The American University men’s basketball team (1-4) fell to #10 ranked University of North Carolina Tar Heels (2-1) 107-55 in Chapel Hill on Nov. 15.
The Eagles faced their most high-profile matchups of the season against one of college basketball’s powerhouse programs, playing in the Dean E. Smith Dome in front of almost 20,000 fans. This starkly contrasts with the atmosphere of Bender Arena, which holds just over 3,000 spectators.
Eagles head coach Duane Simpkins expressed enthusiasm about his team’s opportunity to compete in a high-profile environment. “We wanted to make sure our guys had the opportunity to experience something like this. If you play Division I basketball, everyone should get to experience something like this one time,” Simpkins said.
The Tar Heels entered the matchup as a heavy favorite, with ESPN's Basketball Power Index projecting a 98.2 percent chance of a North Carolina win over American.
“We wanted to test ourselves and really push ourselves against the top ten teams in the country,” Simpkins said.
Despite entering the game as underdogs, the Eagles held their own and kept up with the Tar Heels in the first half.
Junior guard Geoff Sprouse and graduate student forward Matt Rogers stepped up early for American. Sprouse got the scoring started for the Eagles, hitting a jumper to answer an opening dunk from North Carolina.
The first several minutes saw a competitive back-and-forth as both teams traded baskets. Rogers found his rhythm early, draining his first 3-pointer to help keep American within reach. With 13:14 remaining in the half, Rogers scored again from beyond the arc, giving the Eagles a 3-point lead.
However, American’s momentum was short-lived as the Eagles were unable to control their turnovers in the face of the Tar Heel’s pressure, accumulating 10 in the first half. North Carolina was able to capitalize and convert 22 points off of American’s turnovers throughout the game.
With 5:26 remaining, two made free throws put the Tar Heels up 7 against the Eagles. A contested 3-pointer from senior guard Elijah Stephens cut North Carolina’s lead down to 4.
The Tar Heels responded with an 8-point push, stretching out their lead up to 12 against the Eagles. Stephens worked hard to keep the Eagles in the game with a back-to-back jumper and 3-pointer. However, American struggled to keep the stamina necessary to keep up with UNC. By the end of the half, the Tar Heels finished with a 43-34 lead over the Eagles.
UNC opened the second half living up to their pregame expectations. The Tar Heels spurred on a 6-1 run, forcing the Eagles to call timeout. American’s 9-point deficit was expanded to 17 only three minutes into the first half after a series of points in the paint for North Carolina.
The Eagle’s first basket of the second half was a 3 point play from freshman forward Eric Michaels, who put in a layup through contact in the paint and converted the following free throw.
However, American couldn’t stop North Carolina’s momentum, and the Tar Heels became hot behind the arc with seven 3-pointers in the half, going on an 18-2 run over the Eagles. With eight minutes left in the half, UNC had amassed a 30-point lead.
The Eagles were unable to make a dent on their deficit, and the Tar Heels put in a few crowd pleasing dunks in the final minutes to finish off American.
North Carolina finished the game with a score of 107-55, which was their largest margin of victory since 2008, and was their 19th consecutive home game win against non-conference opponents.
Rogers led the Eagles with 15 points and 7 rebounds, while Stephens followed with an additional 12 points for American.
The Eagles will next travel to Puerto Rico to play in the Puerto Rico Clasico against Kansas City on Nov. 22, Puerto Rico at Bayamón on Nov. 23 and the University of Albany on Nov. 24.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Sabine Kanter-Huchting and Nicole Kariuki.
