ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team begins a two-game road swing on Thursday night, Jan. 16, as the Phoenix (12-5, 3-1 CAA) travels to Philadelphia to take on Drexel (10-7, 2-2 CAA) at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• The game will stream on FloCollege (FloHoops) via a paid subscription.
• 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 X (formerly Twitter) by following @ElonMBasketball.
 
THE MATCHUP
• Going into Thursday's matchup, Drexel leads the all-time series over the Phoenix, 12-8. The Dragons have won five of the last six meetings and five straight on its home floor.
• The two teams met only once last season in Elon with Drexel coming away with an 89-69 victory. The Phoenix was led by Rob Higgins and his 18 points while Sam Sherry added 13, but Elon could not overcome a 21-point halftime deficit as the Dragons snapped the maroon and gold's unbeaten streak at home.
• Elon's last win of the series came on Jan. 28, 2023, as the Phoenix defeated the Dragons 72-58 at Schar Center. Sean Halloran had 18 points to lead Elon to help the maroon and gold shoot 56.3 percent from the floor (27-of-48) in the game. Jerald Gillens-Butler added 14 points while going 6-of-11 from the field.
• The last time Elon won at Drexel came on Feb. 18, 2017, as the Phoenix took a 65-56 verdict. The 2016-17 campaign would also be the last time that the maroon and gold won swept the season series over the Dragons.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Phoenix defeated intrastate rival Campbell, 81-68, on Monday night, continuing to stay perfect at Schar Center this season with a 7-0 record, the best home start for the program at the DI level.
• Sam Sherry and Nick Dorn combined for 45 points in the Phoenix's win. Sherry led the way with 23 points while adding his sixth double-double of the season with 10 boards. Dorn connected on his fifth 20-point game with 22 points while going 5-of-10 from three-point range. TJ Simpkins added 12 points while flirting with a triple-double with eight rebounds and six assists while Brayden Crump contributed with 11 off the bench.
• Elon led from the jump with the Camels getting as close as two points, 23-21, with less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half. An 11-0 run helped the maroon and gold expand its lead before going into the break ahead 42-34.
• The Phoenix held the Camels to under 35 percent from the floor in the second half and took its largest lead of the contest, 79-62, with 1:36 left to play. Both teams would play out the final minute before settling on the 81-68 final score in favor of the Phoenix.
• Sherry added his third straight double-double and his fifth in the last six games. Over that span, the Mechanicsburg, Pa., native is averaging 18.7 points per game and 11.0 boards per contest. It was also his third game with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
• Matthew Van Komen had another double-digit rebounding effort with 10 boards, his sixth game with boards in double figures. He was also credited with three blocks in the game, giving him 45 on the season to move into the program's top 10 list for a single season.
 
SCOUTING DREXEL
• Coached by ninth-year head coach Zach Spiker, the Dragons are 10-7 on the year, including a 2-2 ledger in the CAA. Drexel is coming off a 93-82 setback versus Towson last Saturday, but had won two straight on the road against Stony Brook and North Carolina A&T.
• Drexel is averaging 71.4 points on 46.0 percent shooting, including 35.4 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 66.1 points on 40.3 percent from the field, including 28.5 percent from 3-point range, which is 22^nd in the country. The Dragons are hitting on 69.3 percent from the free throw line.
• Six players for the Dragons are averaging at least six points per game, including three double-digit scorers in Kobe MaGee (15.2 ppg.), Yame Butler (14.4 ppg.) and Cole Hargrove (10.9 ppg.). MaGee has a team-high 48 made three-pointers, hitting at 45.3 percent from the floor. Butler is second on the team with his 22 made three-pointers while shooting nearly 51 percent from the field. Hargrove is Drexel's leading rebounder (8.5 rpg.) and shot blocker (28 blocks).
• The Dragons were 20-12 last season and went 13-5 in the CAA, finishing second in the league standings. This year, Drexel was predicted to finish 11^th in the 2024-25 CAA Preseason poll.
• Spiker was the 2023-24 Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year and helped lead the Dragons to its first 20-win season for the first time in a decade. His teams have won 10 or more CAA games in three straight seasons while posting three consecutive winning seasons, the first time that has been accomplished at Drexel since the 2004-05 season.
 
ELON BASKETBALL LIVE IS BACK
• Elon Basketball Live presented by Select Bank is back on Monday nights at MaGerks Pub and Grill in Elon, N.C., coinciding with the start of the new calendar year and the Phoenix's start in CAA basketball play. The show will run from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday nights with a couple of schedule exceptions.
• Elon Basketball Live is the exclusive chance for fans to hear directly from head women's basketball coach Charlotte Smith and head men's basketball coach Billy Taylor all winter long. The longtime voice of the Phoenix, Taylor Durham, will chat with both Smith and Taylor, along with player guests, about recent and upcoming games.
• Fans are invited to attend the broadcast live and can also listen via The Varsity Network app on their phone or smart device. The show will also be available on Tuesday morning via The Voices of Elon Athletics Podcast on Spotify.
• Due to the Phoenix men's basketball team playing Campbell on Monday night, next week's show will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 14 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
 
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
Elon concludes its two-game road trip with a visit to Delaware on Saturday, Jan. 18. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will stream on FloCollege (FloHoops).