March 17, 2009

Patriot League Men's Basketball NCAA Tournament Release - 3.17.09

Center Valley, Pa. - The American Eagles will represent the Patriot League for the second consecutive NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament when they face No. 11-ranked Villanova in an East Region first-round game on Thursday at 7:20 p.m. at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. The Eagles will play as the No. 14 seed in the region after winning the Patriot League Championship over Holy Cross on Friday, while the Wildcats of the Big East Conference are the No. 3 seed.

The Eagles made it back to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship for the second year in a row by knocking off Holy Cross, 73-57, in the Patriot League title game at home on Friday. American previously earned victories in the Patriot League Tournament in the quarterfinals against Lafayette and semifinals versus Army.

American enters the NCAA Tournament as one of the hottest teams in the field. The Eagles have won 13 consecutive games, second in Division I behind only Memphis. American has claimed victories in 19 of its last 20 contests, with just one loss since Christmas. American's 24-7 overall record matches the program record for single-season victories. American's 11 road victories tied for the top mark in the nation.

American boasts both the Patriot League Player of the Year and Tournament MVP. Derrick Mercer earned Player of the Year honors with 11.5 points, 4.4 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game for the year, while Garrison Carr earned Tournament MVP accolades for the second year in a row. The Eagles are eighth nationally in scoring defense, and have limited 10 of their last 11 opponents to 60 points or less.

Villanova will be making its fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats received an at-large bid after posting a 26-7 record and 13-5 mark in the Big East.

The winner of the American/Villanova matchup will play the winner of the contest between No. 11 seed VCU and No. 6 UCLA in the second round Saturday in Philadelphia.

Patriot League NCAA Tournament Notebook

American Goes Back to the Big Dance

After not making the NCAA Tournament in their first 41 seasons as a Division I program, American is headed back to the event for the second straight year. The Eagles knocked off Holy Cross, 73-57, to win their second straight Patriot League title in the Championship game on Friday. The Eagles also earned the regular-season title in the Patriot League for the second straight year, with a 13-1 League mark.

Repeat Is No Unusual Feat

American became the seventh repeat champion in Patriot League history, and the seventh different program to pull off the feat. The Eagles will become the sixth Patriot League program to play in the NCAA Tournament in consecutive years.

Can Eagles Duplicate Last Patriot League No. 14 Seed?

With a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament, American earned a tie for the fourth-highest seed in League history. Now, they hope to pull off an upset like the last No. 14 from the Patriot League. Playing as a No. 14 seed in 2005, Bucknell earned the first NCAA Tournament victory for a Patriot League team by defeating Kansas, 64-63, in the first round. The Bison also won in the first round the next year as a No. 9 seed, and Patriot League teams are 2-4 in the first round as a No. 14 seed or better. It is the fifth time in the last seven years that the League earned a No. 14 or better.

Patriot League Posting Solid First-Round Efforts

Even when a Patriot League team comes up short in the first round, the games have generally been close this decade. Last year, American was within one point of No. 2 seed Tennessee with six minutes to go before falling, 72-57, in first-round action. The previous six first-round appearances for Patriot League squads resulted in either a win or a loss by 11 points or less, including a pair of four-point defeats for Holy Cross in 2001 and 2003. Patriot League teams are 2-17 overall in the NCAA Tournament, with a 2-14 mark in the first round.

Eagles Keep On Rolling

American posted its 13th consecutive win in the Patriot League Championship game, giving them the second-longest win streak in the country heading into the NCAA Tournament. The streak trails only Memphis. The Eagles have won 19 of their last 20 games, with just one loss since Christmas. American has moved up to No. 17 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major top 25.

American Comfortable on The Road

Though Thursday's NCAA Tournament contest will officially be American's first neutral site game of the year, the Eagles will feel like a road team playing near the Villanova campus and in an arena the Wildcats used as a home venue three times this season. But that might be just fine with the Eagles, who are tied for the best mark in the nation with 11 road wins. American was 11-6 on the road this season, with wins in its last five road contests.

Dominating Defense

American's win streak has featured some spectacular defensive efforts, and the Eagles have moved among the national leaders in two defensive categories. American ranks eighth in the country in scoring defense at 58.4 points per game allowed, and 22nd in field goal percentage defense at 39.4 percent. The Eagles have limited 10 of their last 11 opponents to 60 points or less.

