ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team opens CAA play this Thursday, Jan. 4, as the Phoenix (7-6) travels to William & Mary (5-8) for a matchup against the Tribe. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Kaplan Arena.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• The game will stream on the FloHoops via a paid subscription.
• Listen to the game on the Elon Sports Network from Learfield on The Varsity Network app.
• Longtime voice of the Phoenix, Taylor Durham, will be on the call along with the pregame show beginning at 6:30 p.m.
• Links for the broadcast and live stats can be found on the Elon men's basketball schedule page at elonphoenix.com.
• Other in-game updates will be provided on Twitter/X by following @ElonMBasketball.
 
TICKETS ON SALE
• Single-game tickets are now available for the 2023-24 Elon Basketball season! Don't miss the action, be there to cheer on your Phoenix! Grab your tickets today and be a part of the excitement in Schar Center!
• The Elon University Department of Athletics has many ticket options available for fans, including season tickets, single-game tickets and voucher books.
• For more information, visit ElonTickets.com or call the Elon Ticket Office at 336-278-6750.
 
THE MATCHUP
• Elon and William & Mary will meet for the 28^th time overall in the all-time series between the two schools. The Tribe holds a 19-8 advantage over the Phoenix.
• Last season, the teams met three times with each winning on their home court, including 66-55 by Elon on Feb. 1, 2023, and 73-60 by William & Mary on Feb. 23, 2023, before the Tribe won the rubber match, 73-51, in the second round of the 2023 Jersey Mike's CAA Championship on March 4, 2023.
• In the most recent contest at the CAA Tournament, Sam Sherry led the Phoenix with 15 points while also adding his first double-double with a career-high 12 rebounds. He also added a pair of blocks and shot 6-of-8 from the floor. Sean Halloran scored 14 points as he went 6-of-11 from the field and a perfect 2-of-2 from three-point range.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Elon closed out its non-conference schedule with an 82-78 win over Valparaiso on Friday, Dec. 29 at Schar Center in its most recent game.
• Rob Higgins tied a career-high with six steals while leading the Phoenix with 19 points while going 7-of-9 from the floor. Max Mackinnon added 16 points and tied Higgins for the team-lead with four assists while Nick Dorn and LA Pratt contributed with 11 and 10 points off the bench, respectively.
• The win helped the Phoenix remain unbeaten on its home floor at Schar Center with a 5-0 record this season.
• The Phoenix leveled its all-time record versus Valparaiso to 1-1 after avenging its loss last season to the Beacons.
• Elon ended the game shooting 53 percent from the floor (29-of-55) while posting its fourth game scoring 80 points or more this season.
 
DORN GARNERS SECOND CAA ROOKIE OF THE WEEK ACCOLADES
• Freshman Nick Dorn was named the CAA Rookie of the Week for the second time this season on Monday, Jan. 1.
• Dorn scored 11 points off the bench in the Phoenix's victory over Valparaiso. The Charlotte native also grabbed four rebounds while hitting a pair of treys in his sixth double-digit scoring outing of the season.
• This is the second CAA Rookie of the Week accolade for Dorn this season. He was also recognized by the league office on Nov. 20 and ties Charleston's James Scott for the most rookie weekly honors from the CAA so far this year.
 
