BAYAMÓN, Puerto Rico – The whirlwind travel continues this week for American University men's basketball as the Eagles prepare to take on three opponents in the Puerto Rico Clasico, hosted in Bayamón at the Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez. American will face the University of Missouri-Kansas City on Friday, the University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón on Saturday, and the University at Albany on Sunday.
Quick Info
- Dates/Times: Nov. 22 at 4:30 pm EST (UMKC), Nov. 23 at 4 pm EST (PR Bayamón), Nov. 24 at 12 pm EST (UAlbany)
- Site: Bayamón, Puerto Rico (Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez)
- Series History: AU leads UMKC 2-0; UAlbany leads AU 3-1
- Live Streams ($19.99): Game 1, Game 2, Game 3
- Live Stats: Game 1, Game 2, Game 3
- Game Notes
Inside the Series
- The Eagles are 2-0 against UMKC with both meetings in the record book taking place in the first half of the 1989-90 season.
- UAlbany holds a 3-1 lead on AU all-time, but the Eagles won last year's meeting decisively, 82-62 on their home court in DC.
What to Know About American
- American is in the midst of six straight games away from home, and is without a win on the road so far this season. Of 13 non-conference games on the slate, only four will be played at home for AU. Next up is a three-game swing at the Puerto Rico Clasico.
- The Eagles got their first win in front of 3,319 fans in Bender Arena on 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.
- Smalls reached double figures in scoring in the first three games for the Eagles, leading them in scoring twice (at La Salle and vs. Harvard).
- 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' loss at Siena last Tuesday, hitting 11-of-22 field goals including 3-of-4 three-pointers. He also led AU in scoring at #10/11 North Carolina with 15 points.
- College Insider recently named Rogers to the Early Season Watch List for the Lou Henson Award, presented annually to the top player in mid-major college basketball.
- 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 367 assists.
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