The American Eagles men's basketball team represents

American University The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

competition. The school's team competes in the

Patriot League The Patriot League is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference comprising primarily leading Private university, private institutions of higher education and two United States service academies based in the Northeastern United ...

and play their home games in Bender Arena. Their rivals include the

Boston University Terriers The Boston University Terriers are the ten men's and fourteen women's Varsity team, varsity athletic teams representing Boston University in NCAA Division I competition. Boston University's team nickname is the Terriers, and the official mascot ...

Bucknell Bison The Bucknell Bison are the athletic teams that represent Bucknell University. The program is a member of the Patriot League for most NCAA Division I sports and Division I FCS in football. List of sports History The Bucknell Bison are the a ...

, and Navy Midshipmen. Duane Simpkins was appointed the program's 18th head coach on April 1, 2023."Duane Simpkins Selected as 18th Head Coach of American University Men’s Basketball," American University Athletics, Saturday, April 1, 2023.
Retrieved March 21, 2023. The Eagles have appeared four times in the

NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness, or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the NCAA Division I, Di ...

, most recently in 2025.

Postseason history

NCAA Division I Tournament results

The Eagles have appeared in the NCAA Division I tournament four times. Their combined record is 0–4.

2007–08 season

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, 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 Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. American held tight against the Volunteers most of the game, but Tennessee pulled away to win 72–57.

2008–09 season

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, 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.

NAIA Tournament results

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

NIT results

The Eagles have appeared in the

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Since 2023, all rounds of the tournament are played at various sites across the country whi ...

(NIT) three times. Their combined record is 0–3.

CIT results

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

References

External links

* {{Patriot League men's basketball navbox