ELON – The Elon men's basketball team opens its 2026-27 home schedule Friday when it hosts Piedmont Triad rival UNCG at Schar Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET, with the game streaming on FloCollege.
 
The Phoenix (1-0) returns home following Monday's 84-71 victory at Columbia, where its new starting frontcourt combined for 36 points and 16 rebounds. Sophomore forward Josh Dalton scored a career-high 21 points, while senior center Hunter Harding established career highs with 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Elon has won its past two meetings with UNCG, including a 92-90 overtime victory in Greensboro last November.
 
INFO – GAME 2 VS. UNCG

• Date & Time: Friday, Nov. 6 | 7 p.m. ET
• Location: Elon, North Carolina | Schar Center
• Watch: FloCollege (PxP: Taylor Durham | Analyst: Will Roberson)
• Listen: Elon Sports Network | The Varsity Network App (PxP: Taylor Durham | Analyst: Will Roberson)
• Live Stats: Statbroadcast
• Game Notes: Elon vs. UNCG
• Digital Program: ElonPhoenix.com

 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP

• Series record: Elon leads, 28-19
• Elon has won its past two meetings with Piedmont Triad rival UNCG by a combined six points, following a 73-69 home victory in 2024 with a 92-90 overtime road win in 2025.
• Bryson Cokley scored four of Elon's six overtime points in last season's win, including the go-ahead dunk with one minute remaining. The Phoenix held the Spartans to 0-for-6 shooting in the extra period.
• Elon head coach Billy Taylor served as a UNCG assistant from 1999-2002, helping the Spartans reach the 2001 NCAA Tournament and earn a 2002 NIT bid.
• First-year UNCG head coach Jerod Haase worked alongside Elon special assistant Steve Robinson on Roy Williams' staffs at Kansas (2002-03) and North Carolina (2003-12).

 
STARTING FIVE
1. Big First Impressions
Elon's new starting frontcourt combined for 36 points and 16 rebounds in Monday's 84-71 win at Columbia. Sophomore forward Josh Dalton scored a career- and game-high 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, while senior center Hunter Harding established career highs in points (15), rebounds (eight) and assists (eight). Both grabbed a team-high eight rebounds in their Phoenix debuts. Harding's eight assists are the most by an Elon player listed at center in the program's NCAA Division I era (since 1999-2000). Dalton and Harding shot a combined 15-of-24 from the field without committing a turnover.
 
2. Sharing The Ball
The Phoenix recorded assists on 22 of its 33 made field goals at Columbia, matching the third-highest single-game assist total of the Billy Taylor era and its most since dishing out 22 at Hofstra on Jan. 17, 2026. Hunter Harding and sophomore point guard Raúl Villar combined for 15 assists without a turnover, with Villar contributing seven assists and nine points in his Elon debut. The Phoenix shot 55% from the field, 58.3% from 3-point range (7 of 12) and 91.7% at the free-throw line (11 of 12).
 
3. Backcourt Continuity
Junior guard Bryson Cokley and senior guard Randall Pettus II are two of only three players who finished among the CAA's top 30 scorers in 2025-26 and returned to their respective schools. Cokley averaged 12.3 points per game and earned Preseason All-CAA Second Team honors after shooting 39.2% from 3-point range. Pettus averaged 11.0 points and led Elon in made 3-pointers (67) and steals (44). Both started Monday's opener, with Cokley scoring 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, and Pettus adding eight points and two steals.
 
4. Building Through The Portal
Elon's seven scholarship transfers and three scholarship freshmen account for 10 of its 13 scholarship players, and newcomers supplied 63 of the Phoenix's 84 points (75%) at Columbia. Six transfers and freshman Caleb Zhu made their Elon debuts, with all seven scoring. Transfers Josh Dalton, Hunter Harding and Raúl Villar joined returnees Bryson Cokley and Randall Pettus II in the starting lineup. Penn graduate transfer Cam Thrower contributed nine points and three assists off the bench, while Zhu finished his collegiate debut with four points, four rebounds and a game-high three blocks.
 
5. Experience On The Bench
Billy Taylor's fifth season at Elon features two experienced staff additions in assistant coach John Krikorian and special assistant to the head coach Steve Robinson. Krikorian compiled a 427-126 record in 19 seasons as a Division III head coach, guiding Christopher Newport to the 2023 national championship, four Final Fours and 12 NCAA Tournaments. Robinson's 42-year coaching career includes three national championships as an assistant at North Carolina, eight Final Fours and 31 NCAA Tournament appearances. He also spent seven seasons as a Division I head coach at Tulsa and Florida State.
 
UP NEXT
Elon returns to the road to face George Washington next Tuesday. Tipoff at the Charles E. Smith Center in Washington, D.C., is slated for 7 p.m. ET.
 
TICKETS ON SALE
Season tickets, single-game tickets and flex packs for the 2026-27 Elon men's basketball season are on sale at ElonTickets.com.
 
SUPPORT THE PHOENIX
Fans can support Elon men's basketball through the Phoenix Club.
 
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Elon men's basketball, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonMBasketball) and Instagram (@ElonMBasketball).