ELON, N.C. — The Elon men’s basketball team has returned from a short holiday break for a date with the fifth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday, December 29 at the Dean Smith Center. Tip time is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game can be seen on ESPNU with Jon Sciambi and Hubert Davis providing the commentary.
Site: Chapel Hill, N.C.
Arena: Dean Smith Center
Series: UNC leads, 17-4
Radio: WPCM 920 AM — Taylor Durham and Dick Stewart will call the action
Streak: UNC has won 10
FREE THROWS
• The Phoenix is in the midst of a three-game road swing — Elon is 2-4 in road contests this year with wins at Princeton and UNCG.
• Lucas Troutman moved into Elon’s all-time career blocks list with two swats against South Carolina. He is averaging 2.2 bpg in the last six contests. The sophomore now has 65 blocks in just over a year of action and is tied for eighth all-time at Elon.
• Sophomore Sebastian Koch leads the team with 25 three-pointers on the year. He is 10-of-21 (.476) from long range over the last four games.
• Elon has held opponents to under 40 percent shooting in each one of its wins this year — but opponents have shot above 40 percent in the four losses. The Phoenix ranks first in the SoCon and 17th in the country in field goal percentage defense (.386). Opponents are shooting only 27.9 percent from three-point territory — a stat that ranks second in the SoCon and 25th in the nation.
• The Phoenix has shot better than its opponent in all seven wins this year but been outrebounded in all but two of those victories.
LAST TIME OUT
• Elon dropped its second straight contest with an 81-55 loss at San Diego State on December 22.
• The Phoenix shot poorly from the field for the second straight contest, connecting on only 31.7 percent of its field goals.
• In the last two games, Elon shot a combined 35-of-115 from the floor.
• San Diego State shot 55.7 percent — the best by an opponent this year and first time an Elon opponent has shot above 50 percent since College of Charleston shot 50.9 percent and ended Elon’s season with a 78-60 victory in the 2011 Southern Conference Tournament.
ELON VS. NORTH CAROLINA
• Elon and North Carolina are meeting for the first time since the 1950-51 season.
• The last time Elon faced a ranked opponent was against top-ranked Duke on December 20, 2010. The Blue Devils defeated the Phoenix, 98-72. Elon has never beaten a ranked opponent during its Division I era.
• Tonight’s game is the second for Elon against an ACC opponent this season as the Phoenix dropped an 82-67 decision at NC State on November 25.
• The Phoenix is 34-126 against current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• The last time Elon defeated one of the current members of the ACC was in 2005 when the Phoenix went on the road to defeat the Oliver Purnell coached Clemson Tigers, 74-69, on Dec. 30, 2005.
• The game can be seen on ESPNU with Jon Sciambi and Hubert Davis providing the commentary.
• Current Elon assistant Jack Wooten played for the Tar Heels in 2007-08 and 2008-09, making an appearance in two Final Fours and earning a national championship ring as a senior.