WASHINGTON - A home Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal will be on the line Saturday when American University men's basketball hosts Boston University at noon in Bender Arena. The regular-season finale, televised on CBS Sports Network, will determine whether the Eagles earn the No. 4 seed and hosting rights for next week's quarterfinal. The game also features celebrations for Senior Day, Alumni Day, and Black History Month.
Quick Info
- Date/Time: Saturday, February 28; 12 pm
- Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
- Series History: BU leads, 16-11
- TV: CBS Sports Network
- Talent: Jason Knapp, Mo Cassara
Senior Day, Alumni Day, and Black History Month Celebration
- Seniors Noah Jones, Adrian Samuels, and Geoff Sprouse will be honored prior to the game for Senior Day.
- Follow the team on Instagram for Senior Day features prior to Saturday's game.
- All men's basketball alumni in attendance will be recognized in a halftime ceremony.
- There will also be a halftime performance by Batalá Washington, DC, an all-women Afro-Brazilian percussion ensemble.
Parking Information
- Parking on campus is $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).
- Standard hourly garage rates apply from 8 am-10 pm in the Katzen Arts Center and School of International Service garages.
Bender Bites and The Perch
- The Perch is a special section behind the north basket where fans ages 21 and over can purchase beer, wine and seltzers.
- New this season to the concessions area is Bender Bites, in partnership with AU Kitchen. The menu is expanded from past offerings, and there will be multiple areas for purchasing food, snacks and drinks around the arena.
Series History
- BU and American are meeting for the 28th time, with the Terriers holding a 16-11 lead in the all-time series.
- The Eagles had lost three in a row prior to a 48-44 win at home on Feb. 22 of last season, and have now won two straight after edging the Terriers in Boston, 64-62 on January 3.
- Last season's home win on Feb. 22 was also Senior Day for AU.
- AU had lost five straight in Case Gym prior to this season's win.
What to Know About American
- Hosting rights for the Patriot League Championship quarterfinal round all come down to Saturday for AU and BU, as the winner will host the other in a March 5 quarterfinal.
- Earlier this week, Lehigh snapped AU's three-game win streak and became the only PL team to defeat the Eagles twice this season.
- Junior Greg Jones matched his career high with 23 points against Lehigh, and the Eagles cut a nine-point deficit to three in the final seconds, but could not complete the comeback.
- Senior Geoff Sprouse exploded for a career-high 28 points at Lafayette, hitting eight triples to tie for single-game high in the PL this year.
- Freshman Madden Collins has led the Eagles in scoring in 10 games this season including in the first two games of the recent three-game win streak. He scored 22 points against Army and 16 at Bucknell.
- AU remains the only Patriot League team to have beaten Navy this season, winning 65-51 behind a career-high 23 points from Greg Jones.
- Seven players—Madden Collins, Greg Jones, Julen Iturbe, Wyatt Nausadis, Kade Sebastian, Geoff Sprouse, and Dean Hogans—have all been leading scorers for AU this season.
- As a team, AU leads the PL in turnover margin (2.37), and steals (7.67 per game). The Eagles rank second in scoring defense (71.3 ppg), scoring margin (3.6 ppg), and free-throw percentage (.751).
What to Know About Boston University
- Boston University is on a hot streak with wins in six of its last seven games, falling only at Lehigh by three points on Feb. 22. Earlier this week, the Terriers beat Holy Cross 78-63 to put them in a tie with AU for fourth place in the Patriot League.
- The Terriers have struggled away from home, going 4-11.
- Michael McNair, a junior guard who has started 61 games for the Terriers in his career, leads the team with 16.9 points per game.
- Ben Defty, a 7-0 sophomore, adds 14.8 points and 6.8 rebounds a contest, the latter number ranking third in the Patriot League.
- Now in his 15th season, Joe Jones has won a program-record 248 games as the head coach at BU, where he won the Patriot League title in 2020. Last year's team tallied a 16-16 record and a 10-8 mark in the PL, tied for third in the regular season.
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