ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team hosts Delaware in a CAA matchup this Thursday night, Feb. 15. The Phoenix (10-15, 3-9 CAA) and the Blue Hens (16-9, 8-4 CAA) are set for a 7 p.m. tip-off time at Schar Center.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• The game will stream on 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 analyst Max Wallace 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
• The Phoenix and the Blue Hens will meet each other for the 21^st time on Thursday in the battle of the birds. Delaware holds a 12-8 advantage in the all-time series while winning eight straight and 11 of its past 12 meetings.
• The two teams last met on Feb. 25, 2023, in the Phoenix's final home game of the season. Elon battled the Blue Hens in the opening half, trailing by only three at the break, but Delaware would eventually pull away in the second period to earn a 70-54 victory and spoil Elon's Senior Night. Sean Halloran had 15 points to lead Elon, going 5-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-3 from downtown.
• Since becoming league opponents in 2014-15, Elon is 5-3 all-time versus Delaware at home. One of those victories was Elon's last win over the Blue Hens on Jan. 31, 2019, as the Phoenix prevailed 57-56 on a Tyler Seibring game-winning jumper with 1.6 seconds left.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Phoenix was handed an 80-55 defeat at Towson on Monday night in its lone matchup of the season versus the Tigers. The win was Towson's fourth straight over the maroon and gold.
• TK Simpkins paced the Phoenix offensively with 19 points, a CAA-high for the Brooklyn, N.Y., native. Simpkins also led the Phoenix on the glass with six rebounds.
• Nick Dorn added 12 points – all in the second half – while going 4-of-8 from three-point range.
• Elon made 17 field goals in the game against the Tigers, its lowest total of the season as the maroon and gold were held to 35.4 percent overall from the floor (17-of-48).
 
SCOUTING ELON
• Elon ranks in the top-five of the CAA in three-point percentage (2^nd, 36.2), bench points per game (3^rd, 26.60), assists per game (4^th, 13.4), scoring offense (4^th, 74.8 ppg), effective field goal percentage (5^th, 52.6), three-point attempts per game (5^th, 23.6) and three-pointers made per game (5^th, 8.6).
• After starting the season 6-0 on its home floor, the Phoenix has dropped its past five games at Schar Center. That matches the team's longest losing streak at home since also dropping five straight during the 2018-19 season.
• Three players are averaging double-digits for the Phoenix while two others are averaging over 9.5 points per game. Simpkins currently leads the team in scoring at 12.0 points per game. The sophomore has come on strong recently, scoring in double figures for two straight games and in five of the last six. In that stretch, Simpkins is averaging 13.5 points per game while shooting 27-of-29 from the charity stripe.
• Mackinnon is second on the team in points per game at 11.8. The Brisbane, Australia, native is the team leader in rebounds per game (4.6) while also being third on the team in assists with 63. He is also hitting just over 40 percent of his attempts from downtown (40.4).
• Rob Higgins is third on the team at 10.9 points per contest while shooting 46.2 percent from the field. The Middletown, N.J., native has raised his scoring during league play so far, averaging 11.3 points per game. The fifth-year is also pacing the Phoenix in assists with 69.
• Sam Sherry is just outside the double-digit average at 9.8 points per game. The junior leads the team in field goal percentage (58.4) among players with 10 or more makes while also knocking down 52.6 percent of his shots from three. Sherry's 27 blocks lead the team and ranks sixth overall in the CAA.
• Dorn is averaging 9.6 points per game after adding his 11^th double-digit contest versus Towson. The Charlotte native is the team leader in three-point field goals with 45, just above Zac Ervin's 44 made triples. Ervin is shooting 40.7 percent from downtown while averaging 7.3 points per game.
• Elon has had a strong presence at the rim this season, recording 72 blocks through its first 25 games. That total surpasses the rejections that the Phoenix posted in all of 2022-23 (69).
• 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 Zac 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 Deandre 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 DELAWARE
• The Blue Hens come into Thursday's matchup with a 16-9 overall ledger and an 8-4 mark in the CAA, which is tied for third in the standings. Delaware has won four straight after its win 69-58 victory over William & Mary on Saturday.
• Delaware is averaging 75.6 points on 47.3 percent shooting, including 35.8 percent from three-point range, with 35.6 rebounds, 14.5 assists, 5.8 steals and 3.0 blocks per game, while allowing 69.7 points on 42.4 percent shooting, including 31.1 percent from three-point range. The Blue Hens are connecting on 71.1 percent from the free throw line.
• Four Blue Hens (Jyáre Davis, Gerald Drumgoole Jr., Niels Lane and Cavan Reilly) are averaging in double figures led by Davis, who is averaging 18.3 points on 47 percent shooting, including a team-best 104 made free throws. He is also second in rebounding (7.7 rpg) and blocked shots (16). Drumgoole Jr. is averaging 13.1 points while Lane is averaging 10.0 points on 53.2 percent shooting. Fifth-year Christian Ray leads the team in rebounding at 8.8 boards per contest, second in the CAA.
• Martin Ingelsby is in his eighth season as the head coach at Delaware. Under his leadership, the Blue Hens won the 2022 CAA Championship while making a first-round appearance to the NCAA Tournament. He and his staff have also coached six Blue Hens to the pros while garnering three CAA Rookie of the Year awards, 20 All-CAA honors and five All-District nods.
 
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
The Phoenix begins a three-game road swing this Saturday, Feb. 17, as Elon travels to intrastate foe and CAA co-leader UNCW. Game time is set for 7 p.m. and will air on FloHoops.