Wednesday, December 4
Washington, DC
7 p.m.
George Washington University
at
American
Photo by: Greg Fiume
Men's Basketball Visits American Wednesday
12/3/2024 3:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball
WASHINGTON - Following a 7-1 November, GW men's basketball treks across town for an intracity matchup with American on Wednesday. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. with coverage on ESPN+.
AIN'T NOTHING JUNIOR ABOUT HIM
Darren Buchanan Jr. (aka "Jun") notched three straight double-doubles to begin the season, becoming the first GW player to do so in Stathead's game log database (since '04-'05). Buchanan is the first Revolutionary since Tyler Cavanaugh (Feb. 4-11, 2017) to tally three straight double-doubles at any point.
Buchanan has since added two more double-doubles to rank third nationally with five on the season. He's also added the passing touch recently, averaging 4.2 assists per game over the last five contests, tying his career-high with six against NJIT and VMI.
Buchanan is one of just seven players nationally averaging 15.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 3.0 apg, but is one of only two underclassmen among that group, with the other being Duke's Cooper Flagg.
FLOODGATES HAVE OPENED FROM DEEP
GW entered the Paradise Jam having made just 25% of its 3-pointers and averaging just 6.0 makes per game, both in the bottom 50 of the country. But the Revolutionaries, who broke the school record with 287 triples a year ago, found the shot since warming up in the Virgin Islands, averaging 9.8 makes in the last four games, including a season-high 11 vs. VMI on Friday.
Trey Autry has led the way going 12-for-21 in the four games, but has also been joined by Gerald Drumgoole Jr. (9-for-23) making multiple trifectas in each contest. Drumgoole ranks seventh in the A-10 with 51 3-point attempts on the season.
HISTORY VS. AMERICAN
GW and American square off for the 48th time in program history on Wednesday and for the second time in the last three years. American leads the all-time series, 26-21, and has won the last two matchups, both occurring at Smith Center in 2019 and 2022.
GW's last win in the series came at home in overtime in 2018, 71-67. Wednesday marks GW's first visit to Bender Arena since an 81-75 loss in 2003. The Buff & Blue are looking for their first win in Tenleytown since a 97-76 win in 1998.
A LOOK AT THE EAGLES
American enters Wednesday's game having won four in a row following a 1-4 start to the campaign. The Eagles have won both of their home games over Harvard (67-55) and Notre Dame of Maryland (97-52).
Matt Rogers, a preseason All-Patriot League selection, is the team's leading scorer at 13.8 ppg, one of four Eagles averaging double figures. Elijah Stephens (12.6 ppg), Colin Smalls (11.9) and Geoff Sprouse (10.0) all pour in at least 10 points per game.
AU is in its second year under the direction of former George Mason assistant Duane Simpkins, who led the Eagles to a 16-16 mark including 10 Patriot League victories. American brought back four starters from last year's team and was projected to finish second in the Patriot League this year. As a result, AU is third in the country by KenPom's minutes continuity metric.
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GW fans can get in the game by directly supporting student-athletes through donations to the Buff & Blue Fund. For more information on GW Athletics, fans are encouraged to visit GWsports.com, or follow the Revolutionaries on social media through X (@GWsports) and Instagram (@gwsports).
In addition, single-game and season tickets for the 2024-25 GW men's and women's basketball campaigns are currently on sale through the GW Athletics Ticket Office (202-99-GWTIX or tickets@gwu.edu).
AIN'T NOTHING JUNIOR ABOUT HIM
Darren Buchanan Jr. (aka "Jun") notched three straight double-doubles to begin the season, becoming the first GW player to do so in Stathead's game log database (since '04-'05). Buchanan is the first Revolutionary since Tyler Cavanaugh (Feb. 4-11, 2017) to tally three straight double-doubles at any point.
Buchanan has since added two more double-doubles to rank third nationally with five on the season. He's also added the passing touch recently, averaging 4.2 assists per game over the last five contests, tying his career-high with six against NJIT and VMI.
Buchanan is one of just seven players nationally averaging 15.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 3.0 apg, but is one of only two underclassmen among that group, with the other being Duke's Cooper Flagg.
FLOODGATES HAVE OPENED FROM DEEP
GW entered the Paradise Jam having made just 25% of its 3-pointers and averaging just 6.0 makes per game, both in the bottom 50 of the country. But the Revolutionaries, who broke the school record with 287 triples a year ago, found the shot since warming up in the Virgin Islands, averaging 9.8 makes in the last four games, including a season-high 11 vs. VMI on Friday.
Trey Autry has led the way going 12-for-21 in the four games, but has also been joined by Gerald Drumgoole Jr. (9-for-23) making multiple trifectas in each contest. Drumgoole ranks seventh in the A-10 with 51 3-point attempts on the season.
HISTORY VS. AMERICAN
GW and American square off for the 48th time in program history on Wednesday and for the second time in the last three years. American leads the all-time series, 26-21, and has won the last two matchups, both occurring at Smith Center in 2019 and 2022.
GW's last win in the series came at home in overtime in 2018, 71-67. Wednesday marks GW's first visit to Bender Arena since an 81-75 loss in 2003. The Buff & Blue are looking for their first win in Tenleytown since a 97-76 win in 1998.
A LOOK AT THE EAGLES
American enters Wednesday's game having won four in a row following a 1-4 start to the campaign. The Eagles have won both of their home games over Harvard (67-55) and Notre Dame of Maryland (97-52).
Matt Rogers, a preseason All-Patriot League selection, is the team's leading scorer at 13.8 ppg, one of four Eagles averaging double figures. Elijah Stephens (12.6 ppg), Colin Smalls (11.9) and Geoff Sprouse (10.0) all pour in at least 10 points per game.
AU is in its second year under the direction of former George Mason assistant Duane Simpkins, who led the Eagles to a 16-16 mark including 10 Patriot League victories. American brought back four starters from last year's team and was projected to finish second in the Patriot League this year. As a result, AU is third in the country by KenPom's minutes continuity metric.
--
GW fans can get in the game by directly supporting student-athletes through donations to the Buff & Blue Fund. For more information on GW Athletics, fans are encouraged to visit GWsports.com, or follow the Revolutionaries on social media through X (@GWsports) and Instagram (@gwsports).
In addition, single-game and season tickets for the 2024-25 GW men's and women's basketball campaigns are currently on sale through the GW Athletics Ticket Office (202-99-GWTIX or tickets@gwu.edu).
Players Mentioned
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