SCOUTING ELON
• The Phoenix's 7-6 ledger is the team's best start since 2017-18 when Elon began that campaign at 8-6. Elon is also 3-6 all-time in its CAA league openers with two of those victories coming against Drexel. The Phoenix's other conference-opening win came against Northeastern in 2021.
• Elon is currently first in the CAA in field goal percentage at 48.1 percent and second in scoring offense at 80.5 points per game. The maroon and gold is also in the top 20 of the country in bench points at 31.69 points per game with eight games of scoring 30 or more points off the pine.
• TK Simpkins currently leads the Phoenix in scoring at 12.3 ppg. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native has scored in double figures in nine out of the 12 games he has appeared in. He is also third in the CAA in steals per game at 1.7, fourth in total steals with 20 and fifth in the league in free throw attempts with 72.
• Mackinnon is the second-leading scorer for the Phoenix, averaging 11.8 points per game. The Brisbane, Australia, native is second on the team in total rebounds with 57 (4.4 rpg) and second overall in assists with 34. Mackinnon posted his ninth double-digit scoring contest this season against the Beacons.
• Higgins leads the Phoenix in minutes per game (28.7) while adding his fifth double-figure contest versus Valparaiso. The Middletown, N.J., native is shooting over 53 percent from the field and is pacing the team in assists with 37.
• Sherry is the Phoenix's leading rebounder at 5.2 boards per game and shot blocker with 14 rejections this season. The junior is averaging 8.3 points per game.
• Dorn is averaging 10.2 points per game for the Phoenix in his rookie campaign. He also leads the team with 25 made three-pointers this season while shooting 38.5 percent from downtown.
• Zac Ervin is fifth on the team in scoring at 8.4 ppg. The Gate City, Va., native is second on the team with 23 triples on the season, knocking down treys at a 41.8 percent clip. He has 180 made triples in his career, placing him in a tie for 11th all-time in school history along with Drew Spradlin '12.
• The Phoenix returns eight players from last year's roster for second-year head coach Billy Taylor. Elon was predicted to finish 10^th in the 2023-24 CAA Preseason Poll after going 6-12 in league play last season.
• Along with Mackinnon, other returning starters for the Phoenix include Ervin and junior Sam Sherry. Ervin led the Phoenix in three-point makes last season with 61 while averaging 9.3 points per contest. The 6-foot-5 guard was third on the team in minutes per game (27.5) and assists (47).
• After averaging less than 10 minutes a game as a freshman, Sherry came on strong during his sophomore campaign. The Mechanicsville, Pa., native averaged 9.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while blocking a team-high 25 shots. He also finished second on the team in field-goal percentage at 57.8 and ended the year with his first career double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds versus William & Mary at the CAA Tournament.
• The maroon and gold also welcomes back three other veterans in senior JaDun Michael and sophomores Smart and LA Pratt. Michael played in 18 games with five starts, averaging 4.1 points. Pratt saw valuable playing time during his freshman season in which he started eight games while Smart gave the Phoenix valuable minutes off the bench before an injury cut short his season in which he averaged 9.0 points per game while 72.2 percent from the floor. Other returners on the Phoenix include sophomores Otto Luessenhop and Austin Williams.
•Elon welcomes seven newcomers to its roster for 2023-24. Joining the Phoenix are transfers Rob Higgins and TK Simpkins along with incoming freshmen Kendall Campbell, Nick Dorn, Isaac Harrell, Ned Hull and Savion Taylor.
• Among the notable newcomers include Higgins, a transfer from St. Francis Brooklyn College where he spent the past four seasons. A 6-foot-1, 179-pound guard from Middletown, N.J., Higgins tied for the team-lead in scoring this past season at St. Francis Brooklyn, averaging 11.3 points per contest.
• Simpkins is a 6-foot-4, 184-pound guard who was a member of the Northwest Florida State College program last season. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native appeared in 37 games for the Raiders, averaging 8.8 points per game.
 
SCOUTING WILLIAM & MARY
• William & Mary sits with a 5-8 record on the season after being handed a 77-65 loss at Navy last Saturday. The Tribe is currently unbeaten at home with a 5-0 record inside Kaplan Arena this season.
• The Tribe went 13-20 last season while posting a 7-11 mark in the CAA. This year, William & Mary was tabbed to finish eighth in the 2023-24 CAA Preseason Poll.
• Offensively, William & Mary ranks in the top 35 in the nation in three-point attempts (23^rd, 27.7) and three-pointers made (35^th, 9.5). The Tribe is averaging 76.6 points on 44.7 percent shooting, including 34.4 percent from 3-point range, with 35.8 rebounds, 13.5 assists, 4.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, while allowing 74.0 points on 43.4 percent shooting, including 34.5 percent from 3-point range. William & Mary is connecting on 74.2 percent from the free throw line.
• Three players who have appeared in more than three games are averaging double figures for the Tribe. Junior Gabe Dorsey leads the team with 14.8 points per game and is currently seventh in the nation in three-pointers per game (3.6) and total triples (47). His 42.7 percent from distance is second in the CAA.
• Sophomore Trey Moss is second on the team at 13.6 points per game and is also second in assists (37) and three-pointers (18). Another sophomore, Chase Lowe, is posting an 11.8 points per game average while shooting 58.1 percent from the field.
• Dane Fischer is in his fifth season leading the William & Mary men's basketball program. During his time in Williamsburg, Fischer-coached players have earned a CAA Player of the Year, a CAA Defensive Player of the Year, a CAA Rookie of the Year, three All-CAA selections, three CAA All-Rookie Team choices and four CAA All-Defensive Team picks. In two of his four seasons, the Tribe had two of the five players selected to the league's top defensive team.
 
PRESEASON PRAISE
• Sophomore Max Mackinnon received some preseason praise from the CAA as the Brisbane, Australia, native was named to the 2023-24 Preseason All-CAA second team on Oct. 19.
• The reigning CAA Rookie of the Year in 2022-23, Mackinnon is the Phoenix's returning leader in points (11.4 ppg), rebounds (5.1 rpg), assists (2.4 apg) and steals (1.1 spg). Mackinnon is coming off a rookie campaign in which he shot nearly 50 percent from the floor and was named CAA Rookie of the Week selection a league-high four times. He also led the program with three double-doubles and scored in double figures 17 times including four 20-point performances.
• Among Mackinnon's standout games last season included him scoring 19 points at No. 18/21 Indiana, the second-highest point total that a freshman has scored against the Hoosiers at that point of the season. He also scored a season-high 24 points while adding his first career double-double with 12 rebounds at High Point. He also added 20 points and a season-best eight assists at Northeastern while scoring 17 points with a career-best 13 rebounds at No. 22 College of Charleston.
 
UP NEXT
Elon hosts Piedmont Triad rival North Carolina A&T on Saturday, Jan. 6, for its CAA home-opener at Schar Center. Tip-off time is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will stream on FloHoops.