ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men’s basketball team closes out the nonconference portion of its schedule with a road test at No. 14/16 Indiana on Tuesday, Dec. 20. The Phoenix and the Hoosiers are set for a 7 p.m. tipoff inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
HOW TO FOLLOW
• Tuesday’s game will be streamed live on the Big Ten Network with Kevin Kugler (play-by-play) and Shon Morris (analyst) on the call.
• Listen to the game on the Elon Sports Network from Learfield 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.
• 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 Twitter by following @ElonMBasketball.
THE MATCHUP
• Both teams are meeting for the first time on the basketball hardwood on Tuesday.
• Indiana will be the Phoenix’s first ranked opponent since facing No. 2 Duke last December. Elon is 0-29 all-time versus ranked opponents during its Division I era (since 1999-2000).
• The Phoenix carries an 0-8 ledger versus current members of the Big Ten.
- Michigan (0-3) – last met on Nov. 15, 2019 (L, 50-70)
- Maryland (0-2) – last met on Nov. 26, 2020 (L, 57-76)
- Northwestern (0-2) – last met on Nov. 22, 2014 (L, 67-68 OT)
- Rutgers (0-1) – last met on Dec. 18, 1999 (L, 78-89)
• Phoenix head coach Billy Taylor is 0-8 all-time as a head coach versus the Big Ten including one game against then No. 1 Indiana on Nov. 25, 2012, as the head coach at Ball State. The Hoosiers came away with a 101-53 victory.
LAST TIME OUT
• The Phoenix rallied to cut an 18-point second-half deficit to four, but ran out of time in its comeback attempt as Elon fell to Valparaiso, 71-66, on Sunday, Dec. 18, in the second game of its season-long five-game road trip.
• Max Mackinnon had 18 points to lead the Phoenix on 9-of-16 shooting from the floor. Sam Sherry added 12 points and a team-best seven rebounds while Sean Halloran added 11 for the maroon and gold.
• The Phoenix had a season-low five turnovers in the contest, its lowest total since also committing five at Drexel in 2021. Elon forced 18 turnovers and had a season-high 13 steals. Elon scored 21 points off Beacons’ turnovers.
• Overall, Elon shot 27-of-72 for the game at 37.5 percent and only 3-of-27 from three. Elon’s three made three-pointers was its lowest since also making three triples against Ole Miss last season where the Phoenix shot 3-of-17. Its 11.1 shooting percentage from downtown was its lowest since shooting 10.0 percent at Georgia Tech (3-of-30) in 2019.
SCOUTING ELON
• The Phoenix is averaging 68.7 points per game and leads the Colonial Athletic Association in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.13. Overall, Elon is second overall in the league in assists at 13.4 per game.
• Halloran leads the Phoenix in scoring at 13.2 points per game and in assists with 58. His 4.8 assist average is the highest for the program since Luke Eddy averaged 4.5 apg during the 2015-16 season. The graduate student has also scored (158) or assisted (58) in nearly 26 percent of Elon’s points this season (216 of 824).
• Halloran also leads the CAA in steals at 2.2 per game. That average would be the best single-season performance in school history at the Division I era, besting Scottie Rice’s 2.0 spg average in 2002-03.
• Mackinnon is second on the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game while leading the Phoenix on the boards with 5.0 rebounds per game. The Brisbane, Australia, native is also second to Halloran in assists (26) and steals (15).
• Sherry’s 12 points were his third straight double-digit scoring performance and his fifth out of his past six games. The Mechanicsburg, Pa., native is averaging 15.2 points per game over those past six games while shooting 62.1 percent from the floor.
• Zac Ervin ranks third on the team in scoring at 10.5 points per game. The Gate City, Va., native failed to reach double figures for the first time since he began coming off the bench versus UNCG, but is still averaging 13.3 points over the past four games as the team’s sixth man.
• Factoring true road contests, Elon’s current five-game road trip is the program’s longest since enduring a four-game stretch in December of 2017. The Phoenix started that trip at Piedmont Triad rival UNCG before traveling to Boston College, Canisius and Indiana State.
• 54 percent of Elon’s points scored this year has come from members who did not appear in a game for the Phoenix last season.
SCOUTING NO. 14/16 INDIANA
• No. 14/16 Indiana is 8-3 on the season, but is coming off back-to-back losses to No. 10/9 Arizona and No. 8/6 Kansas. The Hoosiers last won against conference foe Nebraska, 81-65, on Dec. 7.
