How important is it to Elon to have won the
North?
Elon winning the North is a huge deal because now
their road to winning the Southern Conference Championship got a lot easier.
With a win, not only did Elon ensure a first round bye in the SoCon Tournament,
but it also now guaranteed it will be a top 2 seed. Last year, Elon came in
second in the North and got a first round bye but had to play the eventual
Conference Tournament champion Davidson in the semi-finals in the tournament.
With Elon and Davidson winning their respective divisions, the only way they
can meet in the tournament is in the championship game, which is good news for
Elon because Davidson is 15-1 in conference play this season.
Which player is the most important player on
Elon's team?
It is tough
not to choose junior guard Jack
Isenbarger, given how many clutch shots and game winners he has hit for the
Phoenix this season, not to mention how reliable he is from the free throw line
(86.6 percent) and from three-point range (34.8), but I would still have to
choose junior forward Lucas Troutman.
Not only does Troutman lead the team in scoring (14.9 PPG) but he is
also a factor on the glass (5.4 RPG), something that is crucial given for an undersized
Phoenix squad. Troutman is also a tough interior defender and is a great
shot-blocker, leading the Southern Conference in blocks per game with 2.1.
What is one weakness that you think Chattanooga
might be able to expose?
I would say the one weakness Chattanooga could
expose tonight is that this is the perfect trap game. Elon is coming off
winning the North Division Title on Thursday night and after they play
Chattanooga tonight, it hosts Davidson on Wednesday night in a clash of the
first place teams in the Southern Conference. Elon will want to make a
statement at home on Wednesday night to prove to Davidson it can beat them in
the tournament, so Elon is definitely looking forward towards playing them. If
Chattanooga can come out with high energy, especially early in the game, it has
a good chance to pull off the upset. Also, if star forward Lucas Troutman is
out, Chattanooga, the # 1 rebounding team in the Conference, can use their its
advantage to take down the Phoenix.
The SoCon Tournament starts soon. What chance do
you give Elon of winning the whole thing?
I would give Elon a relatively good chance of
winning the whole tournament. After securing a first round bye and a top two
seed, Elon needs to win three conference tournament games to win it all. Elon
is playing its best basketball of the season, winning 12 of its past 13 games.
Elon should win its first conference game without too many issues but then will
likely have to play College of Charleston in the second semi-finals. Charleston
is the only Southern Conference team to beat Elon at Alumni Gym this season and
could pose a huge threat to the Phoenix. If the Phoenix are able to beat
Charleston, they will likely face off against Davidson in the Conference
Championship game, which would be a very tough game. But Elon has arguably its best team since entering
Division 1 play in NCAA basketball so I would say Elon has a realistic chance
of winning the tournament and making its first NCAA Tournament appearance in
school history.
Do you think Troutman should play or not on
Saturday night? Do you think Troutman deserves to win SoCon Player of the Year?
I think Troutman should rest tonight and get himself
ready for the clash against Davidson on Wednesday night. Elon has proven it can
win games without Troutman (recently versus Appalachian State and at Samford)
and the Phoenix should feel confident about beating a Chattanooga squad that is
three games under .500 in conference play this year.
I think one could certainly make the case for
Troutman to win SoCon Player of the Year, given that he is the leader of the
Phoenix squad that just won the North division. Troutman also leads the
conference in blocks, second in the conference in field goal percentage and is
fifth in scoring, furthering his case for SoCon Player of the Year.
Thanks, Tyler! I appreciate it. Looking forward to a good game tonight!
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