The Last Stop on the Sweet Sweet Revenge Tour

Navy's new mascot, perhaps?

WHO: AU Eagles (19-8, 9-3) vs. Navy Midshipmen (10-18, 5-7)

WHAT: The last stop on the Sweet Sweet Revenge Tour

WHEN: February 23rd (TODAY), 7:30 PM

WHERE: Bender Arena, 

WHY: Avenge a 19-point embarrassment in Annapolis

HOW: A balanced scoring attack with a healthy dose of NO MERCY

Many of you might remember January 26th, 2011 - an innocent, albeit ridiculously snowy night in Annapolis. That evening the AU Eagles waltzed into Alumni Hall, expecting an easy victory worth the blizzardy bus ride. Then the unthinkable happened: every Eagle left his A-game back in the locker room in DC, and Navy pasted us 72-53, the Midshipmen's largest margin of victory over us since 1987. Simply put, we overlooked our opponent, and thoughts of larger victories ahead let the game at hand completely, entirely, and utterly slip away from us.

How will round two with the Mids go down? Here's our preview from January 26th. Take everything from that, and add a HUGE chip on our shoulder. This is why I consider this a final addition to our Sweet Sweet Revenge Tour, which had previously concluded with the end of our non-conference schedule. Now, it's on again.

Sure, we've secured a 2-seed in the Patriot League tournament. Win or lose this game, that doesn't change. However, Navy is fighting through a 3-way tie with Holy Cross and Lafayette for 4th place in the conference, and a precious home game in the quarterfinal round is on the line. Will our penchant for merciless revenge trump Navy's burning desire to host a tournament game? Well, you should never underestimate an Eagle with something to prove. Never.

Other stats of note:

- A victory in this game will give us our third 20-win season in four years. This may seem par for the course now, but almost unimaginable only a decade ago.

- AU currently ranks 13th nationally in turnovers, with only just over 10 a game. For a team whose fanbase complains about poor production from the point, this indicates that the ball handling is superb. Moreover, this was unimaginable just last season!

- Vlad is currently 32nd nationally in scoring with just over 19 ppg, and earned a spot at #21 in Bleacher Report's list of the top 25 best pure scorers in the NCAA. Sure, it's Bleacher Report, but Vlad sure as hell deserves the recognition regardless. Although BR notes that he has not scored over 20 points in a month, Vlad broke the slump by pouring in 23 against Holy Cross on Sunday, and hopefully the impaling rage will remain high this evening.

For those who can't make it to Bender this evening, we'll see you back here for the liveblog. For the Blue Crew faithful who will be joining us live, remember: BE LOUD, BE BLUE, BE AU!

Pro Deo Et Patria, 

Josh

Eagles Seek To Down the Giant-Killers in West Point

By "Choppa", he means about three feet beneath Troy Brewer's dunks

WHO: AU Eagles vs. Army Black Knights
WHAT: Patriot League Showdown
WHEN: TONIGHT @ 7 PM EST
WHERE: Christl Arena, West Point, NY
WHY: A top 4 seed in the Patriot League Tournament is on the line.

I'll keep this brief as there's not a whole lot to say during the second trip through the League, but a lot to look forward to! Tonight's game versus army has a lot riding on it, as AU has a chance to sweep the team that in a flash of brilliance remains the only League squad to down the first-place Bucknell Bison in a very convincing fashion.

Moreover, a win tonight, coupled with a loss by either Lehigh or Navy will ensure that AU hosts a PL Quarterfinal game in Bender this season, so keep your fingers crossed that it's an off night for the military academies.

During Army's last visit to Bender on January 19th, we gutted out a narrow 65-62 victory. That may seem unusually close, but this year's Army team (11-14, 3-7 PL) is the best they've been in a while under still-new coach Zach Spiker. Army's guard-heavy rotation relies heavily on the three, and if they are hot, we could be in for another close game. Jeremy Hence, Julian Simmons, and Ella Ellis lead the Knights with 15.6 ppg, 14.6 ppg, and 14.5 ppg respectively.

Fortunately, this is also prime territory for our big men to run wild. Last time out, Vlad had 21 points and 11 rebounds for a solid double-double, a feat he can hopefully repeat tonight to get out his recent slump. Similarly, Lumpkins is on a hot streak, bringing down what I like to call "furious unstumpable pain" on Colgate on Saturday to the tune of 27 points and about five monstrous dunks that whipped Bender into a frenzy.

For more information, check out our preview, AUEagles' recap, and our liveblog from the 19th.

