VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball faces its toughest test of the season when the Bearcats (8-4) face Big Ten member Penn State (9-3) Tuesday night in State College, Pa. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Bryce Jordan Center.  

The Bearcats have won seven in a row - their longest streak in nine years. 

QUICK HITS
•    This is Binghamton's 71st season of basketball, 17th at the Division I level
•    BU's current seven-game win streak ranks 9th-longest in the country and is its longest in nine years, since the 2008-09 NCAA team won 11 straight en route to capturing the America East title
•    Binghamton has three non-league games remaining (2 home, 1 away) before America East Conference play begins on Jan. 6. 
•    This is the first-ever matchup against Big Ten member Penn State 

Last time out
•    Junior guard J.C. Show hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 1:36 left and BU closed the game with an 11-0 run to rally past Sacred Heart 51-48 on Sunday
•    Show scored 14 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, when BU rallied from a 10-point deficit to even its road mark at 3-3. 
•    The Bearcats trailed 48-40 with 9:16 left before holding the Pioneers scoreless the rest of the way (0-for-13 FG).
•    Binghamton limited SHU to just 15 second-half points.
•    Junior center Thomas Bruce chipped in 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks. 
   
About Penn State
•    Return all five starters and nine lettermen from a 15-18 squad last season
•    Play in rugged Big Ten that currently has two nationally-ranked teams (No. 2 Michigan St., No. 17 Purdue) plus one RV (Minnesota)
•    Top scorer Tony Carr (20.0 ppg.) was Big Ten All-Freshman Team last year but didn't play in team's last game on Sunday
•    Are 6-1 at home this season
•    Coming off 72-54 win at George Mason on Sunday with two players hitting double-doubles
•    Shot 57% in first half and held GMU to seven field goals to build 20-point halftime cushion
•    Have six players 6-foot-8 or taller (four 6-9 or taller)
•    HC Chambers coached against the Bearcats while he was HC at Boston University in 2009-11 (4-0 vs. Binghamton in two seasons)
•    Program played in NCAAs in 2011 and CBI in 2014

All-time series vs. Penn State
This is the first meeting between the two programs. Binghamton is 0-3 all-time against the Big Ten, having lost twice at Michigan and once at Michigan State. 

Coach Dempsey reaches 250 college win plateau
Sixth-year head coach Tommy Dempsey notched his 250th career college victory with the win at Loyola. Dempsey compiled 88 combined wins at Keystone and Lackawanna Colleges, 119 wins at Rider University and now has 43 wins at Binghamton.   

Win streak is historic
The team's current seven-game win streak is the longest since the program's 2008-09 championship season, when the team had a win streak of 11 leading into the NCAA tournament game against No. 2 Duke. No BU team, however, has won seven consecutive non-conference games since the 1992-93 season (Div. III). The team's current streak ranks ninth in the nation. 

Bearcats rank among America East leaders
Led by junior center Thomas Bruce, several Bearcats are among the statistical leaders in the America East. Bruce is first in blocks and field goal percentage, second in rebounding and 10th in scoring. Junior guard J.C. Show is fourth in steals and three-pointers and seventh in scoring. Junior guard Timmy Rose is sixth in assists and ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio. Sophomore guard Fard Muhammad is fifth in three-point percentage. As a team, BU ranks first in scoring defense (68.3 ppg.), second in field goal percentage (.493) and third in field goal percentage defense (.435). 

Bruce asserting himself at both ends of floor
Junior center Thomas Bruce has scored in double figures in eight of 12 games, has five double-doubles (22nd in country), 39 blocks (4th in country) and is shooting 60% from the field (40th in country). During the team's seven-game win streak, Bruce is averaging 13.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and is shooting 64% from the field.  

Rebounding is telling statistic
Binghamton is 7-0 when outrebounding opponents and 1-4 when outrebounded.

Show picking up steam
Junior guard J.C. Show is averaging 17.4 points on 51% shooting during BU's current seven-game win streak. He has scored in double digits in 11 of 12 games this season.  

Bearcats slam door on Sacred Heart down stretch
Binghamton set a program record by holding Sacred Heart scoreless over the final 9:16 of the game. The Bearcats' 11-0 run gave them the comeback 51-48 win. It was the longest period of time that BU has held an opponent scoreless to end a game.   

Back home for last two games of 2017
The Bearcats finish up their non-conference slate with back-to-back home games. Binghamton hosts LIU Brooklyn Friday night and eight days later, BU welcomes regional opponent Elmira to the Events Center on Dec. 30.