It could be referred to as a battle for Southern Conference supremacy, or even a SoCon goodbye party. It’s even a mentor/mentee match-up.
But Elon University senior forward Lucas Troutman described the Phoenix’s Jan. 16 game against Davidson College in another way.
Rivalry.
The Wildcats, whom some would deem as the face of the SoCon after gaining national attention with their Elite 8 run in 2008, have beaten the Phoenix three times in a row and have won 16 of the last 18 meetings between the schools dating back to 2001. Davidson has won each of the last two SoCon championships, and according to Troutman, is the team that Elon is gunning for.
“That’s the team we want to knock off,” Troutman said. “That’s the team we want to go out and have everything, guns blazing going in. They’re a good team, always have been. It’s going to be a fight the whole game, and I’m excited to play it.”
The teams renew this said rivalry inside Belk Arena at Davidson on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. in what will be a telling point for both teams whom have seen their fair share of struggles early on this season. Each has endured a losing streak that lasted at least four games at some point, but both also come into this game off of victories.
Davidson (7-10, 3-0 SoCon) has won its last three games – all against SoCon opponents – after losing five straight. The Wildcats defeated Wofford College, Furman University, and Appalachian State University all by double digits.
Elon (9-8, 2-1) enters Thursday’s tilt coming off nine point wins over Appalachian State and The Citadel this past week at home. Prior to that, though, the Phoenix was embarrassed by No. 7 Duke University and had a good amount of trouble in a 74-62 loss at Western Carolina University.
“We have plenty of room for improvement,” Matheny said following the win over The Citadel. “I think the majority of our improvement needs to be on the defensive end.”
Matheny was mum about the Davidson game after that game. He coached for 16 years under coach Bob McKillop at Davidson before coming to Elon in 2009. Matheny spoke mostly about the team’s practice the next day and how that was the most important thing on his plate.
“All credit for that goes to Coach McKillop,” Matheny said in regard to him not having thought about the game at that point and preparing practice. “He’s my mentor and a great coach. He taught me a long time ago to only control what you can control and don’t waste energy thinking about things that aren’t as important as the things you need to be thinking about.”
Matheny did say that the players generally are extremely excited about playing Davidson, noting that the Wildcats are “on top of the pedestal. There’s a heightened awareness of that. There has been every year.”
Elon will be focusing on defending SoCon Preseason Player of the Year and senior forward De’Mon Brooks, who leads Davidson in scoring with 16.3 points per game. The Charlotte, N.C., native also pulls down 6.6 rebounds per game while making 52.5 percent of his shots.
Overall, Davidson (44.8 percent) does not shoot the ball as well as Elon (48.3 percent) does, but the teams rebound at a similar rate. The Wildcats – like Elon – have struggled on defense, allowing opponents to shoot an average of 49.2 percent from the field. For the Phoenix to succeed, creating good shots and knocking them down early will be key. Setting the tone in what will be a hostile environment may play a factor in how the game goes for Elon.
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The game will have SoCon implications, with the teams projected to finish atop the league. The teams will meet again inside Alumni Gym on March 1 – the final day of the regular season.
It’s no secret that Elon would like to emulate the success that Davidson has had beyond the regular season. But do Phoenix players root for Davidson to represent the SoCon well at a national level?
“I’m happy for them, but no, I’m not pulling for them at any point,” Troutman said very affirmatively. “It’s great that they go far, but that’s somebody I want to beat. I feel like we could be in that position.”
Senior guard Sebastian Koch agreed that he always feels like it could be Elon in that same spot when watching Davidson in the postseason. But for the Phoenix to be in that position, it has to beat the Wildcats first.
An opportunity to do that comes on Jan. 16.