12:30 p.m.
- Elon's game against Jacksonville State will be broadcasted live on FloSports.
- Live Stats are available and can be found by visiting https://elonstats.com.
 
THE MATCHUP
- Saturday afternoon marks the first meeting between Elon and Jacksonville State in program history.
 
SCOUTING ELON
- Junior forward Zac Ervin leads the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game along with 4.8 rebounds per contest.
- Junior guard and Preseason All-CAA First Team honoree Hunter McIntosh, ranks third on the team in scoring at 11.2 points per game.
- Sophomore center Michael Graham ranks fourth on the team in scoring (7.7 ppg), while leading the team in rebounding at 6.7 rpg.
- Torrence Watson is currently fourth on the team in scoring, posting 10.5 points per contest through six games.
- CAA All-Rookie honoree Darius Burford currently leads the team in assists (3.6 apg), while ranking second on the team in scoring (12.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.0 rpg).
- Junior forward Hunter Woods is chipping in 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 25.0 minutes per game this season.
- Freshman center Sam Sherry has gotten his Elon career off to a solid start, averaging 4.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in about 13 minutes of action per game.
- Elon currently ranks in the top-3 in the CAA in assists per game (14.8), total assists (89), defensive rebounds per game (26.8), free throw percentage (75.2%), threes made per game (9.8), total threes (59) and three-point percentage (37.1%).
- 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 (3.3 ppg, 46.2% 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 JACKSONVILLE STATE
- Jacksonville State enters the contest with a 2-3 overall record after defeating Drexel, 72-64, in its most recent outing. Jalen Gibbs led the way for the Gamecocks, dropping 16 points en route to clinching head coach Ray Harper's 100^th win at Jacksonville State.
- Harper is in the midst of his sixth season as the head coach of the Gamecocks program. Harper spent the previous five seasons as the head coach at Western Kentucky prior to taking over at Jacksonville State.
- The Gamecocks are led by Darian Adams who leads the team in scoring (15.0 ppg) and assists (5.4 apg), adding 4.4 rebounds per contest as well. Jacksonville State has also gotten major contributions from Brandon Huffman and Kayne Henry who are combining to average 17.8 points and 13.0 rebounds per contest.
 
LAST TIME OUT
- Elon rounded out the Charleston Classic with a 75-58 loss to Temple on Sunday, Nov. 21.
- Hunter McIntosh led the way for the Phoenix, dropping 16 points and four assists, also knocking down 4-of-7 shots from beyond the arc.
- Torrence Watson added 12 points and four rebounds in 30 minutes of action.
- Darius Burford chipped in nine points, two assists and a team-high seven rebounds in the loss.
- Hunter Woods and Zac Ervin combined for 11 points and eight rebounds on the afternoon.
- The Phoenix held a 19-15 advantage in bench points.
 
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 Jacksonville State on Saturday, Nov. 27, at Schar Center.
- The Phoenix then returns hits the road for a 7 p.m. matchup with UNC Greensboro on Tuesday, Nov. 30, at the Greensboro Coliseum.
- Elon opens December with a Dec. 4 home matchup against High Point before traveling to Chapel Hill, N.C. for a Dec. 11 bout with UNC.