WASHINGTON – With a homecoming for junior Julen Iturbe adding a personal storyline to the matchup, American University men's basketball continues its season-opening road trip on Friday, Nov. 6, with a visit to Clemson. A Greenville, S.C., native who grew up attending Clemson games and has many family connections to the Tigers, Iturbe returns to familiar territory as the Eagles face their second consecutive power-conference opponent.

Quick Info

• Date/Time: Friday, November 6; 7 pm
• Site: Clemson, S.C. (Littlejohn Coliseum)
• Series History: Clemson leads, 1-0
• TV: ESPN+/ACCNX
• Talent: Daniel Gillman, JD Powell

• American and Clemson are meeting for just the second time in program history.
• The Tigers beat AU 98-58 in South Carolina on December 7, 1977.

• 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. In AU's season opener at Cincinnati, Collins led all players with 20 points.
• 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). Iturbe posted 10 points and seven boards in the opener at Cincinnati.
• 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 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.

• Clemson finished 24-11 overall and 12-6 in the ACC last season, placing fourth in the conference before earning a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers lost 67-61 to Iowa in the first round. 
• Head coach Brad Brownell is in his 17th season at Clemson, having led the program since 2010. The Tigers have reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons. 
• Clemson returns two of its top contributors in senior forward Carter Welling (10.2 points, 5.4 rebounds per game last season) and junior guard Ace Buckner (8.3 points, 2.9 rebounds per game). 
• The Tigers added senior forward Dylan Faulkner, a transfer from Samford who averaged 17.2 points and 8.6 rebounds last season, and junior guard Cole Certa, who averaged 12.8 ppg at Notre Dame. 
• Clemson won its season opener against Stetson, 85-72, behind five players who scored in double figures. Buckner led the way with a career high of 20 points in 26 minutes of action.
• Clemson was one of the ACC's stronger defensive teams last season, allowing just 66.7 points per game, while averaging 73.8 points offensively.

Like Father, Like Son

• Junior forward Julen Iturbe will be playing in a familiar building when American visits Clemson. His father, Iker Iturbe, played for the Tigers from 1994-98, appearing in 91 games with 60 starts and averaging 6.1 points and 3.5 rebounds. 
• The elder Iturbe recorded 176 career assists and was part of three Clemson postseason teams, including the 1996-97 squad that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. 
• He finished his Clemson career with a career-high 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting against Duke in the 1998 ACC Tournament before graduating and beginning a professional career in Europe.
• Julen's mother, Noelle, competed for Clemson on the cross country and track teams, and his sister, Ikelle, was a rower for Clemson from 2020-23. Julen grew up nearby in Greenville, attending Clemson games often with his family.

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).