ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball continues its road trip with a visit to Midwest to take on Northern Illinois on Wednesday, Nov. 20. Tipoff between the Phoenix (1-2) and the Huskies (2-2) is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST at the NIU Convocation Center.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
• 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. EST
• 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 by following @ElonMBasketball.
 
THE MATCHUP
• Elon and NIU will meet for only the second time in their series histories on Wednesday with both matchups coming in DeKalb, Ill.
• The Phoenix earned an 85-80 win in double overtime over the Huskies on Nov. 25, 2016, in the first contest between the two schools at the NIU Thanksgiving Classic. Elon overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to improve to 3-1 on the season.
• Steven Santa Ana led the way for the Phoenix with 20 points and seven rebounds. Brian Dawkins and Tyler Seibring added 15 points each and Luke Eddy scored 10 as well as recording a team-high five assists.
• Phoenix head coach Billy Taylor is 9-3 all-time versus NIU as a head coach with each game when he was the head coach at Ball State from 2007-13.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Elon started its six-game road swing with a visit to in-state rival Gardner-Webb last Friday, Nov. 15. Despite having five players reach double figures for the third straight game, the Phoenix could not hang out to a second-half lead as the Runnin' Bulldogs took an 80-79 victory.
• Nick Dorn and TK Simpkins tied for team-lead honors with 17 points each while TJ Simpkins added 13 points off the bench. Sam Sherry and Isaac Harrell both contributed with 12 for the Phoenix, who shot 47.3 percent from the floor (26-of-55) and 34.8 percent from three-point range (8-of-23).
• The Phoenix ended the opening half with a 41-40 lead thanks to a putback dunk at the horn by TJ Simpkins. Elon led by as much as nine points in the second after a made free throw by TK Simpkins made the score 66-57 in favor of the maroon and gold.
• Gardner-Webb responded with a rally in the final 12 minutes, eventually taking the lead for good, 78-77, with 2:24 left in the game. Another basket put the Runnin' Bulldogs up by three with just over a minute to play.
• Elon would close the gap to get within one before getting the ball back with 28 seconds left after forcing a turnover. The Phoenix however could not get any good looks by Gardner-Webb's defense as Elon saw its two-game win streak snapped against the Runnin' Bulldogs.
 
SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS
• The Huskies are 2-2 on the season but are coming off a 76-60 setback at Bradley on Saturday. NIU had won two straight games going into that game, winning against Holy Cross College and CAA opponent Monmouth.
• The Huskies are averaging 77.3 points per game on 48.7 percent shooting, including 35.4 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 64.8 points on 39.6 percent shooting, including 37.3 percent from long range. NIU is connecting on 69.1 percent from the free throw line. The team ranks 24^th nationally and first in the MAC with 6.0 blocks per game.
• Three players are averaging in double figures led by sophomore guard Quentin Jones, who is averaging 15.8 points on 51.2 percent shooting, including 39.1 percent from 3-point range, to go with seven blocked shots. Junior Ethan Jones and senior James Dent Jr. both average 13.5 points for the Huskies to tie for second on the squad. Dent Jr. has pulled down a team-best 24 boards (6.0 rpg) while shooting 56.7 percent from the field and 50 percent from three. Butler is tied with Jones for the team-lead in blocks with seven while shooting nearly 67 percent from the floor.
• NIU was picked 11^th in the preseason MAC poll after going 11-20 overall in 2023-24 with a 5-13 ledger in conference play.
• Rashon Burno is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Northern Illinois men's basketball program. Burno came to NIU following six seasons at Arizona State, including five as associate head coach, and is the 29th head coach in Huskies men's basketball history.
 
PRESEASON PRAISE
• Junior guard TK Simpkins was named to the 2024-25 Preseason All-CAA as the league announced its preseason awards on Oct. 18. Simpkins is the second Phoenix to earn a spot on the All-CAA preseason team in the past two seasons.
• The Brooklyn, N.Y., native was the Phoenix's top scorer at 13.8 points per game and in total assists with 90. He also finished second on the squad at 4.7 rebounds per game while pacing the Phoenix in free throws made at 128 while hitting 74 percent from the charity stripe.
• During the CAA season, Simpkins upped his scoring average to 14.6 per game and tied for the team-lead in rebounds per contest (4.9) while dishing out 3.7 assists per game. He was also active on the defensive end, recording 45 steals on the season. He scored in double figures 21 times in 2023-24.
 
2023-24 REWIND
• The Phoenix returned nine players from its squad a season ago including three starters. Overall, Elon brings back 54 percent of its scoring, 66 percent of its rebounding, 43 percent of its assists and 41 percent of its three-point field goals from 2023-24.
• Elon is coming off a season ranking third in the CAA in three-point field goal percentage (35.2), fourth in three-point attempts (24.4) and fourth in steals per game (6.3). The Phoenix also posted its first winning record on its home floor at Schar Center for the first time in the seven-year facility (excluding the truncated 2020-21 COVID season).
• Along with Simpkins, Elon's other returning starters are senior forward Sam Sherry and sophomore guard Nick Dorn. Both players averaged over nine points per game while starting at least 22 games for the maroon and gold.
• Head coach Billy Taylor begins his third season at the helm of the Phoenix men's basketball program. Taylor helped the Phoenix to post its first winning record at the Schar Center last season while also helping the maroon and gold earn a pair of wins versus teams with an RPI/NET rating of 150 in UNCW and Delaware.
 
TICKETS ON SALE
• Single-game tickets are available for purchase on ElonTickets.com. Single-game tickets begin at $20 for men's basketball. Fans are able to purchase a book of 10 ticket vouchers for $100. These vouchers are redeemable for a ticket to any Elon men's regular season home game. Ticket vouchers must be redeemed for a reserved seat ticket prior to entry. This can be done at the Schar Center Box Office during regular business hours (M-F, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.) or starting 90 minutes prior to tipoff.
• Elon men's basketball season tickets are just $170. For Phoenix Club donors at the Elon Society level, courtside seats are $210, and access to the Sunbrella Club is $360. The Sunbrella Club provides private access to a cash bar and food buffet catered by Harvest Table with a rotation of menus for each game.
• For more information, visit ElonTickets.com or call the Elon Ticket Office at 336-278-6750.
 
UP NEXT
The Phoenix travels to South Bend, Ind., for a Friday night matchup at Notre Dame. That game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff at Purcell Pavilion and will air on the ACC Network Extra.