Elon University men’s basketball head coach Matt Matheny has said numerous times that he schedules non-conference games based on the hometowns of his players. Last Friday, the Phoenix traveled to Boulder, Colo., to face the University of Colorado and give sophomore guard Tanner Samson and junior forward Ryan Winters a game close to their Denver home. On Tuesday, it will be junior guard Austin Hamilton and senior forward Ryley Beaumont’s turn when Elon travels to Washington, D.C. to face the Hoyas of Georgetown University. Hamilton, who hails from Herndon, Va., and Beaumont, of Millersville, Md., will lead the Phoenix (5-5) into a tough game with the Hoyas (6-2).
Elon suffered an 80-63 setback in that game against Colorado, snapping a three-game winning streak. In the loss, Elon’s offensive rebounding was less effective than the partisan Congress. The Phoenix snared only four offensive boards all night, including one in the first half. That is a number that must rise if Elon wants to be able to knock off a Big East Conference opponent such as Georgetown, who averages 11.25 offensive rebounds per game.
Compared to Colorado, who currently ranks 37th nationally in rebounds per game, Georgetown is 141st. This bodes well for Elon, which has the shooting to hang with a tough opponent. The Phoenix ranks 32nd nationally in field goal percentage at 49.2 percent. The Hoyas are similar at 48.3 percent, good for 47th. This figure exposes Georgetown’s weakness: when they don’t shoot, the going gets tough. Georgetown’s last game, on Dec. 7 against Colgate University, saw the Hoyas shoot only 37.5 percent and barely squeak by the Raiders, 61-55. Colgate shot only 20.8 percent from three-point range, a strength of the Phoenix. Georgetown’s last loss, against Northeastern University, saw the Hoyas only shoot 36 percent.
Bottom line: When Georgetown misses, Elon must be there to get rebounds, forcing the Hoyas to take smart shots.
Individually, Georgetown is led by sophomore guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, who averages 16.6 points per game. Smith-Rivera has been the Hoyas’ leading scorer in five of Georgetown’s eight games so far, yet was held to four points in the Colgate game. The task of guarding Smith-Rivera will likely fall upon a rotating cast of Elon guards, led by Samson and Hamilton. Elon was able to hold freshman guard Q.J. Peterson of Virginia Military Institute to 14 points, more than eight below his average, in their Dec. 3 matchup. It will take another defensive outing on that level to give the Phoenix the advantage on Tuesday.
For the Phoenix, a quick start is essential. Colgate missed its first eight three-point attempts against the Hoyas and still lost by only six. If Samson and senior guard Sebastian Koch, who hit nine threes in the loss at Colorado, heat up early, Elon can control the game and force the Hoyas to play from behind. This is especially important given that this game will be Georgetown’s first in ten days due to exams and the Hoyas could be rusty.
Elon has only beaten a “major conference” team twice in school history- a pair of wins against the University of South Carolina in 2011 and 2012. There is a possibility that No. 3 is on its way, but it will not come easy. To be supreme on the court in Washington on Tuesday, Elon will have to put forth its best effort of the season. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m., and will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.