WASHINGTON – American University men's basketball will look to break into the win column Wednesday, Nov. 11, when the Eagles travel to Philadelphia to face Drexel. After opening the season with a pair of challenging road games against Cincinnati and Clemson, American continues its season-opening stretch away from home with a 7 p.m. matchup against the Dragons.

Quick Info

• Date/Time: Wednesday, November 11; 7 pm
• Site: Philadelphia, Pa. (Daskalakis Athletic Center)
• Series History: AU leads, 16-7
• TV: Flo College
• Talent: Rob Brooks, Mike Tuberosa

• American and Drexel are meeting for a second year in a row after not meeting for 38 years prior.
• Last season, the Eagles trailed by 13 at the break before storming back for a 75-73 win behind 19 points from Madden Collins and 15 from Matt Mayock. 
• All-time, the programs have faced each other 23 times, with American holding a 16-7 lead in the series.
• The teams were in the same conference from 1970 to 1984, first in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC), and then the East Coast Conference (ECC) from 1974 to 1984.

• American enters the 2026-27 season as the preseason favorite in the Patriot League, returning nearly its entire roster from last season, including every player who was 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 has opened his sophomore campaign with consecutive 20-point performances against Power Four opponents, scoring 20 at Cincinnati and a game-high 23 at Clemson. He is averaging 21.5 points per game through two contests.
• Collins led American in scoring as a freshman last season at 13.4 points per game while shooting 50.8 percent from the field. He has now recorded nine career games with at least 20 points.
• American connected on 13 three-pointers in its 82-73 loss at Clemson, remaining within striking distance into the second half. The Eagles experienced seven lead changes in the opening half against the Tigers.
• 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 senior Julen Iturbe (10.5 ppg). Iturbe scored 10 points in each of the Eagles' first two games, adding seven rebounds at Cincinnati and eight at Clemson.
• 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.
• Junior Eric Michaels has returned to the frontcourt after missing all of last season due to injury.
• Sebastian returns after starting 16 games as a freshman, while Iturbe has moved 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.
• After opening with road games at Cincinnati and Clemson, American continues its season-opening three-game road stretch Wednesday at Drexel. AU's non-conference schedule features four Power Four opponents and the return of the Capital Thanksgiving Classic at Bender Arena.

• Drexel enters Wednesday's matchup with a 1-1 record after opening the season with an 89-60 loss at No. 9 Virginia and defeating Patriot League member Colgate, 77-74, at home Saturday.
• The Dragons are led by head coach Zach Spiker in his 11th season. Drexel finished 17-16 in 2025-26, its fifth consecutive winning season, and has established a reputation for strong defensive play.
• Sophomore forward Panagiotis Pagonis led Drexel with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists against Colgate. Guard LaDricus Pittman added 13 points and six assists off the bench, while Latief Lorenzano-White scored 12.
• Drexel overcame an 11-point second-half deficit against Colgate with a 21-5 run to regain the lead. The Dragons shot 41.7 percent from the field and 86.4 percent from the line in the victory.
• Pittman and Lorenzano-White led Drexel with 11 points apiece against Virginia, while Dillon Tingler added 10. The Dragons struggled with turnovers, committing 21 against the Cavaliers.

Madden Mode

• Sophomore Madden Collins has picked up right where he left off after earning Third Team All-Patriot League and All-Rookie Team honors last season.
• Collins opened the 2026-27 campaign with a game-high 20 points at Cincinnati before a team-high 23 at Clemson.
• His 43 points through two games give him an average of 21.5 points per game, including two consecutive 20-point performances against Power Four opponents.
• Collins scored 20 or more points seven times as a freshman, when he led American with 13.4 points per game while shooting 50.8 percent from the field.
• The Preseason All-Patriot League selection has now scored at least 20 points nine times in his collegiate career.

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.
• In AU's game at Clemson on Nov. 6, the Eagles went 13-for-28 from long range (46.4 percent) with Matt Mayock going 3-for-3.

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.

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).