NC State basketball opponent scouting report: Elon

NC State basketball 3-0 and set to host the final of a four-game home stand to start the year. The Pack blew out Florida International earlier this week. Next is Elon, who comes to Raleigh for a 1 p.m., tip Saturday afternoon at PNC Arena. The game can be seen online on ACC Network Extra.

Here is a rundown of what to expect from Elon.

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Elon overview

Elon is undergoing a transition, as Billy Taylor was announced as the new head coach in April. Taylor brings plenty of experience. He was a two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year during a 5-year stint at Lehigh and took them to the 2004 NCAA Tournament.

From there, Taylor began a 7-year tenure at Ball State, where he went 84-99 overall and 44-52 in the MAC. After being let go, Taylor signed up as an assistant at Iowa until 2016 when he took over Belmont Abbey for three years, going 49-42, including a 23-8 record in his final season (2018-19). After that, Taylor made the decision to rejoin Iowa until accepting the Elon position.

He brings his Elon squad to face NC State basketball after a rough start that included a home loss to North Dakota Thursday, dropping the Phoenix to 1-3. The one win was over Erskine, a non Division I member.

The preseason Colonial Athletic Association poll had Elon finishing 12th out of 13 teams in the league.

Rankings

ESPN’s BPI: Elon checks in at No. 336 (out of 362 teams). NC State basketball is No. 54.

KenPom.com: The Phoenix are No. 331. The Pack is No. 64.

Three Elon players to watch against NC State basketball

Senior wing Zac Ervin: Listed as a senior on the roster, Ervin is really a redshirt junior. He started 15 games as a rookie in 2019-20, averaging 8.4 points per contest. He missed the following season with an injury, but returned last year to be a part-time starter.

Ervin has started all four games thus far for Elon, and he is one of three players averaging double digits in scoring (10.5 points per contest). He is not afraid to shoot from beyond the arc, and he has made 105 in his career thus far.

Senior guard Sean Halloran: Like Taylor, Halloran was at Belmont Abbey before transferring to Elon, although the two did not overlap. Halloran is Belmont Abbey’s all-time leader in assists (502) and was a two-time all-conference selection there.

After a slow start, Halloran has heated up for Elon. He made all 4 threes he attempted vs. North Dakota and comes into the NC State game leading the Phoenix in scoring at 12.3 points per game. He also has an impressive 2.8 steals per contest.

Super senior forward Torrence Watson: Watson is a player at Elon familiar with the level of basketball at NC State. He played three seasons at Missouri, starting five games in that stretch, before transferring to Elon prior to last year.

Through four games, Watson is second on the Phoenix in scoring (11.5 points per game) and leads Elon in rebounding (5.3). He is also an impressive free throw shooter, making 68 of 81 attempts while at Elon, or nearly 84 percent.

Three things NC State basketball should expect from Elon

1. An overmatched team: Using KenPom as a barometer, Elon could well prove to be the weakest non-conference opponent on the schedule. NC State defeated Austin Peay and FIU by an average of 41.0 points. Those two teams are rated 233 and 234 respectively on KenPom. Elon is nearly 100 spots below that.

2. A good amount of three-pointers: Over 40 percent of Elon’s shots this year are threes. The accuracy is not great at 30.0 percent, but the volume at 22.5 per game is.

3. A healthy rotation: Thus far, Tucker has shown a willingness to go to his bench. Nine Elon players have participated in every game and average double-digit minutes.