@ Elon (2/6-2/7)
The Hawks begin a stretch where they will play 4 games in a 5-day span. This begins with 2 games @ Elon over the weekend (4 PM Saturday, 2 PM Sunday), and concludes with back-to-back home games with JMU on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Elon is winless (0-5) in CAA play thus far this season, the only team without a conference victory so far. But hosting a 1-5 UNCW squad certainly will give the Phoenix hope to snap that streak. A sweep for either team would be important for the winner and devastating for the loser.
Of Elon's 5 conference losses, 3 of them were non-competitive games. They fell by deficits of 23, 23, and 21 in losses against Northeastern, Delaware, and JMU, respectively.
An astounding 15 different players have seen the floor for Elon this season, with 10 of them receiving an average of 12+ minutes per contest, as 2nd-year head coach Mike Schrage has struggled to find a rotation that works.
At the very least, 4 of the starting options have been consistent for the Phoenix. Guards Hunter McIntosh and Ikenna Ndugba have started all 9 games. Forwards Hunter Woods and Federico Poser have received 8 and 7 starts, respectively.
Below is the projected starting lineup and key bench options for Elon this weekend.
Projected starters:
* PG Ikenna Ndugba (6-0 Gr.): 6.8 ppg, 2.1 apg, 4.2 rpg, 0.8 spg
* G Darius Burford (6-0 Fr.): 4.1 ppg, 0.9 spg, .727 FT %
* SG Hunter McIntosh (6-2 So.): 18.1 ppg, 2.8 apg, 1.1 spg, .394 3-pt %
* PF Hunter Woods (6-5 So.): 9.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.4 spg, 0.4 bpg
* C Federico Poser (6-9 Jr.): 8.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.0 apg, .542 FG %
Key bench players:
* G/F Jerald Gillens-Butler (6-5 r-Jr.): 15.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, .500 FG %, 24.0 mpg
* G Kris Wooten (6-2 Jr.): 7.7 ppg, 1.2 apg, 1.2 rpg, 26.2 mpg
* F Chuck Hannah (6-7 Jr.): 2.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg, .526 FG %, 15.4 mpg
* F Simon Wright (6-7 Sr.): 1.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.4 spg, 15.4 mpg
The Phoneix have more frontcourt depth than the Seahawks, but lack frontcourt quality in the interior. As a team the Phoenix have no real rim enforcers, with just 11 team blocked shots all season compared to 30 for opponents. And none of their forwards are major offensive threats, with the team scoring carried heavily by wings McIntosh and Gillens-Butler. Still, they've done well on the offensive glass as a team, with 63 offensive rebounds compared to 61 for opponents.
Offensive efficiency has been Elon's biggest problem this season. They are shooting at just a .399 clip from the field, and a paltry .292 from the perimeter. Ken Pomeroy ranks the Phoenix # 276 in the country in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency.
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