ELON, N.C. – Elon University men’s basketball hosts its second top-25 opponent of the season when it welcomes the No. 25-ranked Furman Paladins on Tuesday night, Dec. 4, inside Schar Center. The matchup between the Phoenix and the Paladins will be just the third time that Elon has hosted a top-25 opponent since becoming an NCAA Division I program in 1999-2000.
You can watch the game live on Phoenix All-Access at elonphoenix.com/live, or you can follow the action on CAA.tv and the CAA.tv app. The Phoenix All-Access and Elon IMG Sports Network coverage will be provided by Taylor Durham and Brian Morris. The Elon IMG Sports Network audio broadcast pregame show will begin at 6:30 p.m.
TUESDAY’S GAME IS…
• The 17th meeting all-time between the Elon Phoenix and the Furman Paladins.
• It’s the first time Elon has faced Furman as a top-25 ranked team.
• The 2,706th game in Elon’s program history.
• The 27th time Elon has faced a top-25 opponent since joining the NCAA Division I ranks in 1999.
• The second home game this season for Elon against the top-25 team.
• The third time Elon has hosted a top-25 team at home (#8 UNC – Nov. 9, 2018, #15 UMass – Jan. 18, 2014) since joining the NCAA Division I ranks in 1999-2000.
AN ELON WIN WOULD…
• Be Elon’s first-ever win against a team ranked nationally in the top-25.
• Be Elon’s 1,405th win in program history and Elon’s 258th Division I win.
• Improve Elon’s record to 12-5 all-time against the Furman Paladins.
THE MATCHUP
• Tuesday’s matchup will be the 17th all-time meeting between Elon and Furman. It is the first time Elon has faced Furman as a ranked team.
• The contest between Elon and Furman last season in 2017-18 was the first since both teams were members of the Southern Conference in 2013-14.
• Last season, the Paladins took the 76-67 victory over the Phoenix last season on Nov. 14, 2017 inside Timmons Arena. Elon had five in double figures, led by Tyler Seibring’s 15 points.
• Elon has won five of the last six meetings against the Paladins, which included four straight wins prior to last season’s matchup.
• The Phoenix’s last win at home against Furman came on Jan. 17, 2013 by the 73-59 mark in Alumni Gym.
SCOUTING FURMAN
• Furman is ranked in the top-25 nationally for the first time in school history with its 8-0 start.
• This is the first time a SoCon school has been ranked in the poll since Davidson held the No. 22 spot on December 15, 2008.
• Furman enters the week as one of only 11 unbeaten teams in NCAA Division I basketball.
• Last Saturday’s 90-88 triumph over Western Carolina gave the Paladins 15 wins in their last 16 games dating back to last season.
• The Paladins have stunned reigning national champion and No. 8-ranked Villanova, 76-68 (Nov. 17), as well as earned a 60-58 victory at 2018 Final Four participant Loyola Chicago (Nov. 9).
• Furman has now won 14 consecutive regular season games dating back to last season, the most by a Paladin team in over 80 years.
• Currently, Furman also has a No. 12 ranking in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll.
• The Paladins have three players averaging double-figure scoring this season, led by Jordan Lyons’ 21.1 points per game. Matt Rafferty is scoring 18.8 points and grabbing a team-best 9.5 rebounds per game, while Clay Mounce is tallying 12.6 points and 6.1 boards per game.
ABOUT ELON
• The Phoenix has started its 2018-19 campaign with a 3-5 record, including a 2-2 mark in its first season inside the brand new Schar Center.
• Steven Santa Ana is Elon’s leading scorer and rebounder at 14.1 points and 6.9 boards per contest. Tyler Seibring is averaging 13.4 points and 4.3 rebounds this season.
• Elon is currently making 10.4 three pointers per game this season, which ranks 18th at the NCAA Division I ranks.
• The maroon and gold returns 11 total players and three of its five starters from a year ago.
• The Phoenix returns four of its top six scorers, including its 2017-18 leading scorer and rebounder in Seibring (15.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg).
• The program’s senior class is made up of five players in Seibring, Swoope, Santa Ana, Sheldon Eberhardt and Karolis Kundrotas. The four players have combined to play in a total of 437 games and make 209 starts.
• Elon made four new additions to the squad for 2018-19 in first-year players Chuck Hannah, Andy Pack, Federico Poser and Kris Wooten.
• The Phoenix has been predicted to finish eighth in the league as the CAA released its preseason men’s basketball poll on Oct. 17, during the conference’s digital media day. Tyler Seibring collected preseason All-CAA honors as he was named to the second team.
SEIBRING NAMED SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE
• Tyler Seibring has been named one of the 30 NCAA Division men’s basketball candidates for the 2018-18 Senior CLASS Award®
• The Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
• Seibring carries a 3.91 grade-point average as a double major in English and Economics.
• The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2019 NCAA Men’s Final Four® this spring.
JOINING THE 1,000-POINT CLUB
• Senior guard Steven Santa Ana became the 43rd player in program history to reach 1,000-career points against Central Penn on Nov. 27.
• Elon currently has three 1,000-point scorers on the team in Tyler Seibring, Dainan Swoope and Steven Santa Ana. Swoope and Seibring each joined the 1,000-point club as juniors.
• Seibring was the first to join, becoming the 40th player overall and the 11th junior to reach the mark. Dainan Swoope became the 42nd player overall, the 12th junior.
SCHAR CENTER
• Elon University men’s basketball will play its games inside its new facility, Schar Center, this season after calling Alumni Gym its home since since 1950.
• Schar Center officially opened its doors in July of 2018 and was dedicated on October, 19, 2018. The 161,000-square-foot convocation center has a current capacity of 5,100-seats.
• Not only does it serve as the home for Phoenix basketball and volleyball programs, but it also serves as an event venue that will provide a large gathering space for a wide variety of major campus events such as convocations and concerts.
• The facility is named for Dwight and Martha Schar, of Palm Beach, Fla., parents of Stuart Schar ’16 and Spencer Schar ’19.
• Among Elon’s most generous donors for the project, the Schars have contributed $13 million to the university to provide lead funding for the convocation center and the expanded School of Communications facilities, which features Dwight C. Schar Hall as the centerpiece.
UP NEXT
The Phoenix returns to Schar Center on Friday, Dec. 7, to host Triad and former Southern Conference rival UNCG at 7 p.m.