WASHINGTON – Coming off a thrilling buzzer-beating victory at Drexel, American University men's basketball returns to Bender Arena for its highly anticipated home opener against Harvard on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. After three straight road games to open the season, the Eagles will play in front of their home crowd for the first time as American celebrates 100 years of men's basketball.

Quick Info

• Date/Time: Sunday, November 15; 1 pm
• Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
• Series History: AU leads, 4-1
• TV: ESPN+
• Talent: Dan Laing, Gordon Austin

• Parking on campus is actively monitored seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Fans can buy a season-long parking pass for the Bender Arena Sports Center Garage (through March 10) through the Athletics Ticketing website HERE.
• Parking is available on a per-event basis.
  • Event Parking: $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).
  • Hourly Parking: Standard hourly garage rates apply from 8 am-10 pm in the Katzen Arts Center and School of International Service garages.
• Find a detailed campus map here.

• Two seasons ago, AU also hosted Harvard at home and won 67-55 in front of a crowd of 3,319 that included former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, who are friends of Harvard coach Tommy Amaker.
• In 2023-24, Harvard beat AU 80-75 in Cambridge. That was the first meeting of the two teams since 1988.
• The Eagles lead the overall series 4-1.

• American earned its first win of the season in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night at Drexel, defeating the Dragons 66-64 on a buzzer-beating jumper from sophomore Madden Collins.
• Collins scored a game-high 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting at Drexel, including a perfect 8-of-8 effort from two-point range. The Eagles shot a season-best 55.8 percent from the field.
• Collins has scored at least 20 points in all three games this season, opening with 20 at Cincinnati before scoring 23 apiece at Clemson and Drexel. He is averaging 22.0 points per game.
• American was picked 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 Collins on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team. Jones averaged 12.5 points and 4.8 rebounds last season and earned All-Defensive Team honors for the second straight year.
• AU returns its top three scorers from last season in Collins, Jones, and senior Julen Iturbe (10.5 ppg). Iturbe is averaging 9.3 points and 7.0 rebounds through three games this season.
• Junior Eric Michaels has returned to the frontcourt after missing all of last season due to injury. Michaels contributed nine points, six rebounds, two assists and a block in the win at Drexel.
• 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).
• 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.
• The Eagles went 16-16 overall and 9-9 in Patriot League play last season, one year after winning the 2025 Patriot League Championship.
• 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.

• Harvard is 2-2 to start the season, with victories over MIT (73-45) and UChicago (63-47) followed by road losses at Northeastern (74-70 in OT) and GW (85-57). Sunday's game at American concludes a stretch of four consecutive road games for the Crimson.
• Head coach Tommy Amaker is in his 20th season and is one victory shy of 500 career wins. Amaker, who previously served as head coach at Seton Hall and Michigan, led the Crimson to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2012-15 and was inducted into the Washington, D.C., Sports Hall of Fame this past summer. 
• Harvard went 17-12 overall and 10-4 in Ivy League play last season, finishing second in the conference and falling in overtime to eventual champion Penn in the Ivy League Tournament semifinals. The Crimson was picked second behind Penn in this year's preseason poll, receiving seven first-place votes. 
• The Crimson returns four starters from last season, including junior guards Robert Hinton, Tey Barbour and Ben Eisendrath and senior forward Thomas Batties II. Hinton was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy League selection last season, while Batties earned second-team honors. 
• The Crimson held its first two opponents below 50 points but surrendered 74 and 85 points in its two losses. Harvard is allowing 62.8 points per game through four contests.
• Harvard led by seven early at GW and trailed by just seven at halftime before being outscored 45-24 in the second half. The Crimson shot just 1-of-15 from three-point range after halftime, while the Revolutionaries shot 60 percent from the field for the game.

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 has scored at least 20 points in all three games this season, opening the 2026-27 campaign with a game-high 20 points at Cincinnati before scoring 23 points apiece at Clemson and Drexel.
• Collins delivered the game-winner at the buzzer in American's 66-64 victory at Drexel on Nov. 11, capping a remarkable 9-of-10 shooting performance that included a perfect 8-of-8 effort from two-point range.
• Through three games, Collins is averaging 22.0 points per game, nearly nine points above his freshman scoring average.
• 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 10 times in his collegiate career, including in each of his last three games.

Close Calls

• American's 16-16 record in 2025-26 included no shortage of games that could have gone either way, as the Eagles went 1-5 in games decided by one possession.
• 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.
• The Eagles reversed that trend in their first one-possession game of the 2026-27 season, defeating Drexel 66-64 on a buzzer-beater from sophomore Madden Collins on Nov. 11.
• American's win at Drexel featured eight ties and eight lead changes, all in the second half.
• After winning just one of six one-possession games all of last season, the Eagles have already matched that total three games into the 2026-27 campaign.

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).