ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team travels to William & Mary for a nationally televised clash between two unbeaten teams in the CAA on Thursday, Jan. 9. Tip-off between the Phoenix (11-4, 2-0 CAA) and the Tribe (8-7, 2-0 CAA) is set for 7 p.m. at Kaplan Arena on the CBS Sports Network.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• The game will air on the CBS Sports Network with John Fanta and John Giannini on the call.
• 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
• The Tribe leads 20-9 in the all-time series over the Phoenix. William & Mary has won three of the last four contests versus Elon and has won three straight overall at home.
• Elon won the most recent meeting between the two teams, coming away with a 76-71 verdict on its home floor last season. Four players scored in double figures with TK Simpkins leading the way with 18 points. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native almost had a double-double as he grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Nick Dorn added 14 for the maroon and gold while hitting four treys in the game. Elon ended the game shooting 47 percent from the floor (26-of-55) while knocking down 39 percent of its shots from beyond the arc (9-of-23).
• The Phoenix's last win at William & Mary came on Feb. 20, 2021, as Elon came away with a 75-54 verdict.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Sophomore Nick Dorn and senior Sam Sherry combined for 44 points, as Elon overcame a slim first-half deficit to earn a 70-62 win over Hampton in its CAA home-opener on Saturday, Jan. 4. The win enabled the Phoenix to stay unbeaten at Schar Center at 6-0 on the season while going to 2-0 in the CAA for the first time since 2017-18.
• Dorn led the Phoenix with 24 points for his fourth 20-point game of the season, with the Charlotte native knocking down five triples while going 9-of-13 from the free-throw line. Sherry added his fourth double-double of the year and his second 20-10 effort with 20 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
• The Pirates led the Phoenix at the half, 32-30, and were ahead by three, 36-33, with 17:41 left in the game. Elon responded with a 7-2 run capped off by a Sherry jump hook to give the Phoenix the lead for good, 40-38, with 15:35 remaining.
• Hampton would make it a one-possession contest, 47-45, with 12:47 remaining, but that would be as close the Pirates would get in the second half. Elon would eventually get some breathing room, leading by as much as 12 points down the stretch before earning the eight-point victory.
• The Phoenix went 25-of-37 from the free throw line, the most free throws made by Elon since going 26-of-31 against James Madison on Jan. 25, 2020.
• The Phoenix held Hampton to 36.2 percent shooting from the field (25-of-69). It's the third straight game that the maroon and gold defense has held an opponent to less than 40 percent from the field.
 
SCOUTING WILLIAM & MARY
• Under first-year head coach Brian Earl, the Tribe are 8-7 overall with a 2-0 ledger during CAA play. William & Mary defeated Stony Brook 83-76 in its last game on Saturday, winning its third straight overall and five of its last six.
• William & Mary is averaging 82.6 points on 47.6 percent shooting, including 37.0 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 76 points on 44.2 percent from the field, including 31.6 percent from 3-point range. The Tribe are hitting on 71.7 percent from the free throw line. Nationally, William & Mary ranks sixth in three-pointers per game (11.5), eighth in three-point attempts (31.1), seventh in bench points per game (37.53) and 22^nd in assists per contest (17.6).
• Three players are averaging in double figures led by senior Noah Collier (13.1 ppg.), senior Gabe Dorsey (11.9 ppg.) and junior Kyle Pulliam (10.2 ppg.). Collier is averaging a team-high 5.6 boards per game and is 14^th in the nation in field-goal percentage (62.7). Gabe Dorsey has knocked down a team-best 44 treys, which is fourth in the CAA, while ranking third in the league with a 43.1 percentage from downtown.
• The Tribe went 10-23 last season with a 4-14 record in the CAA. William & Mary was predicted to finish seventh in the 2024-25 CAA Preseason poll.
• The 32^nd head coach to lead the William & Mary men's basketball program, Earl spent the previous seven seasons as the head coach at Cornell, where he led the Big Red to numerous offensive milestones and its first-ever NIT bid this year. During his eight-year head coaching career, Earl has amassed a record of 104-110 overall with three winning seasons.
 
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
Elon returns home to Schar Center to host intrastate league opponent Campbell on Monday night, Jan. 13 at 9 p.m. The contest will air on the CBS Sport Network.