ELON, N.C. – Elon University men's basketball returns to action on Thursday, Jan. 20, when it travels to Philadelphia, Pa. for a rematch of the 2020-21 CAA Championship game against Drexel. Tipoff in the contest is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
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 6:30 p.m. ET with the Carter and Smith Group Countdown to tipoff.
- Elon's game against Drexel will be streamed live on FloSports.
- Live Stats are available and can be found by visiting https://elonstats.com.
 
THE MATCHUP
- Thursday night marks the 16^th meeting between Elon and Drexel.
- The Phoenix currently trails in the all-time series 8-7.
- In the most recent meeting between the two programs, Elon fell to Drexel, 63-56, in the Championship of the 2021 CAA Tournament on March 9, 2021.
- Hunter McIntosh led the way for Elon, dropping 19 points, including a 3-of-6 mark from beyond the arc, adding two rebounds. Hunter Woods and Michael Graham combined for 12 points and eight rebounds on the night.

SCOUTING ELON
- Former CAA All-Rookie honoree Darius Burford is currently leading the team in scoring (12.6 ppg), assists (3.2 apg) and steals (1.6 spg), while being third on the team in rebounding (4.3 rpg). Burford has scored in double figures 11 times this season and has nabbed at least two steals in eight games this year. His 16.6 ppg scoring averaging in conference play also ranks sixth in the CAA.
- Junior guard and Preseason All-CAA First Team honoree Hunter McIntosh, ranks second the team in scoring at 12.1 points per game, adding 3.1 assists per contest as well. McIntosh has scored in double figures in 45 career games, including 11 times this season. He currently ranks in the top-15 in the conference in scoring at 15.4 ppg through five CAA contests this year.
- Torrence Watson is third on the team in scoring 8.7 points per game, adding 2.7 rebounds per contest as well. Watson has gotten to the charity stripe a team-high 57 times this season, knocking down 48 of his attempts for an 84.2 free throw percentage.
- Junior forward Zac Ervin is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 8.5 points per game, adding 3.6 rebounds per contest. Ervin has knocked down 33 threes while shooting at a 36.3 percent clip from long distance so far this season.
- Junior forward Hunter Woods is chipping in 7.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in 25.5 minutes through 17 games this season. Woods is also currently second on the team in steals this season with 23 total.
- Sophomore center Michael Graham ranks fifth on the team in scoring (8.4 ppg), while leading the team in rebounding at 6.0 rpg. Graham has scored at least 10 points in six straight games and has registered two double-doubles this season.
- Senior forward Chuck Hannah is averaging 5.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in 22.2 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 2.2 points and 1.0 rebounds in just under eight minutes of action per game.
- Center Andrew Junkin made his return from injury against JMU, finishing the night with season-highs in points (6) and rebounds (3).
- Elon currently ranks in the top-2 in the CAA in total threes made (176 – 1st), threes made per game (9.8 – 1st), three-point field goal percentage (36.5 – 2nd) and total assists (248 – 2nd).
- The Phoenix moved to 5-3 at Schar Center and 2-1 at home in CAA play this season with a win over JMU.
- 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 DREXEL
- Drexel enters the contest with an 7-7 overall record and 2-2 record in CAA play after falling to Hofstra, 71-68, in its most recent contest. Xavier Bell led the Dragons in the contest, dropping 30 points and 5 assists. Camren Wynter added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Melik Martin chipped in eight points and eight boards.
- Zach Spiker is in the midst of his sixth season at the helm of the Drexel program after leading the team to the 2021 CAA Championship title last year. Spiker spent seven seasons as the head coach at Army West Point prior to taking over the Dragons program in 2016.
- The Dragons are led by Camren Wynter who leads the team in scoring at 14.6 ppg and assists at 4.6 apg. Drexel has also gotten contributions from James Butler (13.4 ppg and 9.7 rpg) and Melik Martin (10.1 ppg and 4.5 rpg) early on this season.
 
LAST TIME OUT
- Elon dominated James Madison, 90-67, on Monday, Jan. 17, at Schar Center. The Phoenix moved to 2-1 at home in CAA play and 5-3 overall at Schar Center this season with the win.
- Kris Wooten led the charge for the Phoenix, dropping a career-high 23 points, adding two rebounds and two assists in 28 minutes of action. Wooten also posted career-highs in field goals (8) and threes made (7) in the win. The performance marked the second double-digit scoring outing for the senior this season.
- Hunter McIntosh added 18 points, seven assists and three rebounds in 25 minutes. McIntosh scored all his points in the first half, shooting a perfect 6-of-6 from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes. With his performance, McIntosh has now scored at least 10 points in 11 games this season and 45 times overall in his career.
- Darius Burford finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the win. Burford knocked down a career-high four triples in the contest, while grabbing eight boards for the second straight game. The sophomore has now scored in double-figures 11 times this season.  
- Michael Graham chipped in 10 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks in his 24 minutes on the court. Graham continued his strong start to conference play, dropping at least 10 points for the sixth consecutive game, while also posting his 12^th contest with at least five rebounds this year.
- Andrew Junkin logged a season-high six points and three rebounds in the contest, finishing the night 4-of-6 from the charity stripe 1-of-1 from the field.
- Chuck Hannah and Zac Ervin combined for 12 points, six rebounds and three assists in the win.
- RJ Noord scored his first field goal in an Elon uniform, knocking down a mid-range jumper in the final minute for his lone points of the afternoon.
- The Phoenix held a 20-4 advantage in second chance points, a 42-24 advantage in bench points and a 11-9 advantage in fast break points in the contest.
- Elon finished the night with 25 assists, its most in a game since dishing out 27 assists against Randolph earlier this season.
- Elon led by as much as 29 in the win and held the lead for 39:13 of a possible 40 minutes.
- The Phoenix entered halftime with 17 assists on 17 made baskets, including 12 first-half threes.
 
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 returns to action on Jan. 20, when it travels to Philadelphia, Pa. for a matchup with Drexel.
- Following that game, Elon remains on the road for a 1 p.m. contest against Delaware on Saturday, Jan. 22.
- The Phoenix will then head back to Schar Center for a Jan. 27 matchup with William & Mary.