VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball continues its busy stretch of three games in six days when the Bearcats (9-8, 0-2 America East) face Hartford (9-8, 2-1 AE) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Chase Arena in West Hartford. 

Last time out
•    BU held host UNH to five second-half field goals but came up short 71-67 on Wednesday in Durham and fell to 0-2 in league play
•    The Bearcats were outrebounded 46-26 and made just 4-of-17 three-pointers
•    Senior forward Willie Rodriguez scored a season-high 23 points (8-of-11 FG)
•    Junior guards Timmy Rose and J.C. Show added 14 and 12 points, respectively  

About Hartford
•    Have opened league play with wins over Albany and UMass Lowell and a loss to Stony Brook in the closing seconds
•    Junior John Carroll ranks fifth in the AE in scoring (17.4 ppg.)
•    Posted big non-conference win at Rutgers and another at Florida International 
•    Brought back four of top-five scorers from 2016-17, including junior Jason Dunne, who averaged a career-high 13.7 points per game
•    Team finished seventh in AE last season (9-23, 4-12 AE)
•    Picked to finish eighth in 2017-18 AE Preseason Coaches' Poll 

All-time series vs. Hartford
Hartford leads the all-time series 21-13 on the strength of 10 straight wins between 2012-16. The teams have split the season series in each of the last two years. Last season the home team won each game, including a 76-69 Hartford win at Chase Arena in the last matchup last Feb. 22, 2017. In that game, Hartford made 13-of-14 free throws in the final 2:09 to hold off Binghamton. Everson Davis tallied a career-high 19 points, Bobby Ahearn added 13 points (11 in second half) and Timmy Rose chipped in 13 points and four assists. The Hawks have won 11 of 16 games in the series at their home arena.   

Rodriguez hits for 23 pts at UNH, adds to his career record
Senior forward Willie Rodriguez tallied a season-high 23 points Wednesday at UNH — his second 20+ game this season and 17th of his career. With the big night, Rodriguez moved his school record (Div. I era) career points total to 1,282. He also bumped up his career rebounds total to 570, eight away from moving into the No. 2 spot and 29 away from taking over as the all-time rebounding leader as well. Rodriguez ranks fifth in scoring and rebounding among current America East players. 

70 is magic number on scoreboard
Binghamton is 8-2 when scoring 70 or more points and is 9-2 when holding opponents to less than 70. The Bearcats are 0-6 once an opponent reaches 70.

Rebounding is telling statistic
Binghamton is 8-0 when outrebounding opponents and 1-8 when outrebounded.

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 (3.0) and second in field goal percentage (.588) and rebounding (8.9). Junior guard J.C. Show is fifth in three-pointers (2.5), seventh in steals (1.3), ninth in scoring (15.0) and 10th in 3-point percentage (.361). Junior guard Timmy Rose is eighth in assists (3.6). As a team, BU ranks first in field goal percentage defense (.349) and second in scoring offense (68.1 ppg.). 

Bruce tops 100 blocks mark
With his three blocks against UNH, junior center Thomas Bruce moved over the century mark for his career (101). He ranks second all-time in program history (Div. I era), behind former seven-foot center Nick Billings (336, 2001-05). Bruce ranks 12th in the country in blocks per game (3.0).   

Binghamton in the America East
•    The Bearcats are 104-156 (40%) in 16 years of America East play
•    BU is 63-67 (48%) at home and 41-89 (32%) on road vs. America East foes
•    BU won AE regular season and tournament titles in 2009 but hasn't finished higher than fifth in the eight years since

Coach Tommy Dempsey debuts podcast
•    In January head coach Tommy Dempsey started a podcast titled "Binghamton Basketball and Beyond"
•    Fans can listen to the episodes on iTunes or at bubearcats.com (archived)