ELON, N.C. – In a game featuring two teams near the top of the CAA standings, the Elon University men's basketball team hosts College of Charleston on Saturday night, Jan. 25 at Schar Center. Tip-off between the Phoenix (14-6, 5-2 CAA) and the Cougars (15-5, 5-2 CAA) 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 along with analyst Will Roberson as the pregame show begins 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 X (formerly Twitter) by following @ElonMBasketball.
 
THE MATCHUP
• The Cougars lead the all-time series over the Phoenix with a 28-9 advantage going back to the 1992-93 season. During its Division I era (since 1999-2000), College of Charleston is the most-faced team Elon has played with 37 games tied with UNCG.
• Charleston has won five straight over the maroon and gold and six out of its past seven games. The Cougars took an 80-62 decision versus the Phoenix in their lone meeting last year at TD Arena. Four players scored in double figures for Elon with Max Mackinnon leading the way with his 17 points and eight rebounds.
• Elon's last win in the series came on Feb. 14, 2021, with the Phoenix prevailing with a 66-55 victory in Charleston. Hunter McIntosh led the way for the Phoenix, posting 20 points, four rebounds and three assists. Simon Wright added 15 points and four rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting from the field. Wright also knocked down three triples on the day.
• The Phoenix's last home win versus CofC was during the 2017-18 season with Elon coming away with a 63-58 verdict. Steven Santa Ana scored 23 points while going 6-of-8 from three-point range. Dmitri Thompson had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds while Tyler Seibring added 17 points with eight rebounds.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Elon withstood a second-half rally by Monmouth to remain undefeated on its home floor with an 83-71 victory versus the Hawks on Thursday night. The Phoenix improved to 8-0 at Schar Center this season, extending its best home start in Division I history.
• The Simpkins twins combined for 44 points with TJ leading the way with 26 points off the bench. TK Simpkins added 18 with the brothers combining to go 18-of-24 from the free throw line.
• Elon trailed 17-16 in the first half, but a 13-2 run helped the Phoenix take a double-digit lead at 29-19. The Phoenix would stay in front for the remainder of the opening period, going into the half ahead 41-29.
• The Hawks rallied to tie the game at 51-all before eventually grabbing their first lead of the second half, 60-58, with 7:18 remaining. Monmouth doubled its lead to four on its next possession with Elon trailing 62-58.
• Monmouth would go ahead by three, 64-61, with just under five minutes remaining in the game. Elon battled back with a 7-0 run to retake the lead as Nick Dorn hit a three to give the Phoenix a 68-64 advantage.
• The game would be tied again at 68-all but Elon went back in front for good after Dorn knocked down a pair of free throws at the line. After a defensive stop by the Phoenix, TJ Simpkins added two more from the charity stripe that gave the maroon and gold a four-point cushion, 72-68.
• Elon would close out the contest at the free throw line, with Dorn and TJ Simpkins combining to go 8-for-8 at the charity stripe in the final seconds as the Phoenix earned the 83-71 victory.
 
SCOUTING COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
• Under first-year head coach Chris Mack, the Cougars are 15-5 on the season and 5-2 during CAA play. CofC is coming off an 85-83 setback versus UNCW at home on Thursday, snapping the Cougars' two-game win streak.
• Charleston is averaging 78.7 points on 44.9 percent shooting, including 35.6 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 75.0 points on 43.8 percent shooting from the field, including 31.1 percent from 3-point range.  The Cougars are hitting on 76.9 percent from the free throw line, which is 36^th in the nation.
• The Cougars are also one of the top defensive rebounding teams in the country, sitting 36^th overall with 27.55 defensive boards per game. CofC's 16.2 assists per game average is 52^nd overall in the country.
• College of Charleston has a balanced scoring attack with seven players averaging at least six points or more. Senior Ante Brzovic leads the Cougars in points (18.4 ppg.), rebounds (8.4 rpg.) and blocked shots (22). The 2024-25 CAA Preseason Player of the Year has six double-doubles this season, tying Elon's Sam Sherry for league-high honors.
• Sophomore guard Tavarez Deywilk is second on CofC with his 14.1 points per game average while knocking down a team-best 50 three-pointers at 43.9 percent. Derrin Boyd (13.3 ppg.) and AJ Smith (10.6 ppg.) are the other double-digit scorers for the Cougars. Senior CJ Fulton is CofC's top playmaker with 119 assists as he ranks first in the country in assist/turnover ratio at 4.58.
• After going 27-8 last season with a 15-3 ledger in the CAA, the defending league champion Cougars were picked to finish second in the 2024-25 CAA Preseason poll. Along with Brzovic, Fulton also received preseason All-CAA honors with his choice to the second team while Boyd received an honorable mention nod.
• After a two-year coaching hiatus, Mack joined the Cougars as their new head coach for this season. Owning a career record of 293-138, Mack is one of just 19 coaches in college basketball history to lead their team to a No. 1 ranking within the first two years at their school. His teams have participated in the NCAA Tournament in nine of his 12 seasons as a head coach.
 
TAYLOR HONORED WITH HUGH DURHAM AWARD MIDSEASON COACHING HONOR
• Last Thursday, Elon head coach Billy Taylor was honored as the recipient of the midseason Hugh Durham Award as announced by CollegeInsider.com. The Hugh Durham Award is presented annually to the top mid-major college basketball coach in Division I.
• Taylor has led the Phoenix to one of its best starts in its Division I history this season. Elon is 13-6 on the year for its best 19-game start in school history during its Division I era. The maroon and gold is also 4-2 in the CAA and is currently unbeaten at 7-0 on its home floor at Schar Center.
• Among the notable victories this season for the Phoenix includes Elon's 84-77 win at Notre Dame on Nov. 22. It was Elon's first win over a Power 4 opponent since 2012 and its first win over an ACC foe since 2005.
• The Hugh Durham Award is presented annually to the nation's top mid-major coach. The award is named in honor of Hugh Durham who had retired at the end of the 2004-05 season. Durham is one of just twelve coaches to have led two different programs to the NCAA Final Four (Florida State in 1972 and Georgia in 1983). He is the only coach among that group to have led both schools to their lone Final Four appearance.
 
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.
 
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 continues its homestand next week, hosting Hofstra next Thursday, Jan. 30 at Schar Center. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on FloCollege (FloHoops).