Eagles Shooting Sharp, Too

American has also moved into the top 50 in the country in two different shooting categories. The Eagles are 48th nationally by hitting 46.6 percent of their shots from the field, and 42nd in the country from beyond the arc at 37.7 percent.

Jones Brings NCAA Tournament Experience

American Head Coach Jeff Jones is back in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach for the seventh time. Jones led Virginia to the NCAA Tournament five times in his head coaching stint from 1990-98, and has taken American in each of the last two seasons. He has a 6-6 record as a head coach in NCAA Tournament contests.

Carr Takes Tournament MVP Honors, Eyes 3-PT Record

American senior guard Garrison Carr won his second consecutive Patriot League Tournament Most Valuable Player honor on Friday, becoming the second student-athlete to pull off that feat. He tied a League record with 13 three-pointers in the Tournament and set a mark with 28 three-point attempts. Carr broke the American school record for career three-pointers during the Patriot League title game, and is just four away from the Patriot League mark with 296 career treys. He is ninth in the country with 3.5 three-pointers per game this season, and just 10 points away from 1,400 for his career. Carr was a First-Team All-League pick for the second straight year, and also earned First-Team All-District recognition from the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Mercer In Elite Company

Not to be outdone by his backcourt mate, American senior guard Derrick Mercer is heading into the NCAA Tournament with some of the top accolades in League history. Mercer was named Patriot League Player of the Year in 2009, becoming just the fifth student-athlete in League history to earn both Rookie and Player of the Year recognition. He was honored as Rookie of the Year in 2006. Mercer is the first player in League history with 1,200 career points and 500 career assists, and is up to third in League annals with 520 assists. Mercer was named as a First-Team All-League selection and an All-Tournament Team pick.

Gilmore Earns A Pair of Honors As Well

American senior forward Brian Gilmore pulled off a double of Patriot League honors in 2009, as he was named as a Second-Team All-League selection during the season before picking up his second consecutive spot on the Patriot League All-Tournament team.

Senior Leadership

American enters the NCAA Tournament as one of the most experienced teams in the field. The Eagles feature an all-senior starting lineup, and have seven seniors on the roster.

Patriot League Versus Big East In NCAA Tournament

Thursday's game will mark just the third matchup between the Patriot League and the Big East in the NCAA Tournament. No. 16 seed Colgate fell to No. 1 Connecticut, 68-59, in 1996, while No. 15 seed Lafayette lost to No. 2 Miami (Fla.), 75-54, in 1999 as the Patriot League is 0-2 all-time against the Big East in the NCAA tourney.

Patriot League Against Big East, Ranked Opponents in 2008-2009

Patriot League teams were 1-3 against Big East opponents this season, with Lehigh earning the victory in a 76-71 triumph at Rutgers on Nov. 26. It was the first victory for a Patriot League team over a Big East foe since 2005. Patriot League squads were 0-5 against ranked opponents as American prepares to take on No. 11 Villanova. Both marks included a 78-68 loss for Navy at Villanova on Dec. 22, a game the Mids trailed by just three points with less than three minutes to play.

Patriot League Championship Notes

American tied Bucknell, Colgate, Lafayette and Fordham for third all-time with two Championships...The last Patriot League champion to repeat was Bucknell in 2005 and 2006...American is the fourth consecutive No. 1 seed to win the Patriot League title, and 15th in the 19 Patriot League Tournaments. The No. 1 seed has advanced to the title game every time..No. 1 seeds are 13-3 on their home court in the League title game...The home team is 14-2 in the last 16 Patriot League Championship games, and 14-4 overall in the title game...The Eagles were playing in their fifth Patriot League Championship in their eight seasons in the League, and improved to 2-3 in the title matchup. The Eagles and Crusaders have faced off for the Championship three times, the second-most played matchup in the title game. American got its first victory in the Championship against Holy Cross after losing to the Crusaders in 2002 and 2003...American improved to 7-1 in the Patriot League Tournament at Bender Arena, with seven consecutive wins at the venue. The only loss came to Holy Cross in the 2002 title game...American won its 13th consecutive game, trailing only Memphis for the longest win streak in the country...The Eagles have won 12 straight home games, and 17 in a row at Bender Arena against Patriot League competition...American Head Coach Jeff Jones improved to 15-6 in the Patriot League Tournament, trailing only Holy Cross Head Coach Ralph Willard (17-6) for the best winning percentage in the event...Bucknell's Charles Lee (2005 and 2006) was the only other player to capture two Patriot League Tournament MVP honors.

NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship First Round

No. 14 American (24-7, 13-1 PL) vs. No. 3 Villanova (26-7, 13-5 Big East)
Thursday, 7:20 p.m. (CBS) - East Region
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, Pa.
Series: Villanova, 8-0 Streak: VU, Eight Wins Last Meeting: VU, 94-62 (12.1.93)

American/Villanova NCAA Tournament Notes No. 14 seed American and No. 3 seed Villanova face off in an East Region first round game of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship on Thursday at 7:20 p.m. at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia...The Eagles are playing in their second consecutive NCAA Tournament...They earned a No. 15 seed and fell to No. 2 Tennessee, 72-57, in the first round last season....That was American's first-ever NCAA appearance...American won the Patriot League regular-season and Tournament title to earn the League's automatic berth in the NCAA field...Villanova received an at-large berth after finishing fourth in the BIG EAST...Villanova is in the NCAA field for the fifth consecutive season, and has advanced to at least the Sweet 16 in three of the past four years...The Wildcats made it to the Sweet 16 last season as a No. 12 seed...Villanova is making its 30th NCAA appearance, with a 44-29 all-time record in the Tournament...The teams last met in 1993, with Villanova scoring a 94-62 win at home....Patriot League teams are 1-3 against the Big East this season, including Navy's 78-68 loss at Villanova on Dec. 22...Patriot League squads are 0-5 against ranked opponents.

American The No. 1 seed Eagles won their second consecutive Patriot League Championship with a 73-57 win over No. 2 seed Holy Cross at home on Friday...American became the seventh repeat champion in Patriot League annals, and seventh different program to pull off the feat...American pulled away at the end of the first half and beginning of the second half, building a 20-point lead and carrying a double-digit advantage the rest of the way...The Eagles got 24 points from Patriot League Tournament Most Valuable Player Garrison Carr, who became the second player in League history to claim the award for two consecutive seasons...He made 9-of-12 shots from the field, and 6-of-8 from three-point range...Carr tied a Patriot League Tournament record with 13 three-pointers in American's three games, and set a mark with 28 three-point attempts...Carr also became American's all-time leader and moved to second in Patriot League annals with 296 career three-pointers...He joins Bucknell's Charles Lee (2005 and 2006) as the only two-time winner of Tournament MVP honors...The Eagles limited Holy Cross to 32.2 percent shooting from the floor, allowing the Crusaders to shoot just 4-for-22 in the first half. The Crusaders were just 5-of-16 from three-point range. American forced 15 Holy Cross turnovers...American also shot over 50 percent in the contest, and scored 45 second-half points behind a 12-for-17 shooting effort after the break. American connected on 8-of-17 three-point shots, with Carr leading the way in that category....American used a 9-0 run to take a 17-9 lead midway through the first half, and went up by as many as 11 before taking a 28-18 halftime lead...The Eagles opened the second half on a 7-2 run to push the lead to 35-20, and back-to-back threes by Carr pushed the American lead to 43-25 with 15:41 to go in the contest...American went up by as many as 20 and held at least an 11-point advantage the rest of the way....Brian Gilmore tallied 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the game, while Derrick Mercer had 13 points and a team-high five assists...Both players received Patriot League All-Tournament team honors...American ties Bucknell, Colgate, Lafayette and Fordham for third all-time with two Championships...American is the fourth consecutive No. 1 seed to win the Patriot League title, and 15th in the 19 Patriot League Tournaments...The Eagles were playing in their fifth Patriot League Championship in their eight seasons in the League, and improved to 2-3 in the title matchup...American Head Coach Jeff Jones improved to 15-6 in the Patriot League Tournament, trailing only Holy Cross Head Coach Ralph Willard (17-6) for the best winning percentage in the event...American enters the NCAA Tournament on a 13-game winning streak, trailing only Memphis for the longest stretch in the nation...The Eagles were within one point of Tenneseee with six minutes to play before falling in the first round in last year's NCAA Tournament.