Elon Men's Basketball looks to the future with a new Arena opening and a bevy of new players

Is there a better way to christen a new Arena than to bring in one of the all time winningest programs in the history of College Basketball? I can't wait to see the Schar Center in person as it looks incredible in the pictures I have seen so far. It will be the place to be on Friday 11/9 when the Elon Men's Basketball team hosts the mighty North Carolina Tar Heels. The Tar Heels play the 2nd of two road games to start the season which is unheard of for the storied program from Chapel Hill. Roy Williams is a different breed of coach than some of his adversaries and is happy to play two road nonconference games before the Tar Heels host Stanford on Monday evening 11/12 in Chapel Hill.

Elon looks to build on a solid 2017-18 season with the return of several lettermen. They also hope a new Arena will help revitalize their fan base and motivate them to win the 2019 CAA Conference Tournament which will be held in Charleston, SC. The program is still looking for its first trip to the NCAA Tournament. Head Coach Matt Matheny knows it will be an uphill climb with the likes of the College of Charleston, Northeastern, and UNC Wilmington lurking at the top of the Conference. The key is to get hot prior to the NCAA Tournament as we have seen several teams do in recent seasons.

One thing is for sure - the Schar Center will be rocking on Friday evening 11/9 when the Tar Heels visit. Hopefully Elon can carry the momentum of that game through the nonconference portion of their schedule and into the always brutal CAA conference games. I would love to see the Phoenix play North Carolina again in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. That game would most likely be in Columbia, SC at Colonial Life Arena. If Elon makes the Tournament and doesn't draw the Tar Heels they will most likely play Duke. Remember what happened a few years ago in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament when Duke played in South Carolina. Remember - anything can happen once March rolls around.

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