WASHINGTON – Riding a four-game win streak, American University men's basketball is set to debut new jerseys for a "Black Out Game" against DC rival George Washington at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4. The first 500 AU students in attendance will receive a free "Black Out" t-shirt courtesy of official game sponsor DC Trails.
Quick Info
- Date/Time: Wednesday, December 4; 7 pm
- Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
- Series History: AU leads, 25-21
- TV: ESPN+
- Talent: Dan Laing, Gordon Austin
Food Drive Supporting Families4Families
- The team is partnering with local non-profit community organization Families4Families to help address food insecurity.
- All fans are asked to bring any non-perishable food items to Wednesday night's game to help combat food insecurity in our city, and help out families in need this holiday season.
- Donations will be collected just inside the front doors to Bender Arena, and those who donate will receive a coupon to a future Eagles home game valid later this season.
New Hospitality Offerings and Enhanced Fan Experience
- American is offering a new hospitality area for all fans, as well as revamped premium courtside seating as part of an upgrade to the fan experience in Bender Arena on game days.
- The Perch is a new game day hospitality area offering beer, wine and seltzers for purchase.
- In addition to the concessions menu from Gregorio's Trattoria, fans can now enjoy select beverages and snacks just steps from the baseline in Bender Arena. Fans must be 21+ years old to enter.
- Additionally, Bender Arena's courtside seats have been moved closer to the action, with additional seating now available in the end zone baseline area for fans to experience all the action - up close and personal.
Black Out Game
- The first 500 students in attendance will receive a free Black-Out t-shirt, courtesy of official game sponsor DC Trails.
- All fans are encouraged to wear black as the Eagles debut a new uniform against their local rival.
Inside the Series
- American has a 25-21 lead all-time against GW, and won the last two meetings of the series, both in Foggy Bottom.
- The Eagles came away with a 69-64 win on Dec. 10 of 2022, and won 67-65 on a Sa'eed Nelson buzzer-beater on Nov. 12, 2019.
- Matt Rogers scored 16 points in the 2022 contest, while Geoff Sprouse added nine and Lincoln Ball scored seven against his former team. Ball was recruited to GW and played there as a freshman before transferring to American.
- Prior to those victories, AU had lost 11 of the previous 12 meetings. The one win came in the only home game for AU since the turn of the century. The Eagles hosted GW on Jan. 2, 2003, and won 81-75.
- In games at home, AU leads 10-7. The two teams regularly met in a home/away series from the early 70s through the early 2000s.
- In the last win for the Revolutionaries, the Eagles took GW to overtime at the Smith Center in 2018-19 before falling 71-67.
What to Know About American
- The Eagles are riding a four-game win streak to improve to 5-4 overall, coming off a 47-point victory over Notre Dame of Maryland after going 3-0 at the Puerto Rico Clasico with wins against Kansas City, Puerto Rico at Bayamón, and UAlbany.
- Grad student Matt Rogers, an All-PL First Team honoree last year, was tabbed as the Patriot League's Preseason Player of the Year for 2024-25. Rogers is leading AU with 13.8 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game. He's shooting 50 percent from the field to rank fifth in the Patriot League. In the win over NDMU, Rogers led AU with 20 points and nine rebounds, hitting 9-for-9 from the floor and 2-of-2 free throws.
- Senior point guard Elijah Stephens was last week's Patriot League Player of the Week after averaging 18.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in the Eagles 3-1 week at High Point and in Puerto Rico. He shot 70 percent from the floor, and hit 21-of-26 free throws.
- Of 13 non-conference games, only four are being played at home in Bender Arena. American played six straight games away from home before returning to beat Notre Dame of Maryland (DIII) 97-52 on Dec. 1. The Eagles will now face back-to-back Atlantic 10 opponents in GW (Dec. 4) and St. Joseph's (Dec. 18), before a third challenge at ACC team Virginia on Dec. 22.
- 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.
- American's 10 conference wins in 2023-24 were the most since 2020 (12), and just the second time since 2014 that the Eagles reached double-digit wins in the Patriot League.
What to Know About George Washington
- George Washington comes into Wednesday's game on a three-game win streak. The Revolutionaries are 7-1 overall, with an 83-71 loss to Kansas State at the Paradise Jam standing as their only loss this season. Most recently, GW handled VMI with a 77-64 victory at home on November 29.
- Redshirt sophomore forward Darren Buchanan, Jr. leads the team through the early going with 15.9 points per game. Buchanan was named a Preseason Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Teamer, the only Revolutionary to make the preseason list.
- Buchanan is joined by Rafael Castro, Gerald Drumgooole Jr., and Trey Autry in scoring double figures so far this year. Buchanan and Castro, a redshirt junior forward from Dover, Del., are pulling down 8.4 and 8.3 rebounds a game, respectively.
- Head coach Chris Caputo is in his third season at the helm at George Washington. Last year, he became the fastest GW head coach to win 30 games since Mike Jarvis in 1990-91, winning 30 of his first 49 games as head coach.
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