The American University men’s basketball squad may be heading into Patriot League play at 8-7, but you have to figure head coach Jeff Jones still isn’t sure what kind of team he has. Is the real AU the team that dropped home games against Maryland-Baltimore County and labored to beat Jacksonville at home? Or is the real AU the team that knocked off the Maryland Terps and gave Atlantic 10 contender Dayton U a game on the road?

Over the opening 15-game stretch of the season, the Eagles haven’t won more than two games in a row, but they haven’t lost more than two in a row either. In short, they’ve been consistently uneven. Junior guard Garrison Carr continues to pace the team, knocking down 5 first half three-pointers en route to 24 points in Sunday’s road win at Columbia. Derrick Mercer — whose consistent scoring and rebounding has kept the Eagles going this year — chipped in 11 more.

Regardless of the ups and downs, it’s been a season of milestones for the program. December’s home comeback win against local rivals Howard was the program’s 1,000th victory in its 82 year history. To follow that up, the Maryland upset a few weeks later marked the Eagles first win over the Terrapins in 80 years. And just a week after that, American took the red line (direction: Glenmont) down to the Verizon Center to take on Georgetown in the 25th anniversary of AU’s historic upset of the Patrick Ewing-led Hoyas in 1982. Of course, this occasion was less kind to Jones and Co.; they suffered a 78-51 loss, despite holding star center Roy Hibbert to 14 points and just one rebound.

Now the competitive Patriot League schedule lies ahead. The Eagles are predicted to nest somewhere in the middle of the pack, but with the win over Maryland and tough performances from the sub-six-foot guards Carr and Mercer, this is a team with a chance to make a conference tournament run. They open League play in scenic Bethlehem, PA at Lehigh on Saturday, with their home opener coming against Colgate on Saturday, January 19.