Also make sure to check back here shortly before seven as we be hottest place in the AU-niverse with our usual liveblog. We'll have more info there on how best to follow tonight's game (since we're still figuring it out ourselves).

That's AU vs. Army, tonight at 7 PM in West Point. BEAT ARMY!

Pro Deo Et Patria and GO EAGLES!
Josh

The Most Patriotic Team in the Mid-Atlantic Will Be Decided Tonight

WHO: AU (14-6, 4-1) vs. Navy (6-15, 1-4)
WHAT: Patriot League Showdown
WHEN: TONIGHT, 7:00 PM EST
WHERE: Alumni Hall, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD
WHY: So the Eagles can win!

If that was a little too much summary for you, let me elaborate a bit. Tonight our Eagles will be making Midshipmeat (I still think that's clever) out of the Navy Midshipmen on the road in nearby Annapolis. Tipoff is at 7:00 PM (not 7:30 as previously reported), and although it looks like AU holds the statistical advantage in just about every way, it's always a close game up in Alumni Hall. Let's see who will make the difference this evening.

This matchup is going to be eerily similar to Army. Navy plays what basically amounts to a 5-guard rotation, and we're going to tower over them. Needless to say, we absolutely need to dominate the post and outscore Navy in the paint (which has been a challenge for PL teams, so far). Lumpkins, the reigning Patriot League Player of the Week, is going to have to continue the streak that won him this award in the first place. During last year's Patriot League Quarterfinal game, Lumpkins went off for 29 points, still a career-high. Navy made the mistake of over-guarding Vlad, completely opening up the blocks for Lumpkins to stump them senseless.

Undoubtedly, Vlad is going to be double and triple-teamed by a myriad of small, quick defenders, which may give him trouble. Fortunately, this has not stopped us before, as we swept the Mids not twice, but three times last season by an average of 5 ppg, including a double overtime thriller on the road. In that game Navy's leading scorer, Chris Harris, went off for 30 points, and without him this year Navy is struggling to fill in the gap (for reference, Vlad had 19 points in 43 minutes that game).

That being said, Navy is at no loss for sharpshooting guards, and relies quite heavily on the three. It's absolutely critical that we protect the perimeter, and our guards really need to step up and keep Navy from going off from beyond the arc. Many are likely wondering if Wayne will see significant minutes (~6-8) at the point, and the most I can predict is that this will likely be a function of how much Danny's stepped up in practice recently.

For the Mids, we'll have to watch O.J. Avworo, Jordan Sugars, Romeo Garcia, Greg Brown, Mark Veazey, and potential PL Rookie of the Year J.J. Avila. If that sounds like a handful, it is. One interesting statistic is that Navy has thrown up 549 threes so far this season...but only made 159 of them, a .290 percentage. A season low was undoubtedly their home game versus Holy Cross, where they went a moribund 1-23 from beyond the arc, sinking the Mids (the bad puns continue) and probably throwing off that statistic a little.

Despite an 0-4 start to League play, the Mids are coming off an impressive win against what can only be described as a "respectfully hostile" crowd at Army, 85-81. It was the Mids' best offensive effort of the season at their toughest road contest, and may put a little more wind under their sails (these never get old) than we'd expect. Fortunately, we're coming off of a huge road win as well against Holy Cross.

That's all I have time for today, folks, but I'll see you back here at 7 PM for our liveblog. It's going to be a tough matchup no matter how you slice it, as Alumni Hall is an intimidating place when packed chock full of uniformed Midshipmen, as it undoubtedly will be despite the predicted snow this evening. On that note, while the weather is keeping me here in the District, if you are attempting to travel to Annapolis please drive safely.

Finally, I want to congratulate one of my co-bloggers for his acceptance into graduate school! While I'll let him announce which one if he wishes, I will say they they are known for fielding a formidable mid-major basketball squad (that may have a certain offense named after them), that we may conceivably play in upcoming seasons. Here's to hoping he remains as loyal an Eagle as any of us.

Pro Deo Et Patria and GO EAGLES!
Josh

Eagles Invade Annapolis

I've always thought of AUHoops sort of like a Craigslist for AU Basketball. OK...maybe not.

In that vein, however, I'd like to take an opportunity to advertise to any students who wish to take the Blue Crew on the road this week. This Wednesday, January 26th, I'll be driving from AU's campus up to Annapolis, Maryland, to watch our Eagles make Midshipmeat (see what I did there?) out of Navy. As of this writing, I have 3-4 spots currently unspoken for in the car, so if you'd like to join me, shoot me an e-mail. 

