ELON, N.C. – Elon University men's basketball returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 4, when it hosts High Point at Schar Center. The matchup is set for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
 
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 High Point will be broadcasted live on FloSports.
- Live Stats are available and can be found by visiting https://elonstats.com.
 
THE MATCHUP
- Saturday night marks the 176^th meeting between Elon and High Point.
- The Phoenix currently trails in the all-time series 94-81.
- The two program split the two most recent meetings, with High Point winning in 2019 and Elon winning in 2020.
- Elon defeated High Point, 76-75, the last time the two programs met on Nov. 28, 2020. Hunter McIntosh led the way for the Phoenix, posting 21 points and two assists, while Jerald Gillens-Butler chipped in 16 points and six rebounds in 29 minutes of action.

SCOUTING ELON
- Former CAA All-Rookie honoree Darius Burford currently leads the team in scoring (12.4 ppg) and assists (3.4 apg), while ranking second on the team in rebounding (5.3 rpg).
- Junior forward Zac Ervin currently ranks second on the team in scoring at 12.1 points per game along with 4.3 rebounds per contest. Ervin has knocked down 21 threes while shooting at a 38.9 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 11.0 points per game. McIntosh has scored in double figures in 39 career games, including five times this season.
- Torrence Watson is currently fourth on the team in scoring, posting 10.5 points per contest through eight games. Watson is also averaging 3.1 rebounds per outing.
- Junior forward Hunter Woods is chipping in 9.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 25.5 minutes per game this season. Woods is currently shooting 44.1 percent from beyond the arc this season, while knocking down 90 percent of his free throws.
- Sophomore center Michael Graham ranks sixth on the team in scoring (7.0 ppg), while leading the team in rebounding at 6.5 rpg.
- Freshman center Sam Sherry has gotten his Elon career off to a solid start, averaging 3.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in just over 11 minutes of action per game.
- 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 HIGH POINT
- High Point enters the contest with a 3-4 overall record after falling to Furman, 74-70, in its most recent contest. John Michael-Wright led the way for the Panthers, dropping 26 points, 6 rebounds and five assists. Zach Austin chipped in 14 points, seven rebounds and six blocks in the loss.
- Tubby Smith is in the midst of his third season as the head coach of the High Point program. Smith is a National Champion Head Coach, leading Kentucky to a title in 1998.
- The Panthers are led by Michael-Wright who leads the team in scoring (20.1 ppg) and assists (5.2 rpg). High Point has also gotten contributions from Jaden House (13.9 ppg and 5.1 rpg) and Zach Austin (13.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg).
 
LAST TIME OUT
- Elon fell to UNCG, 74-61, on Tuesday, Nov. 30.
- Darius Burford led the charge for the Phoenix, finishing the night with a team-high 15 points, four assists and four steals. Burford now has 11 double-digit scoring efforts in his Elon career, including four this season.
- Hunter Woods added 13 points, four rebounds and two steals in 26 minutes of action. Woods is averaging 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals since being inserted into the starting lineup the past two games.
- Torrence Watson rounded out the double-figure scoring for Elon, dropping 13 points on the evening. Watson has scored 10+ points in five of eight games this season.
- Hunter McIntosh chipped in nine points, five assists and four rebounds in a team-high 35 minutes on the floor. McIntosh also had a career-high three steals in the contest.
- Sam Sherry ended his night with five points and a rebound, knocking down his first collegiate three along the way.
- Andrew Junkin scored his first points in an Elon uniform tonight, logging four points, three rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot in 16 minutes.
- The Phoenix forced 16 UNC Greensboro turnovers, leading to 18 points.
- Elon held an advantage in bench points (22-14) and second chance points (10-2).
 
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 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.