ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team hosts Hampton in its CAA home-opener on Saturday night, Jan. 4, at Schar Center. Tip-off between the Phoenix (10-4, 1-0 CAA) and the Pirates (8-6, 1-1 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 Will Roberson 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
• The Phoenix and the Pirates have met three times going into Saturday's contest. Elon leads the all-time series over Hampton, 2-1, with each meeting coming as CAA opponents.
• Hampton won the most recent game in the series as the Pirates eliminated the Phoenix from the opening round of the CAA Championships last March, 56-55 after scoring a game-winner with six seconds left. TK Simpkins led the Phoenix with 18 points while Sam Sherry added a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
• Elon has won both regular-season contests versus Hampton in its series. The Phoenix defeated the Pirates, 80-74, last spring at Hampton while earning a 70-68 advantage on its home floor the first time the teams met on Feb. 13, 2023.
• All three games have been competitive between the Phoenix and Pirates, with Elon outscoring Hampton 205-198 including a pair of games with the margin of victory being two points or less.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Elon began CAA play at Piedmont Triad rival North Carolina A&T on Thursday, Jan. 2. The Phoenix had a double-digit halftime lead and withheld a comeback attempt by the Aggies to pull away with a 75-67 victory.
• TJ Simpkins had 19 points to pace the Phoenix (10-4, 1-0 CAA), as Elon won its first CAA road-opener since Jan. 7, 2016, at James Madison. Nick Dorn had 13 points for the maroon and gold while Andrew King added a season-high 11 points. Sam Sherry and Matthew Van Komen contributed with 10 each with Van Komen registering a double-double with 10 rebounds.
• N.C. A&T led by as much as seven points in the opening half, but an 18-4 run to close out the first period for the Phoenix gave the maroon and gold a 45-34 advantage at the break. King helped spark the run for Elon, knocking down back-to-back three pointers in that stretch.
• Elon pushed its lead to as large as 16, 58-42, with 14 minutes left to play in the game. The Aggies were able to rally to cut their deficit to a one-possession game, 65-62, with 6:14 remaining.
• The Phoenix would hold N.C. A&T without a field goal for the next five minutes as Elon expanded its lead thanks to some clutch baskets down the stretch from Simpkins.
• The win was the third in a row for Elon while also giving the Phoenix its first 1-0 start in league play since Dec. 29, 2021, in a 79-62 win over Northeastern. The Phoenix also improved to 4-7 all-time in CAA openers.
 
SCOUTING HAMPTON
• Under first-year head coach Ivan Thomas, Hampton is off to an 8-6 start, including a 1-1 mark in CAA play after an 94-67 setback at College of Charleston on Thursday. Prior to Thursday, the Pirates had won five straight, including an 82-71 victory over North Carolina A&T on Dec. 3 in its league opener.
• Hampton is averaging 75.6 points on 41.4 percent shooting, including 34.1 percent from 3-point range, with 38.1 rebounds, 13.9 assists, 8.1 steals and 3.7 blocks per game, while allowing 70.1 points on 44.3 percent shooting, including 33.4 percent from 3-point range. The Pirates are connecting on 76.7 percent from the free throw line, which is 39^th overall in the country.
• The Pirates have one of the top bench units in the country, ranking second overall in bench points per game at 40.86. Hampton also crashes the offensive glass at a high rate, corralling 13.93 second-chance opportunities per game, which is 25^th in the nation.
• Two Pirates are averaging in double figures led by graduate student Noah Farrakhan, who is averaging 13.0 points on 39.8 percent shooting. He is also the team's top distributer with 40 assists while grabbing 20 steals. Junior George Beale Jr. is averaging 12.3 points on 43.2 percent shooting while knocking down nearly 41 percent of his shots from three. Beale Jr. and Kyrese Mullen lead the Pirates' bench unit with Mullen ranking third on the team at 8.6 points per game while pulling down a team-best 7.4 boards per contest.
• Hampton went 9-24 last season with a 3-15 ledger in its second year in the CAA. The Pirates were selected to finish 14^th in the 2024-25 CAA Preseason poll with Mullen being selected to the league's preseason All-CAA First Team.
• Thomas is in his first season leading the Pirates' program. He served as the associate head coach at Georgetown in 2023-24 and spent eight seasons as a part of Ed Cooley's Providence staff where he contributed to multiple postseason appearances and NCAA Tournament berths.
 
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 William & Mary for a matchup against the Tribe next Thursday, Jan. 9. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. with the contest airing on the CBS Sports Network.