WASHINGTON - Get your New Year's Eve started with American University men's basketball as the Eagles host Loyola Maryland at 1 p.m. in the Patriot League opener for both teams. AU is 7-1 in Bender Arena this season, and swept the Greyhounds in two meetings last year.

Quick Info

• Date/Time: Wednesday, December 31; 1 pm
• Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
• Series History: American leads, 56-52
• TV: ESPN+
• Talent: Dan Laing, Gordon Austin

Eagles Club Lounge

• Matt Rogers, BSBA '24, MBA '25, Athletics Alumni Coordinator, walks through how to access the new Eagles Club Lounge here.
• The Eagles Club is located on the third floor on the west side of Bender Arena.
• Donors may enter either through Bender Arena or via the front entrance of the Sports Center Annex, which is located behind Bender Arena, adjacent to the new Meltzer Center for Athletic Performance.
• The Eagles Club Lounge is a premium hospitality space that elevates the game-day experience for American Athletics donors.
• With modern branding, bar and table seating, multiple large-screen TVs, and an integrated sound system, all overlooking Bender Arena, the Eagles Club is designed to be a lively gathering place on game day.
• The Club opens one hour before each home basketball game and features fully catered hospitality and beverages.
• We are so excited to open this new space for Athletics Donors! Learn more and join the Eagles Club here! 

Parking Information

• Parking on campus is $10 per contest for games held after 5 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends, available through the PayByPhone app in any garage using code (211950).
• Standard hourly garage rates apply from 8 am-10 pm in the Katzen Arts Center and School of International Service garages.

Bender Bites and The Perch

• The Perch has returned for a second year, offering a special section behind the north basket where fans ages 21 and over can purchase beer, wine and seltzers.
• New this season to the concessions area is Bender Bites, in partnership with AU Kitchen. The menu is expanded from past offerings, and there will be multiple areas for purchasing food, snacks and drinks around the arena.

Series History

• This is the 109th meeting between American and Loyola Maryland, with American leading the series, 56-52.
• AU earned a 19-point win and a 21-point win against the Greyhounds last season, winning 73-54 in Baltimore and 72-51 at home.
• Prior to those victories, American had dropped two of three contests, including a very low-scoring, 44-43 defeat at home on Feb. 7, 2024 in the second game of that year's regular-season series.
• American boasts a 30-13 record in home contests against the Greyhounds, but trails 36-26 in Baltimore.

What to Know About American

• The Eagles start Patriot League play at home where they are 7-1 this season, suffering only a four-point loss to Siena on Nov. 29.
• Prior to a pair of challenging road games at VCU and #21 Virginia, AU won three straight including an exciting comeback win over Drexel on Dec. 3 after trailing by 13 at halftime.
• Freshman Madden Collins was the Patriot League Rookie of the Week on December 8 after scoring 19 points vs. Drexel and leading AU with 14 ppg in a 2-0 week.
• The Eagles won both meetings against the Greyhounds last season, doing so by an average of 20 points.
• Six players—Wyatt Nausadis, Madden Collins, Kade Sebastian, Greg Jones, Julen Iturbe, and Dean Hogans—have been leading scorers.
• The Eagles recently hit 14 triples in two straight games and have done so three times this season, all tying for fourth in a single game in program history.
• AU currently has six players averaging 8.5 ppg or more, which no other AU team in the past 25 years can boast.
• As a team, AU leads the Patriot League in scoring offense (79.4 ppg),  turnover margin (2.69), and steals (8.85 pg). The Eagles rank second in scoring margin (4.4 ppg), 3-point field goals made (9.8 pg), and free-throw percentage (.745). 

What to Know About Loyola Maryland

• Loyola Maryland closes out 2025 in search of its first victory since Nov. 30 as the Greyhounds have dropped four straight heading into Patriot League play. 
• At 4-9 overall, the Greyhounds have won just once away from Reitz Arena this season, a 74-63 neutral-site win over Stonehill in Fairfield, Conn. on Nov. 15.
• Despite their record, the Greyhounds are staying competitive and putting up points, averaging 75.8 a game compared to 77.1 for their opponents. 
• Junior guard Jacob Theodosiou leads the way at 15.8 points per contest, adding a team best 3.9 assists a game. His 4.7 rebounds a contest are also second on the squad, behind only freshman forward Emmett Adair, an Australian recruit who has appeared in just eight games but has grabbed 5.0 rebounds in those appearances.
• Josh Loeffler is in his second season in charge of the Greyhounds. He was 160-40 as a head coach at Stevens and Johns Hopkins before coming to Baltimore last year, where his squad went 12-19 and 6-12 in Patriot League play.

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).