ELON, N.C. – Elon University men’s basketball returns to Schar Center to square off against Triad rival and former Southern Conference foe UNCG on Friday night, Dec. 7. Elon’s 41st all-time meeting against the reigning 2017-18 SoCon Champion Spartans will tip-off at 7 p.m.
COVERAGE
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.
FRIDAY’S GAME IS…
• The 41st meeting all-time between the Elon Phoenix and the UNCG Spartans.
• The 2,707th game in Elon’s program history.
• The second straight time Elon has faced UNCG on Dec. 7 as the two teams met on the same date last season.
AN ELON WIN WOULD…
• Be the 1,405th win in program history and Elon’s 258th Division I win.
• Be the 144th win for Elon head men’s basketball coach Matt Matheny.
• Improve Elon’s record to 27-13 all-time against the UNCG Spartans.
• Be Elon’s 13th win in its last 14 meetings against UNCG.
THE MATCHUP
• Friday will be the 40th all-time meeting between Elon and UNCG and the 20th at Elon.
• Head coach Matt Matheny has a 12-2 record against the Spartans. Prior to last season’s defeat, Elon had won the previous 12-straight meetings.
• This will be the fourth time since Elon left the SoCon that the two foes have faced each other.
• UNCG will be the second Southern Conference team Elon has faced this season as the Phoenix fell to No. 25-ranked Furman on Tuesday night.
• In the last meeting, UNCG snapped its 12-game losing streak to Elon with a 75-44 victory in Greensboro Coliseum on Dec. 7, 2017.
• Prior to last season, Elon’s last loss to UNCG was on Jan. 28, 2010 in Greensboro as the Spartans claimed a 62-55 win.
SCOUTING UNCG
• Reigning 2017-18 SoCon Champion UNCG (7-2) is off to its best start in program history, as the Spartans have won seven of their first nine games.
• The Spartans fell to No. 10 Kentucky 78-61 on Saturday, Dec. 1, at Rupp Arena. UNCG had a 40-37 lead at halftime before the Wildcats outscored the Spartans by 20 in the second half.
• Kentucky was UNCG’s second game against a ranked opponent as the Spartans lost 97-91 against No. 23 LSU on Nov. 9.
• UNCG has a 2-0 record this season against CAA teams with wins over UNCW and Delaware.
• Four of UNCG’s victories have come against in-state opponents (North Carolina A&T, UNCW, Johnson & Wales, Greensboro College).
• Francis Alonso currently leads the team in scoring at 19.3 ppg while James Dickey is hauling in 7.8 rebounds per game.
• Isaiah Miller leads the team in steals per game, swiping an average of 2.6 balls per game.
ABOUT ELON
• The Phoenix has started its 2018-19 campaign with a 3-6 record, including a 2-3 mark in its first season inside the brand new Schar Center.
• Elon has three players scoring in double figures. Steven Santa Ana is Elon’s leading scorer and rebounder at 14.9 points and 6.7 boards per game.
• Tyler Seibring is averaging 14.0 points and 4.3 rebounds, while Sheldon Eberhardtis tallying 10.2 points per contest.
• The Phoenix is currently making 10.4 three pointers per game this season, which ranks 18th at the NCAA Division I ranks.
• Elon 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, 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.
RECORD-SETTING PERFORMANCES
• The Phoenix have twice set a program record with 19 three-pointers made in a game this season.
• Elon set the record of 19 triples in its 98-71 victory over Milligan College on Nov. 15, 2018, the program’s first-ever win in Schar Center.
• The team then matched the mark on Nov. 27, 2018 inside Schar Center during its 92-59 win over Central Penn.
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.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2018-19
• Elon’s 110th season of basketball opened with a marquee matchup as the Elon Phoenix hosted the No. 8-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels in the program’s first regular season basketball game inside Schar Center. The game is set for Friday, Nov. 9, on ESPNU.
• Prior to that contest, the Phoenix opened the 2018-19 season on Nov. 6 on the road at Manhattan. Elon then competed in the Tiger Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 22-24, at Pacific University on Thanksgiving week.
• During its non-conference slate, the Phoenix scheduled a total of seven home contests, which have inlcuded North Carolina, Boston University, No. 25 Furman, as well as upcoming games against UNCG and Canisius.
• Elon opens CAA play with a pair of home contests against Towson (Dec. 28) and James Madison (Dec. 30).
UP NEXT
The Phoenix closes out its five-game homestand on Sunday, Dec. 16, with final home non-conference matchup against Canisius. The game will tip-off at 2 p.m. and will be aired online on Phoenix All-Access.