Calm down and take a breath. The gauntlet that was the month of December is over for Elon University men’s basketball.
With just one nonleague match-up remaining, a Jan. 18 tilt against No. 23 University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Elon (7-7) can shift its focus to the Southern Conference. That ride begins this Saturday Jan. 4 with a trip to Cullowhee, N.C., to face Western Carolina University.
The Phoenix was picked to win the SoCon in the preseason, so it should be an easy cruise to the NCAA Tournament, right? Wrong.
While the SoCon has had some rough goings early on, Elon has sure shown some flaws as well. Rebounding and defense have been at the core of that, as the Phoenix has been constantly overmatched underneath and has failed to play tight defense in a number of situations.
After his team’s win over Virginia Military Institute on Dec. 3, coach Matt Matheny stated those two facets as his biggest concerns entering a stretch that included games against University of Colorado, Georgetown University, and Duke University. The Phoenix struggled underneath against Colorado and Georgetown, but that was expected with both teams being known as forces at the rim. Elon allowed 80 points to Colorado and 85 to Georgetown, much due to the fact that Colorado shot 49 percent and Georgetown shot 53.8 percent.
Following the Duke game on Dec. 31, it was clear that the Phoenix still has work to do in both areas and needs to a rhythm to its game. Improvement must come soon, as every game besides the UMass contest will have impact on Elon’s SoCon Tournament seeding and possibly its postseason hopes.
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So, what’s the scoop on the SoCon?
Well, there have been some odd results. Davidson College, picked second in the preseason and led by Preseason Player of the Year De’Mon Brooks, is much better than its 4-10 record suggests. Five of the ten losses have been to teams from BCS conferences and half are to teams that were ranked at the time. Davidson took No. 14 University of North Carolina to overtime in Chapel Hill, only to fall, 97-85, after Brooks fouled out. Coach Bob McKillop’s team also hung with No. 8 Wichita State University much like Elon hung with Georgetown not so long ago, but lost, 81-70. With all that being said, the Wildcats are probably Elon’s toughest competition in the conference.
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Western Carolina will also be a challenge for the Phoenix. The Catamounts, picked to finish third in the SoCon, took Elon to overtime inside Alumni Gym last February. They opened conference play this past week with a 72-51 rout of University of North Carolina-Greensboro.
UNCG is another interesting team. The Spartans had a three-game stretch in late December in which they played three ACC teams – Wake Forest University, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina State University. UNCG eked out a three-point win over the Hokies, and lost modestly by single digits to both the Demon Deacons and the Wolfpack. But, coach Wes Miller’s team also struggled to get by Division II Claflin University, which currently sports a 4-7 record, and was flat-out dismal against Western Carolina in its SoCon opener.
Samford University and Wofford College will be good tests for Elon during the season. The Terriers beat the Bulldogs, 71-61, in Birmingham on Jan. 2 to open SoCon play. Neither team is particularly strong on the glass which fares well with the Phoenix. Wofford, specifically, is averaging just 64.7 points per game which is a major advantage for Elon due to its ability to put up points and its trouble on the defensive end.
Appalachian State University, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, and Georgia Southern University have all hit some bumps early on and are not expected to compete for the league title. The same goes especially for Furman University and The Citadel. Perhaps the most alarming takeaway from the nonconference results of the league was Furman’s 97-93 loss to Division II Mars Hill University – a team that only has two wins on the year.
Yes, the SoCon records don’t look pretty. But that’s going to happen when the teams are constantly playing high-level competition.
Yes, there’s been some questionable losses and close games. But isn’t that the way for most teams at this point of the season?
Elon has had some tough games and the record surely isn’t what most expected and or wanted it to be. The SoCon will bring some great competition and tests for the Phoenix, but it’s still an extremely winnable conference.