ELON – The Elon men's basketball team will ride a three-game win streak into Blacksburg, Virginia, where it will face Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff at Cassell Coliseum is set for 2 p.m. ET on ACC Network Extra.
 
GAME INFORMATION

• Date & Time: Saturday, December 20 | 2 p.m. ET
• Location: Blacksburg, Virginia | Cassell Coliseum
• Watch: ACCNX | PxP: Jason Patterson | Analyst: Mack McCarthy | Sideline: Tamara Brown
• Listen: Elon Sports Network | The Varsity Network App | PxP: Taylor Durham
• Live Stats: Statbroadcast

 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP – ELON vs. VIRGINIA TECH

• Series record: Virginia Tech leads, 13-7
• The Phoenix (7-4) and Hokies (10-2) have met 20 times on the hardwood dating back to 1914. Virginia Tech has won all three matchups during Elon's Division I era (1999–present), with the most recent meeting coming in 2008.
• Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young is 9-8 all-time against Elon, with all 17 previous meetings coming during his tenure at Wofford when the two programs were Southern Conference rivals.
• Elon has four wins against power conference opponents in its Division I era (1999-present), including two against ACC programs: an 84-77 victory at Notre Dame on Nov. 22, 2024, and a 74-69 win at Clemson on Dec. 30, 2005. Elon also recorded back-to-back victories over South Carolina in 2011 and 2012.
• Virginia Tech is 7-0 at Cassell Coliseum this season.

 
STARTING FIVE
1. Maroon Travels
Elon has won its past two road games by a combined 56 points, opening with an 88-53 victory at Appalachian State in Boone on Nov. 24 before rolling past Wofford 73-52 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on Dec. 6. The 35-point win against the Mountaineers stands as the program's largest margin of victory in a road game during its Division I era (1999-present). Elon appeared poised to surpass that mark in Spartanburg after carrying a 50-15 lead into halftime.
 
The Phoenix is 3-2 on the road this season and 6-3 in its past nine nonconference road games, a stretch that includes an ACC road win at Notre Dame, dating back to Nov. 20, 2024.
 
2. Team Effort
The Phoenix earned one of its most impressive nonconference wins Wednesday night, knocking off Richmond – which entered the game 9–1 overall –73–70 at the Schar Center. Elon turned 20 Richmond turnovers into 29 points and erased a six-point halftime deficit to secure its third straight victory. It was a balanced effort for the Phoenix, as leading scorers Chandler Cuthrell (21.5 points per game) and Randall Pettus II (14.5 PPG) were held to a combined 16 points. Kacper Klaczek set the tone with 16 points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc, adding six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Ja'Juan Carr (13) and Isaac Harrell (11) also reached double figures, with Harrell knocking down three 3-pointers. Despite finishing with nine points on 4-of-11 shooting, Cuthrell delivered the game's biggest moment, converting a decisive three-point play with 53 seconds remaining to give Elon a 73-70 lead that it would not relinquish.
 
3. All Aboard The Cuthrell Train
Graduate forward Chandler Cuthrell has emerged as one of the nation's most productive scorers in his first and only season with the Phoenix, leading the CAA and ranking 15th nationally at 21.5 points per game. A collegiate journeyman with previous stops at Odessa, UTSA and Purdue Fort Wayne, Cuthrell arrived at Elon with a career scoring average of 6.1 points per game but has since established himself as a true three-level scorer. He is shooting 53.4% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc while consistently pressuring defenses off the dribble.
Cuthrell has been particularly effective at getting to the free throw line, ranking 10th nationally with 94 attempts and converting at a 70.2% clip (66-of-94). Named to the early-season watch list for the Lou Henson Award – presented annually to the nation's top mid-major player – Cuthrell is one of just four players in Division I averaging at least 21.0 points (21.5) and 7.0 rebounds (7.2), joining Duke's Cameron Boozer, BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Texas Tech's JT Toppin.
 
4. It's Raining Threes
Elon continues to be the CAA's most prolific perimeter shooting team, ranking first in the league in 3-pointers made (10.0 per game) and attempted (28.1 per game) while sitting third in 3-point percentage (35.6%). After an uncharacteristic 3-of-19 showing against NIU on Dec. 13, the Phoenix rebounded with a 10-of-25 performance (40.0%) in its midweek win over Richmond, marking its seventh game this season with double-digit made 3-pointers.
 
The focal point of Elon's perimeter attack is Randall Pettus II, who leads the CAA and ranks 23rd nationally by shooting 46.5% from beyond the arc (33-of-71), with multiple 3-pointers in 10 of 11 games. Though still early, this group is on pace to become just the fourth Phoenix team in the Division I era (1999–present) to average double figures in made 3-pointers per game.
 
5. Calling For Backup
Sophomore Bryson Cokley has emerged as a reliable scoring spark off the bench and continues to expand his game as the season progresses. A transfer from George Mason – and originally a Wake Forest commit out of high school – Cokley ranks fourth on the team in scoring (11.3 PPG) while averaging 23.7 minutes in a reserve role. He has scored in double figures in eight of 11 games and has also elevated his presence on the glass, averaging 5.6 rebounds in seven games since Nov. 20 after grabbing just 2.5 boards per game through the first four.
 
UP NEXT
Elon concludes nonconference play against Greensboro College on Monday. Tipoff at Schar Center is set for 4 p.m. ET.
 
SUPPORT THE PHOENIX
Fans can support Elon Athletics through the Phoenix Club. To purchase 2025-26 tickets, visit TicketMaster.com/ElonTickets.
 
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Elon men's basketball, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonMBasketball) and Instagram (@ElonMBasketball).