WASHINGTON – American University men's basketball returns to the hardwood at Bender Arena on Monday night against preseason Patriot League favorite, Boston University. The game will air nationally on CBS Sports Network.
 
QUICK INFO 

• Date/Time: Monday, January 10, 7:00 p.m. 
• Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena) 
• Ticket Info: AUEagles.com/Tickets
• Series History: Boston U. leads, 10-8 
• TV: CBS Sports Network
• Talent: Jason Knapp (pxp) and Mo Cassara (color)

UPDATED COVID PROTOCOLS FOR BENDER ARENA

• In response to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in our region, American University Athletics is announcing increased safety measures for events at Bender Arena
• Concessions: Due to health and safety protocols related to COVID-19, concessions will temporarily not be available to patrons for home events at Bender.
• Eagles Club Hospitality Suite: Due to health and safety protocols related to COVID-19, there will be a temporary pause on all Eagles Club Hospitality operations for men's and women's basketball games.
• These measures are in addition to the ones already in place, which include all patrons wearing masks at all times while inside Bender Arena, and proof of vaccination required prior to entering the gym.

BENDER ARENA PARKING ADVISORY

• All those attending events at Bender Arena through January 14, with the exception of commencement on Dec. 18-19, should be prepared to use alternate parking on campus in the Katzen Arts Center on Massachusetts Avenue or the School of International Service (SIS) on Nebraska Avenue.
• The 5th through 7th (roof) levels of the Bender Arena Garage are currently blocked for all vehicular traffic due to repairs. These floors will not be accessible for pedestrian or vehicular traffic during the project.
• Parking in all general areas on campus is free after 5 p.m. and on weekends.
• Find a detailed campus map here.

INSIDE THE SERIES

• Due to the Patriot League's emphasis on regional divisions a season ago, these two programs haven't met since February 2020.
• The Eagles topped the Terriers in their last matchup at Bender Arena, taking a 67-63 victory over the eventual 2020 Patriot League champs on Jan. 5, 2020. But BU got their revenge the next month, overcoming an 18-point deficit to top AU in Boston on Feb. 23, 2020.
• The win for Boston U. snapped a five-game losing streak in the series that had stretched back to Jan. 17, 2018.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN

• COVID and health/safety protocols have upended American's season right as the new year gets underway. A narrow 63-61 loss to Lehigh with 10 of 19 players available on Jan. 1 was sandwiched by three straight game postponements.
• Elijah Stephens was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week last week after scoring a career-high 18 points on 8-of-11 from the field. The Waco, Texas, native has seen action in all 13 games this season, shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from beyond the arc.
• Johnny O'Neil had his first career double-double in the loss to the Mountain Hawks, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. It was AU's first double-double and first double-digit rebound performance of the season. The 6-9 sophomore leads the team in rebounding (5.2) and 3-point percentage (.397)
• Matt Rogers leads the Patriot League in field goal percentage, shooting 63.4 percent this season. The sophomore averages 9.7 ppg and exploded for 30 against Howard last month. 
• Stacy Beckton Jr. is on milestone watch during his fifth season as an Eagle. After taking the court against George Mason, he has now played in 100 career games. He is 61 points away from becoming the 33rd player to reach 1,000 career points. He currently has 90 career blocks, which ranks ninth in program history. He is two swats away from moving into eighth place on AU's all-time career blocks list and 11 away from being the sixth Eagle with 100 career blocks.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BOSTON U.

• The preseason Patriot League favorite, Boston has opened conference play with a 1-2 mark. The Terriers topped Bucknell on New Year's Day (63-61) but have lost to Navy and Loyola Maryland in their last two games.
• Walter Whyte scored nine points in the loss to Loyola on Friday and became the 40th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone. Whyte, a preseason All-PL selection, averages 12.4 ppg and 6.5 rpg.
• Javonte McCoy was named the Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year and has started the season white-hot from the field. McCoy leads the league in 3-point percentage (49.3) and shoots 50.5 percent from the field overall. The grad student leads BU with 16.7 ppg and is 12 points away from becoming the seventh Terrier to reach 1,600 in his career.

TICKET INFO

• Tickets, starting at just $7 each, are available for purchase for fully vaccinated fans by clicking here.   A limited amount of premium location sideline seats also still remain.  Admission is free for AU undergraduate, graduate and WCL students with current AU ID.
• AU Athletics asks that you consider pre-purchasing digital tickets prior to arriving on campus. The ticket office is transitioning to contactless tickets so that we may offer the safest and most effective way to minimize contact upon entry.
• Digital tickets also give fans more control in the management of tickets including the ability to forward/share ticket(s) with friends and family. You may either present digital tickets on a smart phone device or download and pre-print ticket(s) at home with a valid QR code.
• Thank you for your help and cooperation in advancing contactless ticketing for the health and safety of our entire AU community.

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 the depth of his team and how important it is during a long season.
• All prior show episodes from this season can also be seen archived here.

HOW TO WATCH CBS SPORTS NETWORK

• Find the CBS Sports Network Channel Finder here to see the channel number on your cable or satellite TV provider.
• A live stream is also available on CBSSports.com and can be accessed by clicking here.
• More info can be found on PatriotLeague.org.

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).