WASHINGTON – American University men's basketball heads to Annapolis on Saturday afternoon for a tilt against Patriot League leader, Navy.
 
QUICK INFO 

• Date/Time: Saturday, January 29, 2:00 p.m. 
• Site: Annapolis, Md. (Alumni Hall)
• Series History: AU leads, 49-48 
• TV: ESPN+
• Talent: Pete Medhurst (pxp) and Mike Heary (color)

INSIDE THE SERIES

• AU and Navy faced off four times last season due to the Patriot League's emphasis on regional mini conferences. Navy topped AU in all four meetings a season ago.
• This is the 21st season in which Navy and American are each members of the Patriot League. This also is the 28th season in which both teams are members of the same conference.
• Seven of the last nine games in the series have been decided by 10 or fewer points.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN

• American picked up a much-needed win over Holy Cross on Wednesday night, 67-49, to snap a three-game losing streak in Patriot League play. Josh Alexander and Colin Smalls led the Eagles with 16 points apiece in the win over the Crusaders.
• Stacy Beckton Jr. is on milestone watch during his fifth season as an Eagle. He has now played in 105 career games and is nine points away from becoming the 33rd player to reach 1,000 career points. He currently has 92 career blocks, which ranks eighth in program history. He is two swats away from moving into seventh place on AU's all-time career blocks list and eight away from being the sixth Eagle with 100 career blocks.
• Since stepping into the starting lineup in late November, Matt Rogers has been up to the task. He leads the conference and currently ranks second in program history by shooting 65.0 percent from the field this season. The 6-9 sophomore averages 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.
• Elijah Stephens has continued to improve as his rookie campaign rolls along. Since Patriot League play began, he has been dishing dimes at a solid pace. He's had at least four assists in each of the past four games. He's averaging 9.0 points per game on 53.7 percent shooting during conference play.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT NAVY

• Navy has followed up an impressive season last year with another great start, currently sitting at 6-3 in PL play. Last year, the Mids posted a 15-3 overall record and, with a 12-1 record, won the South division and earned the No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since the 1997 event.
• Navy's defense has been one of the keys to the team's success this season. The Mids currently lead the conference and rank 21st nationally in scoring defense (61.2 ppg). Navy has held 13 of its last 16 Division I opponents to a point total lower than the season average they had posted entering the game (Army needed to go to overtime to better its average).
• The Mids feature a balanced attack with seven players averaging at least six points per game, led by John Carter Jr. (13.5). He shoots 42.2 percent from beyond the arc and ranks seventh in program history in 3-pointers (172).

AU HOOP TALK WITH COACH BRENNAN, PRESENTED BY 1757 GOLF CLUB

• Check out and watch the newest episode of AU Hoop Talk with Coach Brennan presented by 1757 Golf Club by clicking here.
•  In this week's episode, Coach Brennan talks about how his team has handled the adversity of a constantly-changing schedule the last few weeks.
• All prior show episodes from this season can also be seen archived here.

FEBRUARY 4-PACK TICKET MINI-PLANS NOW AVAILABLE

• This February don't miss any of the action on the hardwood inside Bender during the stretch run of Patriot League play by purchasing AU Basketball's February 4-Pack Ticket Mini-Plans!
• Starting at just $30, you receive a ticket to all four February men's home games. Purchase this special, limited-time, money-saving offer at AUEagles.com/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 $6.99/month or $69.99/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).