VESTAL, N.Y. - Holding the program's highest postseason tournament seed in seven years, Binghamton men's basketball heads to Durham to begin the America East playoffs on Wednesday. The fifth-seeded Bearcats (8-21) and fourth-seeded Wildcats (18-11) will tip at 7:30 p.m. at Lundholm Gymnasium. The game will be shown on ESPN3.
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QUICK HITS
• The Bearcats have earned their highest tournament seed in seven years and will enter the postseason having won three of their last five games.Â
• Binghamton will look to snap a four-game losing streak head-to-head against UNH, having been swept in the season series in each of the last two years.  Â
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All-star sophomore forward
Willie Rodriguez ranks fourth in the AE in scoring (15.0 ppg.) and seventh in rebounding (6.7 rpg.). He has scored in double figures in 25 of 29 games and has hit 20 points or more seven times this season.Â
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Junior guard
Marlon Beck (10.2 ppg.) ranks third in the AE in threes/game (2.5) and is also second on BU's career three-pointers list (164), trailing only Troy Hailey (182). He has made five or more three-pointers seven times this season.
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Freshman center
Thomas Bruce is averaging 8.1 points (on 59% FG) and 5.1 rebounds in league play. He ranks eighth in the AE in field goal percentage (AE games) and is third in total dunks (28). Â
• Binghamton's current rotation features no seniors and just two juniors. The 11 underclassmen gives BU the eighth-highest underclassmen percentage in the country (73.3%).
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LAST TIME OUT
• On Saturday, BU shot 52% in the second half and led by as many as 19 points before settling on a 12-point win over visiting Maine.
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Sophomore forward
Willie Rodriguez netted a team-high 24 points (10-of-17) and just missed a double-double with nine boards.
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Junior guard
Marlon Beck added 14 points on 4-of-6 marksmanship from beyond the arc. Beck also contributed three steals.
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Sophomore center
Bobby Ahearn scored 10 points in 17 minutes of work.
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Freshman guard
Timmy Rose had nine points and four asists in his first collegiate start.Â
RODRIGUEZ HONORED
• Rodriguez was named third team all-conference and was BU's lone representative on the team. With 813 points and 370 rebounds in two years, Rodriguez is well ahead of pace to become BU's all-time scoring and rebounding leader (Div. I era).Â
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ABOUT NEW HAMPSHIRE
• UNH has won 10 of its last 13 games, losing only to Vermont (2x) and Stony Brook (by 1).Â
• The Wildcats are scoring 72.1 points per game.
• UNH returned four starters and nine lettermen from a 19-13 team that finished fourth in the AE. They won 11 league games for a second straight season.
• First-team all-conference selection Tanner Leissner leads the team in scoring (15.6 ppg., 3rd in AE) and is second in rebounding (6.9 rpg.).
• The Wildcats rank second in the AE in rebounding (39.1/game). Â
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ALL-TIME SERIES VS. NEW HAMPSHIRE
• Binghamton leads the series 17-14 — it's best mark vs. any team in the America East.
• UNH has won four straight and nine of the last 11 however.
• BU has dropped the last two games in Durham but is 8-6 all-time there.
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In their last meeting on Feb. 6 in Vestal, UNH closed the game with a 12-5 run to overtake Binghamton, 59-55. The Bearcats led throughout and held a 50-47 lead with 4:10 left. But BU misfired on 7-of-8 after that and UNH capitalized with an 8-0 run that featured four free throws.
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2016 America East Men's Basketball PlayoffsMarch 2, 7, 12 - Highest Seed in Each RoundWednesday, March 2 - Quarterfinals#8 UMBC at #1 Stony Brook, 7 p.m. – ESPN3#7 Hartford at #2 Albany, 7 p.m. - ESPN3#6 Maine at #3 Vermont, 7:30 p.m. - ESPN3#5 Binghamton at #4 New Hampshire, 7:30 p.m. - ESPN3Monday, March 7 - Semifinals
Lowest Remaining Seed at Highest Remaining Seed, 7 p.m. - ESPN3
Second-Lowest Remaining Seed at Second-Highest Remaining Seed, 7:30 - ESPN3
Saturday, March 12 - Title Game
Semifinal Winners - 11 a.m. - ESPN2
