DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Elon University men's basketball team begins postseason play at the 2025 17th Purple College Basketball Invitational as the Phoenix (17-15) faces Army West Point (16-15) on Sunday afternoon, March 23 at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• The game will air 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 the pregame show beginning at 1:30 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
• This is the first-ever meeting between Elon and Army on the basketball hardwood.
• Elon head coach Billy Taylor has an overall ledger of 9-2 versus Army during his time as the head coach at Lehigh from 2002-2007.
• The only common opponent both teams shared from this season was the Army's longtime and fellow service academy Navy. The Phoenix faced the Midshipmen at the Cathedral Classic at Penn on Nov. 30 where Elon came away with a 69-63 victory.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Phoenix last played in the second round of the 2025 Jersey Mike's CAA Men's Basketball Championship versus Drexel on March 8. Elon nearly overcame a 25-point second-half deficit, but ultimately would fall to Drexel, 91-74.
• Sam Sherry and TK Simpkins both had 23 points to lead the Phoenix (17-15) in the game. Andrew King and TJ Simpkins both added 11 points each to round out the double-figure scorers for Elon. King led the Phoenix with eight assists – a new season-high for the Phoenix, Ariz., native.
 
TK SIMPKINS, VAN KOMEN HONORED ON ALL-CAA TEAMS
• TK Simpkins and Matthew Van Komen were recognized on the All-CAA teams as the league office announced its postseason honors on March 6. Simpkins was selected to the Second Team while Van Komen represented the maroon and gold on the Defensive Team.
• Simpkins becomes the first member of the Phoenix to earn a spot on the All-CAA teams since 2022. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native is the Phoenix's leading scorer at 16.4 points per game and averaged 17.5 points in league play. He has scored in double figures 23 times on the season including eight 20-point games.
• Van Komen has blocked 73 shots for the Phoenix this season, setting a new single-season program record. The Lehi, Utah, native currently ranks 13^th in the country in blocked shots and 11th overall in blocks per game (2.35). He has had 20 games this season with two or more blocks, including eight with four or more rejections. Van Komen has registered three double-doubles on the year and leads the Phoenix in rebounds per game at 8.4 with 11 double-digit rebound performances.
 
BILLY TAYLOR NAMED FINALIST FOR SKIP PROSSER MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
• Recognized with his second prestigious coaching honor of the season, Elon University men's basketball head coach Billy Taylor was named a finalist for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award on Thursday, March 6 as presented by CollegeInsider.com.
• Taylor has led the Phoenix to a 17-14 record on the season, the first winning record for the maroon and gold since 2016-17, excluding the truncated 2020-21 COVID season. The third-year head coach has also paced Elon to eight victories during CAA play, the second-highest total for the Phoenix since joining the league. Some of the standout wins during league play include wins versus Towson and UNCW, the top-two teams in the CAA regular-season standings.
• 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. Taylor reached 250 career wins earlier this season and was honored as the recipient of the midseason Hugh Durham Award as announced by CollegeInsider.com on Jan. 16. The Hugh Durham Award is presented annually to the top mid-major college basketball coach in Division I.
• The Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award is presented annually to the Division I head coach who wins with integrity on and off the court. The award honors those who not only achieve success on the basketball court but who display moral integrity on and off it as well.
 
SCOUTING ARMY WEST POINT
• Under second-year head coach Kevin Kuwik, Army is 16-15 overall and went 10-8 in conference play. The 10-8 finish in Patriot League play tied for the Black Knights' best finish in League play in program history.
• Army is averaging 73.2 points on 44.1 percent shooting, including 31.4 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 75.1 points on 45.9 percent shooting, including 33.9 percent from 3-point range. The Black Knights average 8.2 made 3-pointers per game and are connecting on 68.5 percent from the free throw line.
• Four players are averaging in double figures led by senior guard and All-Patriot League performer Jalen Rucker. Rucker is averaging 17.8 points a game, 3.1 assists per game and 1.3 steals a game. He was also named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division I North Atlantic All-District First Team.
• Josh Scovens is second on the team in scoring at 15.4 points per game and is the team's leading shot blocker with 36 rejections. Ryan Curry averages 12.4 points per game and is Army's leader in three-point makes (80) and assists (110). AJ Allenspach rounds out the double figure scorers at 10.9 points per contest and is the Black Knight's leading rebounder at 7.1 boards per game.
• Kuwik is the 32nd head coach in the program's 122-year history and brought more than 20 seasons of coaching experience to Army West Point. The Black Knights were the only team in the Patriot League this season to earn a win over a Group of Five school in the 2024-25 season. They earned a 78-75 win over the UTSA Roadrunners (American Conference) on December 29 to close out non-league play.
 
2025 PURPLE COLLEGE BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL
• Eleven teams make up the field at the CBI this year. Alongside Elon and Army, other teams competing in this year's field include Cleveland State, Florida Gulf Coast, Illinois State, Incarnate Word, Jacksonville, Manhattan, Northern Arizona, Presbyterian and Queens.
• This marks the second time during Elon's Division I history that the Phoenix has advanced to a postseason tournament. The maroon and gold also competed in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) in 2013, traveling to Canisius.
• The first and quarterfinal rounds of the tournament will be streamed on FloCollege with the semifinal round telecast on ESPNU and the final round airing on ESPN2.
 
UP NEXT
A Phoenix victory advances the maroon and gold to the second round where it will face Florida Gulf Coast on Monday, March 24. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will stream on FloCollege.