It?s an intersection of teams traveling in opposite directions and also a measure of how their seasons have changed as sliding Elon meets surging College of Charleston on Thursday night in Colonial Athletic Association men?s basketball.
Since defeating College of Charleston last month, Elon has lost seven of nine games and tumbled from its earlier status as a possible contender in the league race.
Meanwhile, the Cougars have won 10 straight game to climb into the CAA lead, where they?re on the verge of securing the regular-season title and top seed in the conference tournament.
Elon remains the last team to beat College of Charleston, further underscoring the situation. That victory occurred 40 nights ago at Alumni Gym and lifted the Phoenix to 4-2 in the CAA. Elon has taken a 2-7 turn since then.
?We don?t bemoan the fact that we are where we are,? Elon coach Matt Matheny said this week. ?We?ve gotten to this point for a variety of reasons. We?ve had not only our rhythm broken, but we?ve got our confidence shaken. So we?re trying to get some of our mistakes corrected and build our confidence up, as we gain our rhythm back.?
Elon is beginning a stretch of three games in five nights that will conclude the regular season, and trying to avoid suffering its fourth loss in a row. Elon has been defeated by lopsided margins in its last three games ? losses of 67-48 against Hofstra, 87-63 at UNC Wilmington and 72-57 at Delaware.
Matheny said he isn?t sure if he?ll stick with the starting lineup makeover the Phoenix used Saturday night at Delaware.
The freshman pair of guard Seth Fuller and forward Simon Wright received their first starting assignments, and senior swingman Collin Luther started for just the second time in his college career. Dmitri Thompson and Steven Santa Ana, experienced guards with a combined 145 career starts, came off the bench in that game.
?I just thought let?s shuffle the deck and breathe some new air into where we are,? Matheny said, ?and I thought we got great competitive toughness as a result of it. Unfortunately, we didn?t make some open shots early that could?ve changed the whole flow of that game. But what we were looking for, we got a lot of it.?
Elon forward Brian Dawkins, the starter who has missed the last three games due to a left-hand injury, has resumed passing and catching.
Depending on swelling and Dawkins? pain threshold, he could be in line to return before the end of the regular season. After Thursday night?s road game, Elon plays host to Northeastern on Saturday night and James Madison on Monday night in the team?s final appearances at 68-year-old Alumni Gym.
Since defeating College of Charleston last month, Elon has lost seven of nine games and tumbled from its earlier status as a possible contender in the league race.
Meanwhile, the Cougars have won 10 straight game to climb into the CAA lead, where they?re on the verge of securing the regular-season title and top seed in the conference tournament.
Elon remains the last team to beat College of Charleston, further underscoring the situation. That victory occurred 40 nights ago at Alumni Gym and lifted the Phoenix to 4-2 in the CAA. Elon has taken a 2-7 turn since then.
?We don?t bemoan the fact that we are where we are,? Elon coach Matt Matheny said this week. ?We?ve gotten to this point for a variety of reasons. We?ve had not only our rhythm broken, but we?ve got our confidence shaken. So we?re trying to get some of our mistakes corrected and build our confidence up, as we gain our rhythm back.?
Elon is beginning a stretch of three games in five nights that will conclude the regular season, and trying to avoid suffering its fourth loss in a row. Elon has been defeated by lopsided margins in its last three games ? losses of 67-48 against Hofstra, 87-63 at UNC Wilmington and 72-57 at Delaware.
Matheny said he isn?t sure if he?ll stick with the starting lineup makeover the Phoenix used Saturday night at Delaware.
The freshman pair of guard Seth Fuller and forward Simon Wright received their first starting assignments, and senior swingman Collin Luther started for just the second time in his college career. Dmitri Thompson and Steven Santa Ana, experienced guards with a combined 145 career starts, came off the bench in that game.
?I just thought let?s shuffle the deck and breathe some new air into where we are,? Matheny said, ?and I thought we got great competitive toughness as a result of it. Unfortunately, we didn?t make some open shots early that could?ve changed the whole flow of that game. But what we were looking for, we got a lot of it.?
Elon forward Brian Dawkins, the starter who has missed the last three games due to a left-hand injury, has resumed passing and catching.
Depending on swelling and Dawkins? pain threshold, he could be in line to return before the end of the regular season. After Thursday night?s road game, Elon plays host to Northeastern on Saturday night and James Madison on Monday night in the team?s final appearances at 68-year-old Alumni Gym.
