Matt Rogers had every reason to take a different path. When he was weighing his options, a top ACC program—one with a strong history of making the NCAA Tournament—offered him what was described as “life-changing money.” Yet, he chose American University, a school that hadn’t even reached its conference tournament championship game in a decade. Instead of lucrative NIL deals and high-profile exposure, he got a parking pass on campus and the occasional free meal. But he stayed. He believed. And now, against all odds, Rogers and American were dancing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 11 years. But March Madness can be as cruel as it is thrilling.
The moment that should have been a celebration quickly turned heartbreaking. In Wednesday’s First Four game against Mount St. Mary’s, everything seemed to be going according to plan—until it wasn’t. Four minutes into the game, Rogers tweaked his knee. He went to the locker room, got it wrapped, and pushed through. But the injury only worsened when he attempted to defend in the post.
As he lay on the court, Rogers reached out for Coach Duane Simpkins’ hand while trainers assessed his knee. Moments later, he was helped off and taken back to the locker room, where he was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game. He later returned to the bench on crutches for the second half, his mother watching from the stands with tears streaming down her face.
If you ask the broadcast team, it was a “crushing moment.” And how could it not be? After everything he had given to this program—leading American back to the Big Dance—his March Madness run ended in the first half of the opening game.
“Bad news from the American locker room,” CBS reporter Jon Rothstein announced. “He’s been ruled out with a knee injury, obviously a lot of very emotional people back in the locker room.”
AU senior forward and leading scorer Matt Rogers left with a knee injury and was ruled out for the game.
He returned to the bench on crutches.
After the game, the entire Mount St. Mary’s team made sure to shake hands with Rogers pic.twitter.com/f5hWYjsTRD
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 20, 2025
Well, this was supposed to be American’s moment. The school had only made three NCAA Tournament appearances in its history, the last coming in 2014. And, Rogers had been a major reason for their return, averaging 17 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Earlier in the month, he put up 25 points in a dominant 74-52 win over Navy to claim the Patriot League Tournament Championship. After the victory, he could feel the buzz surrounding the program.
“Just excitement, gratitude, and just to have it packed with fans and a lot of people coming out who haven’t been in a long time,” Rogers said after winning the Patriot League Championship. “You can feel the buzz around the area and it’s just fun to see.”
Not just that, leading America was his long dream, that’s why he even rejected multiple opportunities to transfer. “I’ve been dreaming about this since I was in second grade,” Rogers told The Washington Post before the game. “I’ve been here for … five years now. All the time and effort we put into this, finally panning out.”
He had accomplished that goal—but now, his tournament experience had lasted less than half of basketball. And Rogers and Americans’ dream of winning the NCAA championship title has shattered!
Matt Rogers’ college journey ends—but his pro dreams are just beginning
Rogers’ brief return to the court couldn’t disguise the team’s deep feeling of his absence. And, the opponent team knew exactly how to take advantage. Dola Adebayo and Jedy Cordilla each scored 22 points as Mount St. Mary’s defeated American 83-72 in the First Four matchup.
While, Geoff Sprouse led America with 18 points, knocking down six three-pointers off the bench. Elijah Stephens added 12. Rogers, who had seven points in just eight minutes before the injury, watched from the sidelines, unable to help his team in the most important moment of his career.
But all this wasn’t just enough. Despite having shot equivalent to opponents’ 60% better than early stage of the game, St Mary pulled away. Dallas Hobbs nailed a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give them a 48-38 halftime lead, and the Mountaineers never looked back.
They stayed hot from beyond the arc in the second half, with Malcolm Dread’s three-pointer extending their lead to 64-51 with 11:26 remaining.
Now, Mount St. Mary’s improved to 3-6 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, while American’s return to the Big Dance ended in heartbreak. But even though Rogers’ college career ended in disappointment, his coach remains confident that this is just the beginning.
“Matt’s going to play professional basketball,” Simpkins told The Washington Post. “One of the biggest selling points was I’ve been there before. They’re not going to look back at your junior year and say, ‘Oh, he was good at American.’ They’re going to look at what you did most recently.” And Simpkins is right.
Rogers has put together an impressive career that undoubtedly makes him a strong pro prospect. In the 2023-24 season, he led American with 16.4 points per game, ranking third in the Patriot League, while grabbing 6.2 rebounds per game, good for fifth in the conference. His efficiency was elite—he shot 55.9% from the field (third-best in the league) and an impressive 42.1% from three-point range (seventh-best).
His consistency earned him First Team All-Patriot League honors for two consecutive seasons and a spot on the NABC All-District Second Team in 2024. He also proved he could deliver in the clutch, sinking a game-winning shot with 3.2 seconds remaining against Lafayette, capping off a 19-point, 10-rebound performance.
Beyond the accolades, he reached a rare milestone, surpassing 1,000 career points and 500 rebounds. Now, he has added another chapter to his story—playing through injury on the biggest stage, showing the toughness and determination that pro teams look for.
So, do you agree with Coach Simpkins? Is Matt Rogers bound for the pros? If his past performance is any indication, this may just be the start of something bigger.
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