ELON, N.C. – Elon University men's basketball returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 11, when it travels to Chapel Hill, N.C. for an 8 p.m. matchup with UNC.
 
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 7:30 p.m.
- Elon's game against UNC will be broadcast live on ACC Network.
- Live Stats are available and can be found by visiting https://elonstats.com.
 
THE MATCHUP
- Saturday night marks the 26^th meeting between Elon and North Carolina.
- The Phoenix currently trails in the all-time series 4-21.
- North Carolina defeated Elon, 75-61, the last time the two programs met on Nov. 20, 2019. Elon alum Marcus Sheffield led the way for the Phoenix, dropping 19 points, four rebounds and three assists in the contest. Current junior forward Hunter Woods chipped in 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes of action. Hunter McIntosh and Zac Ervin combined for 11 points and seven rebounds in the loss.

SCOUTING ELON
- Torrence Watson is leading the team in scoring 13.1 ppg after dropping a career-high 34 points against High Point. Watson is also averaging 3.1 rebounds per game in 27.0 minutes per outing.
- Former CAA All-Rookie honoree Darius Burford currently ranks second on the team in scoring (12.0 ppg), while leading the team in assists at 3.6 apg. Burford is also currently fourth on the team in rebounding (4.9 rpg).
- Junior forward Zac Ervin is third on the team in scoring, averaging 11.6 points per game along with 4.3 rebounds per contest. Ervin has knocked down 22 threes while shooting at a 39.3 percent clip from long distance so far this season.
- Junior guard and Preseason All-CAA First Team honoree Hunter McIntosh, ranks third on the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game. McIntosh has scored in double figures in 40 career games, including six times this season.
- Junior forward Hunter Woods is chipping in 8.6 points and 5.0 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per game this season. Woods is currently shooting 43.1 percent from beyond the arc this season, while knocking down 91.7 percent of his free throws.
- Sophomore center Michael Graham ranks sixth on the team in scoring (6.2 ppg), while ranking second on the team in rebounding at 6.0 rpg.
- Freshman center Sam Sherry has gotten his Elon career off to a solid start, averaging 3.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in just over 10 minutes of action per game.
- Senior Chuck Hannah made his return from injury against High Point, posting four points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes of action.
- Center Andrew Junkin scored his first points in an Elon uniform against UNCG, finishing the night with four points and three rebounds.
- 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 (2.9 ppg, 42.1% 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 NORTH CAROLINA
- UNC enters the contest with a 6-2 overall record after defeating Georgia Tech, 79-62, in its most recent contest. RJ Davis led the way for the Tar Heels, dropping 23 points, five rebounds and five assists. Armando Bacot added 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Caleb Love chipped in 17 points, six rebounds and five assists in the contest.
- Hubert Davis is in the midst of his first season as the head coach of the North Carolina program. Davis played for the program from 1988-92, before eventually joining the Tar Heels coaching staff in 2012. In his nine seasons as an assistant coach at UNC, he helped lead the Tar Heels to eight NCAA Tournaments, two Final Four appearances, two National Championship appearances, and one National Championship title in 2017.
- The Tar Heels are led by Caleb Love who leads the team in scoring (16.3 ppg) and assists (4.3 apg). UNC has also gotten contributions from Armando Bacot (15.0 ppg and 9.9 rpg) and RJ Davis (14.3 ppg and 3.8 apg) early on this season.
 
LAST TIME OUT
- Elon fell to High Point, 83-77, on Saturday, Dec. 4. Despite the result, the Phoenix had the third-highest attendance in a game at Schar Center, including a record 1,337 students.
- Torrence Watson led the charge for the Phoenix, erupting for a career-high 34 points (25 in the second half), finishing the night 9-of-12 from the field, 5-of-7 from beyond the arc and 11-of-12 from the charity stripe. Watson has now scored at least 10 points in four of his last five games and six times overall this season. His 34-point effort is the first 30-point game by an Elon player since McIntosh scored 30 points against Delaware last season.
- Hunter McIntosh chipped in 16 points, five assists and two rebounds in 36 minutes. He has now dished out at least four assists in four consecutive games, including three 12-plus points, four-plus assist outings. Over that four-game stretch, McIntosh has logged a four-to-one assist to turnover ratio (20 assists – five turnovers), while scoring just over 13 points per outing.
- Senior forward and team-captain Chuck Hannah made his return from injury in the contest, finishing the night with a team-high seven rebounds, adding four points and a blocked shot in just under 20 minutes.
- Darius Burford added nine points, five assists and three steals in 35 minutes of action. Burford has now posted at least two steals in three consecutive games.
- Hunter Woods and Zac Ervin combined for 12 points and nine rebounds on the night.
- Elon held a staggering 47-7 advantage in bench points and a 12-9 advantage in threes made.
 
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 travels to Chapel Hill, N.C. for a Dec. 11 matchup with North Carolina.
- The Phoenix will then return home for back-to-back games against Winthrop (Dec. 15) and Shaw (Dec. 18) respectively.
- Elon rounds out non-conference play on Dec. 21, when it travels to Fayetteville, Ark. for a 7 p.m. bout with Arkansas.