WASHINGTON - With a trip to the Patriot League Championship at stake, American University men's basketball will host Colgate in the semifinals on Sunday, March 9 at 2 p.m. in Bender Arena. The Eagles, coming off a thrilling 71-69 comeback win over Lafayette, are seeking their first title game appearance since 2015, while the Raiders look to extend their recent dominance in the league tournament. AU could still host the final with a win, depending on the outcome of the other semifinal between Bucknell and Navy.
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Gameday Giveaways
- Students should arrive early to the Blue Crew student corner of the arena for FREE burritos while supplies last and for a chance to enter & win a $100 Eagle Buck$ raffle!
Quick Info
- Date/Time: Sunday, March 9; 2 pm
- Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
- Series History: AU leads 35-18
- TV: CBS Sports Network
- Talent: Chris Lewis, Tre Demps
Hospitality Offerings and Enhanced Fan Experience
- American has an exciting hospitality area, new this season 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 our concession 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.
Inside the Series
- This will be the 54th meeting between American and Colgate, with the Eagles leading 35-18.
- Colgate has won 11 of the last 15 meetings, but the Eagles have won three straight including a win just over a week ago on March 1 in Hamilton, 67-59. Matt Rogers scored 20 points, including 16 in the second half while hitting 4-of-5 from three-point range.
- Earlier this season, in a battle with 11 ties and 19 lead changes, the Eagles got a clutch, go-ahead three-pointer from Greg Jones at 1:22 and beat Colgate at home, 81-77 on Jan. 25.
What to Know About American
- AU now has its first 20-win season since a 20-13 record in 2013-14.
- The Eagles finished with 13 PL wins, also the most since 2013-14, with both 2024-25 and 2013-14 tying 2008-09 for most PL wins in program history (13). The Eagles are co-regular season PL champions with Bucknell, but got the No. 2 seed after the PL's tiebreaking procedure. Previously, the last regular season championship for AU was in 2009.
- The last PL Tournament Championship for AU was in 2013-14 (three total).
- Eleven of AU's games this season have been decided by five or fewer points, and the Eagles have won nine of those, including a Lincoln Ball buzzer-beater over Lehigh on Jan. 22, an OT win at Lehigh on Feb. 8, and a win on a Matt Rogers jumper with 3.2 seconds left against Lafayette on Feb. 10.
- All three graduate students (Ball, Rogers, and Colin Smalls) have now hit a crucial late shot to help win a game.
- Head coach Duane Simpkins is one of 25 finalists for both the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award, and the Ben Jobe Award, honoring the top minority coach in Division I basketball.
- Graduate student Matt Rogers is an All-PL First Team honoree for the second time (earned Second Team honors as a junior).
- Senior Elijah Stephens is an All-PL Third Team honoree (was Second Team and Defensive Team as a junior, and All-Rookie as a freshman).
- Sophomore Greg Jones is a PL All-Defensive Team honoree (first honor).
- Rogers, who ranks sixth all-time at AU with 1,809 points, averages 16.8 points per game to rank fourth in the PL. He's hitting shots at a 55.5 percent clip, good enough for fifth in the PL. His three-point FG pct of .407 ranks seventh in the PL.
- American finished the regular season with a win at Colgate on March 1, becoming the first Patriot League team to sweep five-time defending PL champion Colgate since 2020, and the first team to beat Colgate on its home court in March since 2020.
- The Eagles are coming off a close, 71-69 win over Lafayette in their quarterfinal, rallying from 11 down at halftime behind 17 points for Greg Jones and a career-high 13 points for Lincoln Ball. It was the first postseason victory for Duane Simpkins after AU lost in its quarterfinal a year ago.
What to Know About Colgate
- The defending Patriot League champion Colgate Red Raiders, who have won five of the last six league crowns, did not win the regular season but got the No. 3 seed in a four-way tie from 3-6.
- After a four-game losing streak that started with its loss at American on Jan. 25, Colgate won four of its last seven games of the regular season and then scored an 84-55 victory over No. 6 seed Army in the PL quarterfinal round.
- Fifth year forward Jeff Woodward leads the Raiders with 14.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Woodward missed eight games in November and December, but boosted his output to 16.1 points per game in PL games.
- Sophomore guard Jalen Cox adds 11.8 points a contest, and senior guard Nicolas Louis-Jacques chips in 11.6. Cox adds 3.9 assists per game, tops on the team and third in the Patriot League.
- Matt Langel is in his 14th season and is the winningest coach in program history. He has led the team to five of its seven NCAA Tournament appearances, and is a five-time PL Coach of the Year.
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