WASHINGTON – The American University men's basketball team will look for a season split with the Boston University Terriers as the Eagles continue to hunt for the number two seed in the Patriot League Tournament. The second game in the series against BU is set for 7 p.m. at Bender Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 21.
 
Quick Info

• Date/Time: Wednesday, February 21; 7 p.m.
• Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
• Series History: Boston University leads, 14-9
• TV: ESPN+
• Talent: Dan Laing and Gordon Austin

Inside the Series

• This will be just the 24th meeting between American and Boston University, with the Terriers leading 14-9.
• Boston U. has won four of the last five contests. A 5-5 tie in games at Bender Arena will be broken in the upcoming contest.

Earlier This Season …

• American and Boston University met on January 10 at Case Gym in Boston, with the Terriers coming out on top, 72-68.
• Junior Elijah Stephens led the Eagles with 21 points, while senior Matt Rogers added 18 points and eight rebounds.
• For the Terriers, senior Miles Brewster led the way with a career-high 21 points.
• American led by as many as seven points and only turned the ball over seven times, but Boston U. capitalized on making over 72 percent of their three-point shots in the second half.

What to Know About American

• American fell in its last game, 68-62, to split its season series with Lafayette. Rogers led the way for the Eagles with 17 points and seven rebounds, while freshman Matt Mayock scored 16 points. American trailed by a point at halftime, and the lead changed 15 times. AU was unable to overcome Lafayette's 53-percent make rate from beyond the arc in the second half.
• Rogers leads AU and ranks third in the PL with 16.1 points per game, adding 6.3 rebounds per game (fifth in PL). Rogers has reached double-figures scoring in all but three games played this season. He made 12-of-13 free throws in the two games played last week.
• Stephens leads AU and ranks second in the PL with 5.1 assists per game. His assist/turnover ratio of 2.2 ranks fourth in the PL, and his 11.9 points per game rank 10th in the PL. Stephens played 22 minutes against Lafayette after missing three games with an ankle injury.
• Since the start of Patriot League play, American ranks first in the conference in two-point field goal percentage (54.0) and free throw percentage (74.4). The Eagles rank second in offensive efficiency and third in defensive efficiency in League play.
• First-year head coach Duane Simpkins has 14 career victories and has brought a new energy to the program. American has already surpassed its Patriot League win total from last season with four regular season conference games remaining.

Scouting the Terriers

• Boston University enters Wednesday's game with an 11-16 record overall and a 6-8 record in the Patriot League.
• The Terriers have alternated between winning and losing each game over their last eight contests.
• In its last game, Boston U. defeated Navy at home, 74-65. Freshman Kyrone Alexander and sophomore Otto Landrum each scored 19 points to lead the Terriers.
• Boston U. ranks third in the PL in rebounding with 35.2 boards per game. They rank second in the country in offensive rebounds allowed. Landrum leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per game.
• Brewster leads the team with 10.6 points per game, which ranks 16th in the Patriot League. Brewster ranks fourth in the League with 1.5 steals per game and sixth with 3.1 assists per game.
• The Terriers rank third in the League in scoring defense, allowing 65.8 points per game.
• The Terriers are one of the most inexperienced teams in the country, per KenPom. They rank 355th out of 362 Division I teams.
• Head coach Joe Jones is in his 13th season with the Terriers. He's led the Terriers to five postseason berths, including a 2020 PL tournament championship and 2014 regular season championship. He served as the head coach at Columbia University from 2003-2010.

 AU Student-Athlete Advisory Council to Host Food Drive

• As an extension of the Patriot League's "I Make My Voice Heard" campaign, members of AU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will join forces with TEAM AU Corporate Partner Wegmans—hosting and staffing collection stations for donations of canned and non-perishable food items from attendees at all AU home sporting events through March 2nd in support of AU's The Market food pantry, helping to combat and assist those AU students affected by food insecurity.

Pride Celebration

•  Wednesday night will be AU men's basketball's Pride Celebration night, with special programming and performances to celebrate the occasion.

Keep Up With Us

• For the latest on American University Men's Basketball, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on X (formerly Twitter) (@AU_MBasketball), Facebook (/AU.MBasketball) and Instagram (@au_mbasketball).