ELON, N.C. – Elon University men's basketball returns to action on Tuesday, Nov. 30, when it travels to Greensboro, N.C. for a 7 p.m. matchup with UNCG.
 
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 6:30 p.m.
- Elon's game against UNCG will be broadcasted live on ESPN+.
- Live Stats are available and can be found by visiting https://elonstats.com.
 
THE MATCHUP
- Tuesday night marks the 43^rd meeting between Elon and UNCG.
- The Phoenix currently leads the all-time series 26-16.
- The Spartans have won the last three meetings against the Phoenix dating back to 2017. Prior to that, Elon defeated UNCG in 11 straight matchups from 2011-2015.
- Elon fell to UNCG, 71-64, in the most recent meeting between the two programs. Hunter Woods led the way for the Phoenix in the contest, finishing with 19 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Elon alum and Greensboro Swarm guard Ikenna Ndugba added 15 points, six rebounds and three assists, while Hunter McIntosh chipped in nine points and two assists.
 
SCOUTING ELON
- Junior forward Zac Ervin leads the team in scoring at 13.6 points per game along with 4.7 rebounds per contest. Ervin has knocked down 21 threes while shooting at a 41.2 percent clip from long distance so far this season. He currently ranks 1^st in the conference and 26^th nationally for total threes made and 2^nd in the conference and 47^th nationally for threes made per game (3.0)
- Junior guard and Preseason All-CAA First Team honoree Hunter McIntosh, ranks third on the team in scoring at 11.3 points per game. McIntosh has scored in double figures in 39 career games, including five times this season.
- Former CAA All-Rookie honoree Darius Burford currently leads the team in assists (3.3 apg), while ranking second on the team in scoring (12.0 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg).
- Sophomore center Michael Graham ranks sixth on the team in scoring (8.0 ppg), while leading the team in rebounding at 6.4 rpg.
- Torrence Watson is currently fourth on the team in scoring, posting 10.1 points per contest through seven games. Watson is also averaging 3.3 rebounds per outing while shooting 28.8 (24-of-29) percent from the charity stripe.
- Junior forward Hunter Woods is chipping in 8.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 25.4 minutes per game this season. Woods is currently shooting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc this season, while knocking down 90 percent of his free throws.
- Freshman center Sam Sherry has gotten his Elon career off to a solid start, averaging 3.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in under 12 minutes of action per game.
- Elon currently ranks in the top-3 in the CAA in assists per game (14.7), assist-turnover ratio (1.18), free throw percentage (75.6%), threes made per game (10.6), total threes (74) and three-point percentage (37.6%).
- Center Andrew Junkin made his return to action against Jacksonville State, playing just under nine minutes. Junkin blocked two shots in his only other appearance this season against Florida.
- The Phoenix set a program record for points at Schar Center (107), threes made (20) and assists (27) in its home opener against Randolph.
- Seniors Chuck Hannah (2.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg in 2020-21) and Kris Wooten (3.7 ppg, 50.0% 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 UNCG
- UNCG enters the contest with a 6-2 overall record after defeating Vermont, 54-51, in its most recent outing. Kobe Langley led the way for the Spartans, dropping 19 and three rebounds. De'Monte Buckingham chipped in 12 points and eight rebounds in the contest.
- Mike Jones is in the midst of his first season as the head coach of the UNCG program. Jones previously served as the head coach at Radford since 2011 before becoming joining UNCG.
- The Spartans are led by Buckinham who leads the team in scoring (12.4 ppg) and rebounding (8.5 rpg). UNCG has also gotten contributions from Bas Leyte and Kaleb Hunter who are combing to average 17.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
 
LAST TIME OUT
- Elon fell to Jacksonville State, 93-81, on Saturday, Nov. 27.
- Zac Ervin led the way for the Phoenix, finishing the afternoon with 18 points and four rebounds on 5-of-11 shooting from long distance.
- Hunter Woods added 13 points, a season-high eight rebounds and two assists in just over 27 minutes of action. Woods went 5-of-7 from the field, including a 2-for-4 mark from beyond the arc.
- Hunter McIntosh chipped in 12 points and a season-high six assists in a game-high 36 minutes.
- Darius Burford dropped 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Michael Graham rounded out the double figure scoring for the Phoenix, adding 10 points and five boards.
- Kris Wooten and Torrence Watson combined for 14 points, each knocking down two triples in the contest.
- Elon drained 15 threes in the game, finishing the afternoon 15-of-36 (39.5 percent) from distance.
- The Phoenix forced 17 Jacksonville State turnovers, leading to 21 points.
- Elon held an advantage in points in the paint (20-16) and second chance points (9-7).
 
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
- The Phoenix hits the road for a 7 p.m. matchup with UNC Greensboro on Tuesday, Nov. 30, at the Greensboro Coliseum.
- Elon will then open December with a home matchup against High Point on Dec. 4, before traveling to Chapel Hill, N.C. for a Dec. 11 bout with UNC.
- The Phoenix rounds out non-conference play with back-to-back home games against Winthrop (Dec. 15) and Shaw (Dec. 18), before traveling to Fayetteville, Ark. for a Dec. 21 matchup with Arkansas.