WASHINGTON – Fresh off its first Patriot League victory of the season, the American University men's basketball team is looking for its first conference road win when the Eagles head to Boston University for a 7 p.m. contest on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Both teams come in with identical records of 7-8 overall and 1-1 in league play.
Quick Info
- Date/Time: Wednesday, January 8; 7 pm
- Site: Boston, Mass. (Case Gym)
- Series History: BU leads, 15-9
- TV: ESPN+
- Talent: Brian Maurer, John Papale
Records Watch
- In the midst of his career-high 33-point effort against UMBC, grad student Matt Rogers moved into 10th place all-time on AU's career scoring list after starting the game in 13th place. He holds that 10th spot now with 1,506 points.
- Rogers has 653 rebounds, which ranks him 20th all-time. He was the 15th player in AU history to reach 1,000 points and 500 rebounds, but is now only the sixth player all-time to hit 1,500 points and 500 rebounds.
- With 599 career field goals made, Rogers ranks seventh all-time, while his career field-goal percentage of .548 is tied for fifth.
- Senior Elijah Stephens is just 13 points away from becoming the 35th player in program history with 1,000 career points. Following a nine-point effort on Jan. 5, Stephens has 987 points.
Inside the Series
- BU and American are meeting for the 25th time, with the Terriers holding a 15-9 lead in the all-time series.
- The Eagles have lost four of the last five, including both meetings in 2023-24 as BU won 72-68 at home and 67-52 in D.C.
- AU's last win was a 76-74 result at home in the first game of the 2022-23 season. Four players reached double figures in scoring in that contest including Colin Smalls (13), Matt Rogers (11) and Elijah Stephens (11). Stephens scored 21 points the last time AU played at BU on Jan. 10 of last season.
- The last time the Eagles won in Boston was on Jan. 23, 2019 by a score of 70-66. No current players were part of that team.
What to Know About American
- American snapped a four-game losing streak with a 75-64 victory over Holy Cross on Sunday, a team that had come in on a four-game win streak. The Eagles hit 12 three-pointers including eight in a 45-point second half, getting four each from grad student Matt Rogers and sophomore Matt Mayock.
- Rogers, the Patriot League's Preseason Player of the Year, recently dropped a career-high 33 points vs. UMBC, hitting 15-of-20 from the field. It was also his first double-double of the season with 10 rebounds. Rogers' efforts moved him into 10th place all-time at AU in career scoring, and with his 18-point effort against Holy Cross, he passed the 1,500-point milestone and now has 1,506 points.
- The Eagles exactly matched their 6-7 non-conference record from 2023-24. Two close games ended the non-league slate, with the Eagles being in it the entire way at Virginia and then losing in a double-overtime thriller to UMBC. At Virginia, American made 11 three-pointers, and turned the ball over a season-low seven times. Non-conference highlights included a 3-0 performance at the Puerto Rico Clasico as part of a five-game win streak.
- Rogers currently ranks in the top 10 in the Patriot League in scoring (5th, 15.7 ppg), rebounding (9th, 5.7 rpg), and field-goal percentage (5th, 52.5). Senior Elijah Stephens ranks second in the PL in free-throw shooting at 87.8 percent, with sophomore Greg Jones right behind him in third at 86.7 percent. Grad student Colin Smalls is ninth in that same category at 77.1.
- American has drained 10 or more three-pointers five times this season, with all five coming in the most recent seven games. The Eagles made a season-high 13 triples in an OT win over GW on Dec. 4, and made 12 treys in the Holy Cross win on Jan. 5. Last year, AU had 12 games with 10 or more three-pointers, but that number was only five total in 2022-23 prior to the arrival of head coach Duane Simpkins.
What to Know About Boston University
- The Terriers sit at 1-1 in Patriot League play after bouncing back from a 60-46 loss at Lafayette with a 71-63 win over Army West Point on Sunday. Though they sit a game under .500 overall, the Terriers have defended Case Gym well, going 4-3 at home so far.
- Sophomore guard Kyrone Alexander paces a balanced scoring attack with 13.0 points per game. He is joined by sophomore guard Michael McNair in double figures (10.1 ppg), but eight other players score at least 4.5 a game.
- BU is also a strong rebounding team, grabbing 6.1 boards a game more than its opponents. Senior forward Malcolm Chimezie leads the way with 5.8 a contest.
- Alexander, McNair, Chimezie, and grad student guard Miles Brewster have started all 15 games so far this year.
- Joe Jones is in his 14th season as the head coach of the Terriers. He has led BU to five postseason berths, including an automatic bid to the 2020 NCAA Tournament after capturing the team's first Patriot League title.
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