• Indiana comes in averaging 79.6 points per game and has a plus-14.0 scoring margin. Senior Trayce Jackson-Davis leads the Hoosiers in scoring at 16.4 points per game as the lone member of the team averaging double figures. He also leads the team in rebounds at 8.2 boards per outing and in blocked shots with 27.
• Xavier Johnson is second on the team in scoring at 9.9 points per game while leading the Hoosiers in assists with 54. Forward Miller Kopp has knocked down a team-best 25 triples while shooting 47 percent from downtown.
• The Hoosiers are coached by Mike Woodson who is 29-17 in his second season at IU and his second season overall. Prior to returning to his alma mater, Woodson had served as a coach in the NBA since 1996 including nine seasons as the head coach with the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks.
TICKETS ON SALE
• Season tickets are now on sale for $170 for men’s basketball.
• Single-game tickets are now on sale! Single-game tickets begin at $15 for men’s basketball.
• Fans are able to purchase a book of 10 ticket vouchers for $75. These vouchers are redeemable for a ticket to any Elon men’s or women’s basketball regular season home game. Use all 10 for any one game, or use one voucher for 10 different games. Fans will also receive an Elon mini autographed basketball from the head coaches. These tickets represent a 50 percent savings for men’s basketball tickets and a 25 percent savings for women’s basketball vs. single-game prices.
• 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.
• For more information, visit ElonTickets.com or call the Elon Ticket Office at 336-278-6750.
LAUNCHING THE BILLY TAYLOR ERA
• Billy Taylor was named the 19th head coach of the Phoenix on April 15, 2022. Taylor arrived to the Phoenix after spending the past three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa.
• Prior to working with the Hawkeyes, Taylor spent five years as head coach at Lehigh University followed by six seasons as the head coach at Ball State University and three at Belmont Abbey College.
• In his time at Iowa, the Hawkeyes ranked as one of the top offensive teams in the country, ranking fifth nationally in scoring average in both 2021 (83.7) and 2022 (83.2). The program also led the country in assist-to-turnover ratio in both seasons.
• Taylor was a two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year (2003, 2004) and led Lehigh to both the regular season and tournament titles in 2004, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament that season. He also guided Ball State to the 2009 MAC West Division crown.
OPENING TIP
• Elon welcomes back seven letterwinners from last year’s team including five upperclassmen. Among the notable returners for the maroon and gold includes graduate student Torrence Watson and senior Zac Ervin. Both players are the leading returning scorers for Elon at 9.2 and 7.1 points per game, respectively.
• The Phoenix also welcomes back redshirt Jerald Gillens-Butler, who hopes to return to form after being named an All-Colonial Athletic Association honorable mention prior to last year. The Orlando, Fla., native appeared in only 10 games last year after missing most of the prior season due to an injury.
• A pair of graduate transfers will look to make an immediate impact for the Phoenix this season. Sean Halloran arrives to the Phoenix after an outstanding four-year career at Belmont Abbey. The Orlando, Fla., native finished as the all-time career assist leader with the Crusaders while helping the program to back-to-back Conference Carolinas Tournament Championships and three straight NCAA tournament appearances. He rounded out his career averaging 14.4 points per game as a senior and concluded his career with 1,422 points.
• Another graduate transfer, John Bowen III, brings size to the Phoenix front line at 6-foot-9 and 215 pounds. The Bladenboro, N.C., native last played at UNCW in 2019-20 and appeared in 28 out of 32 games. Prior to UNCW, Bowen III was a teammate of Halloran’s at Belmont Abbey and averaged 8.9 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per contest in 2018-19 while starting 27 of 28 games.
• A pair of freshmen will also look to make an impact for the maroon and gold in 2022-23. Max Mackinnon is a 6-foot-5 swingman from Brisbane, Australia, where he won back-to-back gold medals with the U20 Australian National Team. He was also named an All-Star 5 at the Australian National Championship.
• Another freshman, LA Pratt, is a 6-foot-5 guard from Columbus, Ohio, who was a three-time All-4A Team member and three-time conference champion at Lincoln Park High School. He scored over 1,000 points in high school and helped guide the program to two WPIAL Championship appearances and two State Semifinal appearances.
UP NEXT
The Phoenix begins CAA play with a visit to Drexel on Thursday, Dec. 29. That contest is set for a 4 p.m. tipoff.
— ELON —
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