WASHINGTON – The toughest test of the season awaits American University men's basketball as the Eagles travel to #10/11 North Carolina for a Friday night match-up at 8 p.m. in the Dean Smith Center. It is the first ever meeting between AU and the six-time national champion Tar Heels.
 
Quick Info

• Date/Time: Friday, November 15; 8 pm
• Site: Chapel Hill, N.C. (Smith Center)
• Series History: First meeting
• TV: ACC Network / ESPN+
• Talent: Kevin Brown, Jon Crispin

Inside the Series

• Friday's meeting between North Carolina and American is the first meeting between the two programs.

Manuel's Homecoming to UNC

• When the Eagles travel to North Carolina, it will be a homecoming for assistant coach Jackie Manuel. He played for the Tar Heels from 2001-2005, and was a captain on UNC's national championship team in 2005.
• Before coming to AU, Manuel spent two seasons with UNC men's basketball as the director of team and player development.

What to Know About American

• The Eagles got their first win in front of 3,319 fans in Bender Arena on Sunday, Nov. 10, including former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama who sat in the Harvard section. Colin Smalls scored 16 points and Geoff Sprouse added 15 to lead AU in the 67-55 victory.
• Grad student Matt Rogers, an All-Patriot League First Team honoree last year, was tabbed as the Patriot League's Preseason Player of the Year for 2024-25.
• Rogers exploded for 26 points in the Eagles' 74-66 loss at Siena on Tuesday, hitting 11-of-22 field goals including 3-of-4 three-pointers.
• AU erased a 15-point deficit in the first half at Siena and led by as many as five in the second half, but went cold down the stretch during a 19-3 run for the Saints.
• American returned seven of its nine leading scorers from last season, and all three of its leading rebounders. Last year, the Eagles set a program record with 279 three-pointers made, and hosted a Patriot League quarterfinal game for the first time since 2020. 
• Second-year head coach Duane Simpkins has brought a new energy to the program. American's 10 conference wins were the most since 2020 (12), and just the second time since 2014 that the Eagles reached double-digit wins in the Patriot League. The Eagles finished in a tie for second place in the Patriot League despite being plagued by injuries for most of the conference season.
• Senior Elijah Stephens was named to the All-Patriot League Defensive Team and Second Team in his junior season, averaging 12.1 points per game and 4.9 assists despite battling injuries toward the end of the season. He currently ranks seventh all-time at AU with 357 assists.

What to Know About North Carolina

• After opening its season with a 90-76 victory over in-state foe Elon, the North Carolina Tar Heels were edged by top-ranked Kansas in one of the marquee matchups of the early season last Friday, 92-89 at Allen Field House.
• The Heels, ranked 10th nationally, were picked to finish second in the Atlantic Coast Conference behind only their nearby rival, Duke.
• RJ Davis, a fifth-year guard who was named the league's Player of the Year after scoring 21.4 points per game last season, was the league's lone unanimous Preseason First Teamer and is expected to repeat as Player of the Year. He is averaging 20.0 points per game so far, though most of his damage is coming at the free throw line where he has converted on 16 of 18 attempts.
• Hubert Davis is entering his fourth season as the head coach at his alma mater. After a national runner-up finish in 2021-22, Davis brought the Tar Heels back to the NCAA Tournament last season with his first ACC title and an eventual Sweet 16 finish. The Tar Heels' six national titles, the most recent in 2017, are third-most all time.

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).