WASHINGTON – American University men's basketball is set to return to play with a home doubleheader versus Navy on Saturday, Feb. 20 and Sunday, Feb. 21. Sunday's contest will be featured on CBS Sports Network at 6 p.m.
 
QUICK INFO

• Date/Time: Saturday, Feb. 20, 12 p.m… Sunday, Feb. 21, 6 p.m.
• Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
• Series History: AU leads, 49-46
• TV: ESPN+ on Saturday, CBS Sports Network on Sunday
• Talent: Saturday - Dan Laing (pxp), Jimmy Patsos (color)… Sunday – Jason Knapp (pxp), Mo Cassara (color) 

INSIDE THE SERIES

• Both programs have been in at least a three-week layoff due to both weather and COVID protocols. AU hasn't played since Jan. 24 (27 days) and Navy has been off since Jan. 30 (21 days).
• After American swept the Mids last season, Navy won both meetings last month, including an 87-86 overtime victory in AU's season-opener.
• The two schools will be meeting for the 96th and 97th time this weekend. It's the second-longest series for American, just behind Loyola Maryland (99 meetings). 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN

• Jamir Harris made SportsCenter's "Best Available Video" after making a game-winning buzzer-beater the last time AU played to top Loyola in triple-overtime. The senior guard scored a career-high 33 points while playing 53 minutes and matching a school record with nine 3-pointers. The Garden State native was named PL Player of the Week for his efforts.
• Josh Alexander has stepped up in his first season as the starting big. Through two weekends of play, the junior is shooting 60 percent from the field, good for fourth in the Patriot League.
• Johnny O'Neil has opened his career with four straight double-digit scoring performances. The Miami Shores native leads the team with 7.0 rebounds per game and leads the league with 2.3 blocks per game. 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT NAVY

• Buoyed by a veteran core, Navy has won 10 of its last 11 games, including two wins over American last month. The Mids and Colgate are the only two Patriot League teams with one loss in conference play.
• Cam Davis, a second-team All-PL player a season ago, looks to be the heart and soul of this team. He was named preseason All-League and averages 17.7 ppg on 45.5 percent shooting from the field.
• Navy relies on veteran experience and has a deep bench to show for it. 12 Mids average at least 10 minutes per game.
• Control of the PL South is on the line this weekend. With mini-conference record holding priority in postseason seeding. a sweep for Navy this weekend would clinch the No. 1 seed in the division. A sweep for AU would put the Eagles in the division's top spot heading into the final week of the season.

OTHER NOTABLES

• The Patriot League will reaffirm its commitment to the pursuit of Anti-Racism during the men's and women's basketball games on Saturday, Feb. 20, and Sunday, Feb. 21. During the weekend, League men's and women's basketball student-athletes will wear special warm-up shirts adorned with a Black fist surrounded by 10 stars to represent each of the League's member institutions and the phrase "Pursuing Anti-Racism". The shirt's back will feature the words "Unity, Respect, Activism" to signify the values under which the League will continue to pursue the goal of Anti-Racism.
• Coaches across men's college basketball will pay tribute to John Thompson Jr. this week by wearing commemorative towels over their shoulders during games – mirroring the late coach's signature sideline look. Prior to becoming head coach at American, Mike Brennan spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Georgetown under John Thompson III. The Hoyas captured a share of the Big East title and earned a No. 2 seed in the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, Brennan's final season with the squad.
• With the addition of Lorenzo Donadio (Rome, Italy) and Christian Lorng (Paris, France) to the roster this season, AU continues its legacy of international-born ballers as 11 different players from 10 different countries have now played for Coach Brennan. Most recently, Yilret Yiljep (Nigeria) and Mark Gasperini (Russia) carried the torch as international players. The legacy of international players continues all the way back to the Jeff Jones era as an international player has been an Eagle for at least 20 straight seasons.
• When play tipped off in the season-opener against Navy, the Eagles became the second-to-last NCAA D-I men's basketball program that hadn't officially opted out of competition to open its season. Loyola Maryland tipped off a few hours later at 4 p.m. and was the final program to open play. Both programs went on pause prior to the first scheduled weekend of play due to a positive COVID-19 test within its Tier 1 personnel.
• In his eighth season at AU, head coach Mike Brennan looks to make moves on the all-time wins list. He is four wins away from becoming the fifth AU skipper to reach 100 wins. Six more wins this season will put Brennan in fourth place on the all-time wins list.
• Senior guard Stacy Beckton Jr. is looking to make his mark on the AU Men's Basketball record book this season. He currently sits in 9th on the all-time blocks list at AU with 80 career swats. His 36 blocks in 2018-19 also put him on 9th place on the single-season list. The Third Team All-PL honoree and PL All-Defensive Team member has also improved offensively over the course of his career and looks to continue that momentum this season. He enters the weekend 265 points away from becoming the 33rd member of the 1,000 point club at AU. 

POSTSEASON PLANS

• Teams in the conference are split into three mini-conferences: South (American, Loyola, Navy), Central (Bucknell, Lafayette, Lehigh) and North (Army West Point, Boston University, Colgate, Holy Cross). Teams will play multiple games within those mini-conferences with other games in the league serving as crossovers.
• Eight teams, as opposed to 10, will qualify for the Patriot League Championships this year.
• Each of the three mini-conference winners earns a spot into the tournament field and host a quarterfinal game. Those teams are seeded (one through three) by their overall League record winning percentage.
• Each of the second-place mini-conference finishers earns a spot in the tournament field. The runner-up team with the best overall record would earn the No. 4 seed and the right to host a quarterfinal game. Those teams are seeded (four through six) by their overall League record winning percentage.
• The seventh and eighth seeds are determined by a list of procedures, including but not limited to: best two overall League record winning percentages and head-to-head record (if applicable).

VIRTUALLY "PHIL BENDER" ARENA PRESENTED BY GEICO

• American University Athletics has announced a new virtual ticket campaign in an effort to sell out Bender Arena this coming basketball season. This new season-long initiative, presented by "TEAM AU" partner GEICO, will challenge Eagles fans and alumni to sell out each seat in Bender Arena for the 2020-21 basketball schedule. The "AU Founder" ticket price of $18.93 commemorates the year AU was founded. Click here to support AU Athletics by buying virtual tickets. 

HOW TO WATCH ESPN+

• A subscription to ESPN+ is available for purchase via ESPN.com, ESPNPlus.com, or the ESPN App. Fans can access ESPN+ content only after they have subscribed. To subscribe, click here. It costs $5.99/month or $59.99/year.

KEEP UP WITH US

• For the latest on American University Men's Basketball, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_MBasketball), Facebook (/AU.MBasketball) and Instagram (@au_mbasketball).