WASHINGTON - Looking for a fourth straight win over its nearby rival, the American University men's basketball team heads to George Washington for a 7 p.m. game on Wednesday, Nov. 12. The Eagles (1-1) forced overtime against the Revolutionaries (2-0) in Bender Arena last season before winning 81-71.

Quick Info

• Date/Time: Wednesday, November 12; 7 pm
• Site: Washington, D.C. (Charles E. Smith Center)
• Series History: AU leads, 26-21
• TV: ESPN+
• Talent: Byron Kerr, Jimmy Patsos

Inside the Series

• AU leads the all-time series 26-21 against GW, and has had a string of recent success with three wins dating back to 2019.
• Prior to that, GW had won 11 of 12 going back to 1991.
• Senior Geoff Sprouse is the only AU player to have experience playing at GW, scoring nine points in a 69-64 win on Dec. 10, 2022.
• Last year, then-graduate student Colin Smalls hit a three-pointer in the final seconds of regulation to force OT against the Revs in a Dec. 7 game at Bender Arena, and the Eagles went on to win 81-71 behind Smalls' career-high 26 points.

What to Know About American

• American is coming off its first win in its first home game, leading for over 30 minutes on its way to an 84-78 defeat of Penn.
• Freshman Madden Collins wowed the Bender Arena crowd at his collegiate home debut, scoring 25 points including 17 in the second half to lead the Eagles. One of Collins' 11 made field goals was a dunk, and he went 9-for-10 on his two-point field goal attempts.
• Sophomore Julen Iturbe scored a career-high 16 points against Penn, hitting 3-of-6 three-pointers.
• In their season opener at Wake Forest, the Eagles lost 88-74 to the ACC powerhouse despite a career-high 22 points from sophomore Wyatt Nausadis.
• American is coming off a 22-13 season and the fourth Patriot League Championship in program history. The Eagles' run ended in the NCAA First Four with an 83-72 loss to Mount St. Mary's.
• Four consistent starters were lost to graduation including All-PL First Team selection and PL Tournament MVP Matt Rogers, who finished his career as the sixth-leading scorer in school history.
• Head coach Duane Simpkins returns for his third year at the helm of the program along with associate head coaches Nate Bollinger and Jackie Manuel, and assistant coach Isaiah Tate.
• AU returns four of its top eight leading scorers, however, including junior Greg Jones who was named PL Preseason Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 10.3 points per game last season and earning PL All-Defensive Team honors as a sophomore.
• Last year, AU had its first 22-win season since a 22-9 record in 2010-11, and it's first 20-win season since 2013-14.
• On this year's roster of 19, nine are true freshmen including six scholarship players. With the freshman class making up nearly half the team, some of these talented newcomers are expected to make an immediate impact. In addition to Collins' performance against Penn, freshman Carson McDonald scored 10 points at Wake Forest and 11 against Penn.

What to Know About George Washington

• GW has won its first two games, including a high-scoring, 99-95 win over USF at the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip Off in Uncasville, Conn. 
• The Revolutionaries are off to a hot start as a team, shooting .500 from the floor over their first two games.
• The Revs were picked fourth in the preseason Atlantic-10 coaches and media poll, their highest preseason selection in a decade. They also tied a league high with four players – Rafael Castro, Tre Dinkins III, Trey Autry, and Christian Jones – named to preseason all-league teams. All four are among the seven players averaging double figures through two games.
• Last year saw GW go 21-13 overall and 9-9 in A-10 action, losing to Boise State in the first round of the College Basketball Crown. 
• Head coach Chris Caputo is in his fourth season in Foggy Bottom.

Keep Up With Us

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