ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team hosts Bluefield University in its home opener on Saturday night, Nov. 9, at Schar Center. The Phoenix (0-1) and the Rams (0-1) are scheduled to tipoff at 8 p.m.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• The game will be broadcast on the FloCollege via a paid subscription.
• Max Wallace will be on the call along with Will Roberson with the pregame show beginning at 7:30 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 by following @ElonMBasketball.
 
THE MATCHUP
• Elon and Bluefield are meeting for the sixth time in their respective series histories. Going into Saturday, the Phoenix holds a 4-1 advantage over the Rams all-time.
• The two teams last played each other on Nov. 12, 2021, at Schar Center. The maroon and gold won that contest, 89-72 over the Rams with Zac Ervin scoring a career-high 29 points and eight rebounds in just over 32 minutes. Ervin knocked down six threes in the game. Darius Burford added 18 points, 12 rebounds and six assists while Michael Graham posted his first career double-double, finishing the afternoon with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
• Bluefield's lone win of the series came back in 2005 as the Rams shocked the Phoenix with a 65-63 win at Alumni Gym.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Elon opened its 2024-25 campaign at in-state rival No. 9/10 North Carolina on Monday night, Nov. 4. The Phoenix had a strong showing against the Tar Heels, rallying from a double-digit, second half deficit to briefly take the lead late in the contest, but UNC was able to pull away for a 90-76 victory.
• A 14-0 run late in the second half put the Phoenix (0-1) in position for a potential upset of its in-state rival.  Four players scored in double figures for Elon led by 18 points off the bench for TJ Simpkins. Nick Dorn added 17 points while Sam Sherry and TK Simpkins contributed 15 and 14 points, respectively.
• The win improved the Tar Heels to 5-0 all-time versus Elon during the Phoenix's Division I era. The maroon and gold also fell to 0-31 all-time versus ranked opponents at the D-I level.
• Elon's 76 points are the most points scored by the Phoenix against the Tar Heels. As a team, the maroon and gold shot 42.6 percent from the field including 50 percent in the second half. The Phoenix also knocked down nearly 45 percent of its triples (13-of-29).
 
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.
 
SCOUTING BLUEFIELD
• The Rams are coming off a 67-61 setback to WVU Tech in their season-opener on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Bluefield is in the midst of a three-game road trip to start the season before its home-opener next Saturday versus Bristol.
• Competing in the Appalachian Athletic Conference in the NAIA, Bluefield is coming off an 8-20 campaign in 2023-24 including an 8-16 ledger in the AAC. The Rams were predicted to finish 11^th in the 2024-25 AAC Preseason poll.
• The Rams welcome back All-League guard Elijah White and center Danny Alford. White averaged 17.9 points per game to lead Bluefield while shooting 42.5 percent from the field and nearly 37 percent from three. Alford averaged 8.6 ppg last season along with seven boards per contest.
• Head coach Richard Morgan begins his 15^th season at the helm of the Bluefield men's basketball program.
 
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.
• For more information, visit ElonTickets.com or call the Elon Ticket Office at 336-278-6750.
 
UP NEXT
The Phoenix embarks on a six-game trip from Schar Center beginning at Gardner-Webb on Friday, Nov. 15. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.