ELON, N.C. – Elon University men's basketball returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 18, when it travels to Durham, N.C. for a 4 p.m. matchup with the No. 2 ranked Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
 
COVERAGE
- Listen to the Elon Sports Network from Learfield's coverage on The Varsity Network app.
- Longtime voice of the Phoenix, Taylor Durham, will be on the call with coverage beginning at 3:30 p.m. with the Carter and Smith Group Countdown to tipoff.
- Elon's game against Duke will be broadcast live on ACC Network.
- Live Stats are available and can be found by visiting https://elonstats.com.
 
THE MATCHUP
- Saturday afternoon marks the 26^th meeting between Elon and Duke.
- The Phoenix currently trails in the all-time series 5-20.
- Duke defeated Elon, 97-68, in the most recent meeting between the two program on Nov. 10, 2017.
- This marks the first meeting between the Phoenix and the Blue Devils since head coach Mike Schrage took over the Elon program in 2019-20. Schrage served as the director of basketball operations at Duke from 2002-2008.

SCOUTING ELON
- Torrence Watson is leading the team in scoring 12.2 points per game, adding 3.1 rebounds per contest as well. Watson has gotten to the charity stripe a team-high 50 times this season, knocking down 43 of his attempts for an 86.0 free throw percentage.
- Former CAA All-Rookie honoree Darius Burford is currently leading the team in assists (3.3 apg) and steals (1.7 spg), while being tied for third on the team in scoring (11.5 ppg) and rebounding (4.4 rpg).
- Junior guard and Preseason All-CAA First Team honoree Hunter McIntosh, ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game. McIntosh has scored in double figures in 41 career games, including seven times this season.
- Junior forward Zac Ervin is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 10.4 points per game along with 4.3 rebounds per contest. Ervin has knocked down 24 threes while shooting at a 38.1 percent clip from long distance so far this season.
- Junior forward Hunter Woods is chipping in 8.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in 25.4 minutes through 11 games this season. Woods is currently shooting 39.1 percent from beyond the arc, while knocking down 80.0 percent of his free throws.
- Sophomore center Michael Graham ranks sixth on the team in scoring (6.8 ppg), while leading the team in rebounding at 6.6 rpg. Graham has registered two double-doubles this season after his 13 point, 15 rebound effort against Winthrop.
- Senior forward Chuck Hannah is averaging 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game since returning from injury against High Point.
- Freshman center Sam Sherry has gotten his Elon career off to a solid start, averaging 2.9 points and 1.1 rebounds in just over nine minutes of action per game.
- The Phoenix's win over Winthrop snapped its seven-game losing streak and moved Elon to 3-2 in games played at Schar Center this season.
- Elon 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 and Kris Wooten will serve as the team captains for the 2021-22 season.
- This season marks the third for Head Coach Mike Schrage at the helm of the Elon program.
 
SCOUTING DUKE
- Duke enters the contest with a 9-1 overall record after defeating Appalachian State, 92-67, in its most recent contest. Wendell Moore Jr. led the way for the Blue Devils, dropping 21 points, six assists and five rebounds. Paolo Banchero added 16 ponts and six rebounds, while Trevor Keels and AJ Griffin each finished with 11.
- Mike Krzyzewski is in the midst of his 42^nd season at the helm of the Duke program. Krzyzewski has compiled a staggering 1,106-303 record in his time at Duke, leading the program to five National Championships and 12 Final Four appearances.
- The Blue Devils are led by Wendell Moore Jr. who leads the team in scoring at 17.4 ppg, adding 5.9 rpg and 5.1 apg. Duke has also gotten contributions from Paolo Banchero (17.0 ppg and 7.1 rpg) and Trevor Keels (12.0 ppg and 3.5 rpg) through 10 games this season.
 
LAST TIME OUT
- Jerald Gillens-Butler's game-winning three with 1.3 seconds left lifted Elon to a 63-61 victory over Winthrop on Wednesday, Dec. 15, at Schar Center.
- Michael Graham led the way for the Phoenix, dropping 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in 23 minutes of action. Graham's 15 rebounds tied Elon's Division I program record and is the most individual rebounds in a game for the Phoenix since Hunter Woods grabbed 15 rebounds in a 68-63 win against William & Mary in the 2019-20 CAA Tournament. The performance also marked the second double-double of the season for Graham.
-Hunter Woods chipped in 11 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in the contest. Woods has now scored at least 10 points in 28 career games, included six times this season.
- Chuck Hannah notched a season-high nine points, adding three assists and two rebounds in 25 minutes. Hannah finished the night a perfect 3-of-3 from the field, 1-of-1 from beyond the arc and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe.
- Hunter McIntosh added nine points and a season-high six assists on the night. Tonight marked the fourth time in five games that McIntosh has logged at least five assists.
- Torrence Watson and Darius Burford combined for 17 points, three assists and two steals in the win.
- Jerald Gillens-Butler finished the night with three points after making the game-winning shot for the Phoenix.
- Elon held advantages in points off turnovers (16-15), points in the paint (26-18) and bench points (17-15).
- The Phoenix held Winthrop to just 19-of-50 shooting from the field (38.0 percent), including an 11-of-30 mark in the first half (36.7 percent).
 
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 travel to Durham, N.C. for a 4 p.m. matchup with No. 2 Duke on Saturday, Dec. 18.
- The Phoenix then rounds out its non-conference slate on Dec. 21, when it travels to Fayetteville, Ark. for a 7 p.m. bout with Arkansas.
- Elon opens conference play on Wednesday, Dec. 29, when it hosts Northeastern in a 7 p.m. contest at Schar Center.