ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men’s basketball team will get its first taste of postseason play at the Division I level on Wednesday, March 20, when it faces the Canisius College Golden Griffins in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Koessler Athletic Center on Canisius’ campus in Buffalo, N.Y.
Elon (21-11) at Canisius (18-13)
Site: Buffalo, N.Y.
Arena (Capacity): Koessler Athletic Center (2,196)
Series: First Meeting
THE SERIES: Wednesday marks the first ever meeting between Elon and Canisius.
ELON VS. THE MAAC: Wednesday’s game versus Canisius marks Elon’s fourth game all-time against a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). Elon is 1-2 against members of the MAAC, posting a 1-0 mark against Loyola and a 0-2 record against 2013 CIT participant, Fairfield.
ELON VS. THE CIT FIELD: Elon is 48-58 all-time against teams in this year’s CIT field. Below is a breakdown of Elon’s record against teams in the 2013 CIT field.
East Carolina: 22-27
Evansville: 0-1
Fairfield: 0-2
Gardner-Webb: 12-23
Hawaii: 0-1
High Point: 10-2
Loyola: 1-0
Savannah State: 3-0
Weber State: 0-2
ELON IN THE POSTSEASON: The 2013 CIT marks Elon’s first postseason appearance since making the transition to the NCAA Division I ranks. Elon’s last postseason appearance was the 1996-97 season as a Division II member in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC). Elon won the 1997 SAC Tournament to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA South Atlantic Regional Tournament in Durham, N.C., where it fell to Elizabeth City State, 77-70, on March 6, 1997. Elon has eight postseason appearances in 104 years of basketball, posting an overall record of 8-8. Elon’s last postseason win was a 77-71 decision over Charlotte in the 1970 NAIA District Tournament.
LOOKING BACK: The Phoenix dropped a 68-60 decision to College of Charleston on March 10 in the semifinals of the Southern Conference Tournament. The Cougars held Elon to a season-low three three-pointers in the setback, with Lucas Troutman leading the Phoenix with 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting. Troutman was second team selection on the league’s all-tournament team.
WITH A WIN: With a win over Canisius, Elon would advance to the CIT second round, which is slated for March 21-23. Elon’s potential opponent is to be determined, as teams are reseeded in the second round.
ABOUT THE CIT: Now in its fifth year, the CIT consists of 32 teams. First-round games are March 19-20; second-round games will be played March 21-23; the quarterfinals will be held March 24-26; the semifinals are March 28-30. The CIT Championship Game will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network on Tuesday, April 2.
First Round CIT Games (All Times Eastern)
Tuesday, March 19
Eastern Kentucky (24-9) @ Gardner Webb (21-12) 7:00 pm
Savannah State (19-14) @ East Carolina (18-12) 7:00 pm
Rider (18-14) @ Hartford (17-13) 7:00 pm
Oakland (16-16) @ Youngstown State (17-15) 7:05 pm
Boston University (17-12) @ Loyola MD (21-11) 7:30 pm
Tennessee State (18-14) @ Evansville (18-14) 8:00 pm
North Dakota (16-16) @ Northern Iowa (18-14) 8:00 pm
Wednesday, March 20
Elon (21-11) @ Canisius (18-13) 7:00 pm
Fairfield (19-15) @ Kent State (20-13) 7:00 pm
Green Bay (18-15) @ Bradley (16-16) 8:00 pm
South Alabama (17-12) @ Tulane (19-14) 8:00 pm
Chicago State (11-21) @ Illinois-Chicago (17-15) 8:00 pm
Oral Roberts (18-14) @ UT Arlington (19-13) 8:30 pm
Cal Poly (18-13) @ Weber State (26-6) 9:00 pm
High Point (17-13) @ UC Irvine (20-15) 10:30 pm
Air Force (17-13) @ Hawaii (17-14) 12:00 am