Assuming you're not secretly a Holy Cross fan seeking to leave this hapless blogger dead by the side of Route 50, it's first-come, first-serve, but I'll try to be as accommodating as possible without breaking any laws. I'll be heading out between 5-5:30 PM depending on what works for everyone (game is at 7:00), to account for beltway traffic, and based on past trips up to Alumni Hall, we should be back at AU by 10:30 or so (barring any unexpected double-overtime madness). Obviously, blue crew shirts are the recommended dress code, and if anyone wants to pitch in for some blue facepaint, that can happen. 

If anyone else is heading up to Annapolis for the game, and would like to offer up some carpool spots, please comment and let people know you're available. Hopefully, we'll be able to utilize AUHoops to coordinate a solid Blue Crew contingent to strike fear and awe into the hearts of our nation's finest (or does the Army have a copyright on that slogan?). Similarly, if you're just going to be there but can't offer a ride, feel free to let us know so we can stop by and thank you for reading our blog.

We'll be back on Tuesday with our usual preview, where we'll answer the burning question of "who will be the most patriotic basketball team in the Mid-Atlantic region?". 

Until then, Pro Deo Et Patria and GO EAGLES!

Josh

AU Looks to Maintain Unbeaten Streak in Bender Against Army

Just a quick preview of tonight. We will have a liveblog from the game, FYI.

A couple of feel-good notes before we get into it. Tonight is Yellow Ribbon Appreciation night, honoring AU's participation in the Yellow Ribbon Scholarship program which provides free tuition to veterans after their service to our country. Additionally, Jeff Jones will also be coaching barefoot against the Black Knights in support of Samaritan's Feet, a non-profit organization which has given out over 3,000,000 new pairs of shoes to those in need in 42 countries. On Monday the team went around the city and distributed shoes to those in need in the District to support Samaritan's Feet and to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Kudos to the team and Jeff Jones for their continuing involvement in this great cause.

Now then. Army is 0-11 all-time in Bender Arena, and just 3-19 all-time against AU. Hopefully that streak continues tonight. Army has a great road record this year (7-4), but it's against a more or less cupcake out-of-conference schedule. However, they are fresh off a 75-72 win at Lehigh on Saturday and are tied for second place (with the Eagles and Holy Cross).

The past few seasons, Army has had offensive woes and relied on defense to keep them in games. This year the offense is much improved, although Army is heavily reliant on the 3. As a team, they shoot just under 40% from deep. They've taken 442 attempts from long range this year, for an average of about 24.5 three-point shots a game.

Army is led by a talented trio in Julian Simmons, Jeremy Hence, and Ellla Ellis (go ahead, say it three times fast). Simmons is putting together a great season, shooting over 43% from 3 (55-126) and is averaging 17 points per game.

Army is an athletic team and also has some depth on the bench (9 players averaging over 15 minutes played per game), which means they're generally able to keep pretty fresh legs on the floor. They don't get a ton of production outside of the three Knights I mentioned, but the next 3 producers are roleplayers averaging 4-5 points a game.

Some keys to the game:
1. Be mindful of the isolated wing man putting up the 3. If AU gives the Black Knights too many open looks, they have the ability to burn us on it.
2. Force turnovers. AU has an abysmal number of steals this year, but Army is making almost 15 turnovers a game. Put some pressure on their backcourt and see if we can't force some loose balls.
3. Rebounding. Lump shouldn't have much competition down low tonight, so it's important that he crash the boards and limit the number of offensive rebounds Army can bring down. If they pull them down, it's likely they could have someone on the outside ready and waiting for the kick-out and 3 attempt (see #1).

This should be a competitive game, but I'm thinking AU can pull this out as long as we don't come out and lay the egg we did in our last home game (last week vs. Bucknell in case you managed to shut it out of your mind).

See you all tonight. BE THERE! BE BLUE! BE AU!

Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!

Patriot League Preview: Navy Midshipmen

School: United States Naval Academy

Last year's record: 13-17 (7-7) - Lost to the AU EAGLES in the quarterfinals of the PL tournament

Last year's record against AU: 0-3. Thrice the Midshipmen tried to match up against the mighty AU Eagles and thrice the Midshipmen went back to their berths with their anchors just a little bit heavier. In the first meeting, Vlad Moldoveanu went crazy with the impaling and went off for 37 points. AU pulled off the win, 69-59 in front of a stunned Bender crowd. In the second meeting in Annapolis, AU won a stunner in double overtime 80-77. Joe "the Mountain" Hill hit a basket at the end of the first OT to send it into another OT period where the Eagles pulled out the W. In the third meeting, in Bender Arena, the Eagles squeaked by 62-60 on the back of Lump's career-high 29 points and, at the time, third straight double-double.

