American Eagles men's basketball

Men's college basketball team

American Eagles

2024–25 American Eagles men's basketball team

University

American University

Head coach

Duane Simpkins (2nd season)

Conference

Patriot

Location

Washington, D.C.

Arena

Bender Arena
(capacity: 3,044)

Nickname

Eagles

Student section

Blue Crew

Colors

Blue, white, and red

Uniforms

Home

Away

NCAA tournament Elite Eight

1958*, 1959*, 1960*

NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen

1958*, 1959*, 1960*

NCAA tournament appearances

1951*, 1958*, 1959*, 1960*, 2008, 2009, 2014
*at Division II level

Conference tournament champions

2008, 2009, 2014

Conference regular season champions

Mason–Dixon Conference:1945, 1946, 1950, 1951, 1958, 1959, 1960ECC: 1975, 1981, 1983,
Patriot League: 2002, 2004 (co-champion), 2008, 2009

The American Eagles men's basketball team represents American University in Washington, D.C. in NCAA Division I competition. The school's team competes in the Patriot League and play their home games in Bender Arena. Their rivals include the Boston University Terriers, Bucknell Bison, and Navy Midshipmen. Duane Simpkins was appointed the program's 18th head coach on April 1, 2023.

Postseason history

NCAA Division I Tournament results

The Eagles have appeared in the NCAA Division I tournament three times. Their combined record is 0–3.

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
2008	#15	First round	#2 Tennessee	L 57–72
2009	#14	First round	#3 Villanova	L 67–80
2014	#15	First round	#2 Wisconsin	L 35–75

2007–08 season

In 2008, the Eagles earned their first ever bid to the NCAA Division I tournament by defeating Colgate in the final round of the Patriot League tournament. The Eagles were seeded 15th against #2 Tennessee. American held tight against the Volunteers most of the game, but Tennessee pulled away to win 72–57.

2008–09 season

In 2009, the Eagles would again earn entry to the NCAA Division I tournament by defeating Holy Cross 73–57 to win the Patriot League tournament for a second consecutive year. They were seeded 14th and faced off against #3 Villanova. The Eagles held a lead for most of the game and led by 10 points at halftime, but eventually lost 80–67 after a significant Wildcats comeback.

2013–14 season

American earned the Patriot League's automatic berth to the NCAA men's basketball tournament with a 55–36 win over Boston University on Wed., March 12 at Agganis Arena in Boston, Mass in the Patriot League tournament final.

In their first season under coach Mike Brennan, the second-seeded Eagles led from start to finish in the decisive victory while holding the top-seeded Terriers to the lowest point total in Patriot League Championship game history. American point guard Darius Gardner scored 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting and was named Tournament MVP.

The Eagles advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time since winning their second of back-to-back titles in 2009. They played Wisconsin and lost 75–35

NCAA Division II Tournament results

The Eagles have appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament three times. Their combined record is 6–3.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1958	Regional semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight	Buffalo Wagner Evansville	W 77–60 W 72–65 L 72–82
1959	Regional semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight	Adelphi Hofstra North Carolina A&T	W 80–73 W 66–65 L 70–87
1960	Regional semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight	Upsala Fairfield Evansville	W 83–74 W 75–74 L 91–101

NAIA Tournament results

The Eagles have appeared in the NAIA tournament two times. Their combined record is 0–2.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1950	First round	Pepperdine	L 53–54
1951	First round	Baldwin–Wallace	L 66–67

NIT results

The Eagles have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) three times. Their combined record is 0–3.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1973	First round	Louisville	L 84–97
1981	First round	Toledo	L 83–91
1982	First round	Bradley	L 65–76

CIT results

The Eagles have appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) one time. Their record is 0–1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2012	First round	Buffalo	L 61–78

References

American University Creative Style Guide. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
"Duane Simpkins Selected as 18th Head Coach of American University Men’s Basketball," American University Athletics, Saturday, April 1, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.

External links

Official website

v t e American Eagles men's basketball
Venues	Clenendon Gymnasium (195?–69) Fort Myer Ceremony Hall (1969–88) Bender Arena (1988–present)
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

v t e American University
Schools	College of Arts and Sciences School of Communication Kogod School of Business School of Education School of International Service School of Professional & Extended Studies School of Public Affairs Washington College of Law
Research	Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Administrative Law Review Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law Center on International Commercial Arbitration Inventory of Conflict and Environment Investigative Reporting Workshop Nuclear Studies Institute UNROW Human Rights Impact Litigation Clinic Women and Politics Institute
Athletics	American Eagles Men's basketball Women's basketball Men's soccer Wrestling
Media	WAMU The Diane Rehm Show Kojo Nnamdi Show 1A DCist Current
People	List of American University people
Campuses	Main Campus Tenley Campus
Places	American University Museum American University Park Bender Arena Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre McKinley Building Katzen Arts Center Ward Circle
Related	American University speech Camp Leach Navy Bomb Disposal School Roger W. Jones Award for Executive Leadership SS American Victory
Category

v t e Patriot League men's basketball
Teams	American Eagles Army Black Knights Boston University Terriers Bucknell Bison Colgate Raiders Holy Cross Crusaders Lafayette Leopards Lehigh Mountain Hawks Loyola Greyhounds Navy Midshipmen
Championships & awards	Patriot League men's basketball tournament Player of the Year
Seasons	1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23

Category:

American Eagles men's basketball

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