CINCINNATI - A new season and a century of tradition are on tap for American University men's basketball as the Eagles open the 2026-27 campaign at Cincinnati on Monday, Nov. 2. The matchup against the Big 12's Bearcats marks the beginning of a season celebrating 100 years of AU basketball.

Quick Info

• Date/Time: Monday, November 2; 7 pm
• Site: Cincinnati, Ohio (Fifth Third Arena)
• Series History: Cincinnati leads, 1-0
• TV: ESPN+
• Talent: Eric Rothman, Terry Nelson, Chase Younts

Series History

• American and Cincinnati are meeting for just the second time in program history.
• The Bearcats earned a narrow win in the first meeting, 72-69 at the Delta Bearcat Classic on Nov. 23, 1991.

What to Know About American

• American enters the 2026-27 season as the preseason favorite in the Patriot League, and the Eagles return nearly their entire roster from last season, including all players who were not lost to graduation.
• Senior Greg Jones was named the Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and joined sophomore Madden Collins on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
• Collins led American in scoring as a freshman last season at 13.4 points per game while shooting 50.8 percent from the field.
• Jones averaged 12.5 points and 4.8 rebounds last season and earned All-Defensive Team honors for the second straight year.
• American returns its top three scorers from last season in Collins, Jones, and junior Julen Iturbe (10.5 ppg).
• Four other returners averaged at least five points per game last season: Matt Mayock (8.5), Wyatt Nausadis (7.8), Carson McDonald (7.3 in four games), and Kade Sebastian (5.7).
• The Eagles went 16-16 overall and 9-9 in Patriot League play last season, one year after winning the 2025 Patriot League Championship.
• The Eagles went 1-5 in one-possession games in 2025-26.
• Junior Eric Michaels returns to the frontcourt after missing all of last season due to injury. 
• Sebastian returns after starting 16 games as a freshman, while Iturbe moves back to his natural position at the four after spending significant time at center last season.
• Head coach Duane Simpkins enters his fourth season at American with his entire coaching staff returning for a fourth season as well.
• AU's non-conference schedule features four Power Four opponents and the return of the Capital Thanksgiving Classic at Bender Arena.

What to Know About Cincinnati

• Cincinnati enters the 2026-27 season under first-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun, who spent the previous two seasons at Utah State. Calhoun went 55-15 with the Aggies and led the program to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
• The Bearcats feature an almost entirely new roster, welcoming 14 newcomers in the offseason. Fifth-year guard Grant Darbyshire is Cincinnati's lone returner from 2025-26, leaving the Bearcats with no returning points from last season.
• Despite the turnover, Cincinnati will have plenty of experience with three fifth-year players and six seniors. The Bearcats were picked to finish tied for eighth in the 16-team Big 12 preseason poll.
• Senior guard Tylen Riley has impressed in exhibition play, scoring 23 points in a 79-68 win over Ohio State before recording 31 points and 13 assists against Illinois.
• Cincinnati added several proven transfers, including Bowling Green's Javontae Campbell, the reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Year, and former Towson forward Tyler Tejada, who averaged 17.7 points and 5.5 rebounds last season after earning CAA Player of the Year honors in 2024-25.

Greg Gets it Done

• For the second year in a row, Greg Jones was selected by the PL head coaches as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
• Jones enters his senior season as a two-time Patriot League All-Defensive Team selection. 
• The Alexandria, Va., native earned Third Team All-Patriot League honors last season after averaging 12.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. He helped the Eagles rank second in the Patriot League in scoring defense at 71.3 points per game.

Madden Mode

• Madden Collins made an immediate impact as a freshman, leading American with 13.4 points per game while earning Third Team All-Patriot League and Patriot League All-Rookie Team honors.
• The 6-foot-6 guard shot 50.8 percent from the field, connecting on 165 of his 325 attempts.
• Collins did most of his damage inside the arc, shooting 144-of-232 (62.1 percent) on two-point field goals while making 21 three-pointers.
• He also averaged 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game during his debut season.
• Collins enters his sophomore campaign as one of five players selected to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team, joining teammate Greg Jones. American is the only program with two players on the preseason team. 

Close Calls

• American's 16-16 record in 2025-26 included no shortage of games that could have gone either way.
• The Eagles played six games decided by one possession and finished 1-5 in those contests.
• AU lost back-to-back one-possession games to Boston University to close out the season, falling 68-65 in the final regular season contest and 75-73 in the PL quarterfinals on a step-back jumper from Chance Gladden with three seconds left.
• Turning some of those narrow defeats around will be one key to meeting the lofty expectations surrounding the Eagles in 2026-27.

Let It Fly

• The three-point shot has become a major part of American's identity under fourth-year head coach Duane Simpkins.
• In Simpkins' first season, the Eagles set a program record with 279 made three-pointers.
• One year later, AU broke its own record, knocking down 299 threes during its 2024-25 Patriot League championship season.
• The Eagles continued firing away in 2025-26, averaging a program-record 9.0 made three-pointers per game.
• That offense helped American average 74.6 points per game last season, its highest scoring average in 30 years. 

A Century of Hoops

• The 2026-27 season marks 100 years of American University men's basketball, with the program dating back to 1926.
• This year's team enters the centennial season two years removed from capturing the 2025 Patriot League Championship and making the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014.
• That championship was the fourth Patriot League Tournament title in program history, joining the Eagles' titles in 2008, 2009 and 2014. American has made four NCAA Tournament appearances as a member of the Patriot League.
• The Eagles will celebrate the program's history throughout the centennial season, with the 100 Years mark incorporated into the team's 2026-27 identity.

Back Where He Belongs

• Junior Julen Iturbe returns to his natural position at power forward this season after spending significant time at center for the Eagles in 2025-26.
• Despite playing out of position, Iturbe started all 32 games and averaged 10.5 points and a team-best 4.9 rebounds per game.
• He also developed into one of AU's top perimeter threats, finishing second on the team with 44 made three-pointers while shooting 35.2 percent from behind the arc.
• Iturbe scored a career-high 26 points at Army, knocking down three of his four three-point attempts.

Welcome Back, Eric

• Junior forward Eric Michaels returns to the court in 2026-27 after missing his entire sophomore season due to injury.
• The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Michaels appeared in 29 games as a freshman during American's 2024-25 Patriot League championship season.
• He shot 49.4 percent from the field as a freshman, ranking third on the team, and averaged 2.6 rebounds per game.
• Michaels showed his potential with a season-high 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting against Lehigh and narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds against Puerto Rico-Bayamon.
• His return gives AU another experienced option in the frontcourt and allows Iturbe to spend more time at the four. 

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).