Key losses - Losing a first team all-PL guy is always a tough loss, but when that guy is your team's backbone and heart and soul, the way Chris Harris was for Navy, it makes the loss even tougher. Chris Harris, as much as I derided him during the game, is someone worthy of tremendous respect. He was a gamer for sure. Absolutely clutch at times, always professional, played through pain, couldn't be shaken psychologically. The guy is and was special. He's a big loss for Navy. They also lost two other support players in T.J. Topercer and Scott Brooks, who I think they'll be alright without (cue sarcasm).

Key additions - Navy brings in six, COUNT 'EM, six freshmen. A pair of 6'7" forwards will probably see the court a bit to spell sophomore Alex Newsome and senior Mark Veazey, but I don't see the guards getting a ton of play. The Midshipmen are guard heavy with senior Greg Brown, the talented Jordan Sugars, O.J. Avworo, and Romeo Garcia. Unless there's a C.J. McCollum in their midst, I don't think we'll be learning the names of any of the freshmen guards, at least for a year or two.

Non-conference - Navy has arguably the easiest out of conference schedule in the Patriot League. They open up against Texas, but after that they shouldn't be challenged again until they play George Washington at the BB&T Classic (okay, arguably Mt. St. Mary's could give them a challenge too). Aside from that, with the level of experience Navy has, they should emerge from their non-conference games relatively unscathed.

Outlook against the Eagles - I think the Eagles should expect to take a split with Navy this season. Chris Harris is a big loss, but Jordan Sugars follows in a long tradition of talented Navy guards (Kaleo Kina, before Harris, was also AU's bane). In addition to Sugars, Romeo Garcia has the ability to go Garrison Carr-unconscious and just shoot lights out. O.J. Avworo is no slouch either. Additionally, any time you have a senior big man, like the Midshipmen do in Mark Veazey, it means you can't assume the battle in the paint is going to be easy. Navy is a talented bunch. If they can fix the defensive woes that constantly seem to plague them (ironically they're the polar opposite of Army, who is all defense and no offense), they could compete for the PL title.

Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!

The Road to the National Championships BEGINS TONIGHT

Good morning and welcome to March Madness, AUHoops fans! Today is the big day. Today, our American University Eagles begin the long march (pun intended) toward our first NCAA National Championship! Some may think that such a championship is a foregone conclusion. That our postseason success will be a walk through the arboretum as refreshing and carefree as Sherman's March to the Sea. I say to those, though, "Nay, nay indeed!" Our path to the National Championship will be wrought with perilous dangers, treacherous opponents, and ugly enemy mascots. But I say to you my comrades-in-hoops, take heart! For in a mere matter of weeks our very own Jeff Jones will be wearing a cut-down basketball net as a necklace, and our legacy as the greatest Patriot League team shall be cemented for time without end.

ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY AU EAGLES!

WHERE THERE'S A FIGHT WE'LL SEE IT THROUGH!
YOU CAN BE SURE WE'LL BE TRIUMPHANT,
WHEN WE WEAR RED, WHITE, AND BLUE!

ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY AU EAGLES!
WE'LL CONQUER ALL ADVERSITY!
SO LET'S ALL JOIN IN AND GIVE A YELL FOR AU AND VICTORY!

Good, Bad, and Ugly might take a while to get up. I've got some other stuff to take care of and wasn't planning on the game going to double OT. Feel free to get a head start on it in the comments!

Chris Harris Has a Terrible Game, Navy Loses

Fresh off a Speculation Tuesday that all but served as the coronation of Navy's Chris Harris as the Patriot League Player of the Year, Harris has a Vlad-versus-Bucknell performance and drops this hideous line against the Black Knights:

2-17 from the field, 0-7 from 3, 0-1 from the line, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls.

Yeccch.

The Black Knights drop the Mids 69-50, which is fine news for us.

Just keeping you all in the loop.

Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!

18-3

This Eagle Means Business

The title of today's preview is 18-3. Can anyone forward a guess as to why I chose this arrangement of numbers? Well, for starters it's our all-time record against the Army Black Knights, whom we face at 7:30 PM on Wednesday in Bender Arena. Only one of those games (a loss) occurred before we joined the Patriot League, in 1963. That is also the only time Army has ever beaten us in Bender Arena. You can see why this blogger doesn't like losing to Army. See if my dreams will be crushed after the jump!