Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2014 10:23:35 GMT -5
Very interesting match up tonight. Chatt has played and beaten the bottom 4 teams in the SoCon ranging in RPI from 315 to 345. They also beat Wofford, RPI 240, at Wofford by a razor thin margin and handily at home.
Elon has played and beaten two of the SoCon's bottom teams, in App & Citadel, both at home and is 1 and 1 against two of the SoCon's top teams in WCU who hammered us at their place and Davidson, for which we rose to the occasion & won in an overtime battle at their place.
According to warrennolan.com Elon has played the 115th toughest schedule in Division 1 basketball, while Chatt has played the 341st toughest schedule out of 349 so I think it's reasonable to say Chatt is untested. The highest ranked team against which the Mocs have won is Wofford, now at 240 RPI.
The two teams have contrasting styles, Chatt is small and athletic, While the Phoenix are taller and depend on the motion offense to create looks.
The Phoenix schedule this year seems to have hit a turning point with the Davidson game. Intensity and chemistry hit a season high with the Wildcats and carried forward with a well played loss to UMass, now the 13th ranked team in the nation.
Here is what the Burlington paper has to say:
By Adam Smith / Times-News
Published: Thursday, January 23, 2014 at 00:39 AM.
ELON — As if Chattanooga’s unbeaten Southern Conference record, perch at the top of the league standings and winning streak since mid-December weren’t more than enough to attract Elon’s attention, there’s the manner in which the Mocs are getting it done.
“They seem to be all on the same page, pulling for each other and really, really playing hard,” Elon coach Matt Matheny said, before looking ahead to tonight. “It’s going to be a war.”
Elon’s two-games-in-three-nights road trip to the western edge of the conference starts at Chattanooga, a winner of eight straight games and sole proprietor of first place in the league under first-year coach Will Wade, the former assistant for Shaka Smart at Virginia Commonwealth.
The Mocs, with forward Z. Mason producing at a substantial clip (18.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game), have put together their longest string of consecutive victories in 17 years.
Meanwhile, Elon arrives having won its last three conference games. The Phoenix lost its final non-league game of the regular season on Saturday to nationally ranked Massachusetts, now No. 13 in this week’s poll.
A week ago tonight, Elon rallied out of a 14-point deficit in the last 4½ minutes of regulation, forced overtime and then defeated Davidson. That road victory felt significant, given Davidson’s status as the two-time defending conference champion and the winner of 23 of its previous 24 games in the league.
Elon forward Lucas Troutman said last Thursday night at Davidson “opened up a lot of our eyes to how we should play.” It remains to be seen whether that performance creates a new standard for Elon, or helps the Phoenix realize a larger potential.
Elon has only Southern Conference assignments remaining from this point forward through the end of the regular season, 12 games that will determine, to a considerable degree, how successful this season of heightened expectations becomes.
“It’s going to be a fight every time you play a conference team,” Elon guard Jack Isenbarger said.
“We’re not content with where we’re at,” Troutman said. “We still want to get better, but we’ve made drastic improvements from where we started to where we’re at now.”
Elon was scheduled to practice Wednesday and then take a flight to Chattanooga, Tenn. The Phoenix plays Saturday night at Samford in Birmingham, Ala.
It was on this road swing last season when Elon clinched the North Division title in the league, which no longer is divided into divisions. Elon defeated Samford last Feb. 21 to lock up the division, then lost two nights later at Chattanooga.
Tonight marks the only meeting of the regular season between Elon and Chattanooga. For years, these teams played home and away against each other as North Division foes.
Tip-off
Who: Elon (10-9, 3-1) at Chattanooga (12-8, 6-0)
When: 7 tonight
Where: McKenzie Arena, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Series: Chattanooga leads 12-10. Elon has lost its last three games at Chattanooga.
Good Luck to the Phoenix tonight. KEEP UP THE INTENSITY!!!
Elon has played and beaten two of the SoCon's bottom teams, in App & Citadel, both at home and is 1 and 1 against two of the SoCon's top teams in WCU who hammered us at their place and Davidson, for which we rose to the occasion & won in an overtime battle at their place.
According to warrennolan.com Elon has played the 115th toughest schedule in Division 1 basketball, while Chatt has played the 341st toughest schedule out of 349 so I think it's reasonable to say Chatt is untested. The highest ranked team against which the Mocs have won is Wofford, now at 240 RPI.
The two teams have contrasting styles, Chatt is small and athletic, While the Phoenix are taller and depend on the motion offense to create looks.
The Phoenix schedule this year seems to have hit a turning point with the Davidson game. Intensity and chemistry hit a season high with the Wildcats and carried forward with a well played loss to UMass, now the 13th ranked team in the nation.
Here is what the Burlington paper has to say:
By Adam Smith / Times-News
Published: Thursday, January 23, 2014 at 00:39 AM.
ELON — As if Chattanooga’s unbeaten Southern Conference record, perch at the top of the league standings and winning streak since mid-December weren’t more than enough to attract Elon’s attention, there’s the manner in which the Mocs are getting it done.
“They seem to be all on the same page, pulling for each other and really, really playing hard,” Elon coach Matt Matheny said, before looking ahead to tonight. “It’s going to be a war.”
Elon’s two-games-in-three-nights road trip to the western edge of the conference starts at Chattanooga, a winner of eight straight games and sole proprietor of first place in the league under first-year coach Will Wade, the former assistant for Shaka Smart at Virginia Commonwealth.
The Mocs, with forward Z. Mason producing at a substantial clip (18.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game), have put together their longest string of consecutive victories in 17 years.
Meanwhile, Elon arrives having won its last three conference games. The Phoenix lost its final non-league game of the regular season on Saturday to nationally ranked Massachusetts, now No. 13 in this week’s poll.
A week ago tonight, Elon rallied out of a 14-point deficit in the last 4½ minutes of regulation, forced overtime and then defeated Davidson. That road victory felt significant, given Davidson’s status as the two-time defending conference champion and the winner of 23 of its previous 24 games in the league.
Elon forward Lucas Troutman said last Thursday night at Davidson “opened up a lot of our eyes to how we should play.” It remains to be seen whether that performance creates a new standard for Elon, or helps the Phoenix realize a larger potential.
Elon has only Southern Conference assignments remaining from this point forward through the end of the regular season, 12 games that will determine, to a considerable degree, how successful this season of heightened expectations becomes.
“It’s going to be a fight every time you play a conference team,” Elon guard Jack Isenbarger said.
“We’re not content with where we’re at,” Troutman said. “We still want to get better, but we’ve made drastic improvements from where we started to where we’re at now.”
Elon was scheduled to practice Wednesday and then take a flight to Chattanooga, Tenn. The Phoenix plays Saturday night at Samford in Birmingham, Ala.
It was on this road swing last season when Elon clinched the North Division title in the league, which no longer is divided into divisions. Elon defeated Samford last Feb. 21 to lock up the division, then lost two nights later at Chattanooga.
Tonight marks the only meeting of the regular season between Elon and Chattanooga. For years, these teams played home and away against each other as North Division foes.
Tip-off
Who: Elon (10-9, 3-1) at Chattanooga (12-8, 6-0)
When: 7 tonight
Where: McKenzie Arena, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Series: Chattanooga leads 12-10. Elon has lost its last three games at Chattanooga.
Good Luck to the Phoenix tonight. KEEP UP THE INTENSITY!!!