Quick scout: What you should know as UNC gets ready to face Elon on Wednesday night
North Carolina will face Elon at home on Wednesday, and is looking to go 4-0 before the games get tougher.
This is the second time in as many years that the two teams have faced. Last season, UNC won 116-67 at Elon.
Here is what you need to know about this game and a quick scout of Elon:
Elon’s KenPom rankings: 327
UNC-Elon series: 19-4 (the two teams have played only twice since 1950).
Elon’s record: 2-2
Last game: L 70-50 at Michigan on Nov. 15
Weaknesses
▪ Offensively, Elon has been far from good. The Phoenix have the worst 3-point percentage in the country at 14 percent. Their effective field goal percentage is also worst in the country at 29.3 percent.
They average 89.2 points per 100 possessions, which is ranked 331st out of 353 Division I teams.
▪ On defense, the Phoenix have gone four games without blocking a shot, which is also dead last. Elon’s tallest player is Federico Poser, who is 6-8, 230 pounds. He averages 9.8 points per game and 4 rebounds.
Strengths
▪ Elon has, however, done a good job of taking care of the ball. Its turnovers percentage is 14.8 percent, which is 24th in the country. By comparison, UNC’s turnover percentage is 18.8 percent.
▪ Elon has kept opponents off the offensive glass, limiting second chance points. Opponents are rebounding only 19.1 percent of their misses, which is 14th in the nation.
Player to watch
Marcus Sheffield.
Sheffield, a 6-5, 180-pound senior guard, is averaging 17.3 points per game, 5.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists this season. He scored 22 points against Michigan last week, and was 9-for-16 from the floor.
The ball is in Sheffield’s hands the majority of the time, and he takes 37.6 percent of Elon’s shots, similar to Cole Anthony’s shot percentage. Anthony takes 39.9 percent of UNC’s shots.
Prediction
This is supposed to be a tune up game before UNC heads to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, where it will face much stiffer competition.
Under UNC coach Roy Williams, the Tar Heels have consistently been one of the top rebounding teams in the nation. And Elon doesn’t have height to keep the Tar Heels’ two big men — Garrison Brooks (6-9, 235 pounds) and Armando Bacot (6-10, 232) — off the offensive glass.
Also, the Tar Heels’ defense has been good this year, and if Elon continues to struggle with its shot, it could be a long and ugly night.
The Tar Heels haven’t shot above 50 percent in any of their games, but Wednesday night may be the night it happens.
Cole Anthony should have another big game. This would be the perfect time for a second or third player to emerge. I expect it to be close in the first few minutes, then UNC to pull away.
UNC 97, Elon 63
Elon at UNC
When: 8:30 p.m.
Where: Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill
TV: RSN
Listen: WTKK-106.1 Raleigh; WCHL-97.9, WCHL-1360 Chapel Hill; WBT-99.3, WBT-1110 Charlotte
This story was originally published November 19, 2019 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Quick scout: What you should know as UNC gets ready to face Elon on Wednesday night."
