VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball (10-13, 1-7 America East) gets its first shot at league-leading Vermont (17-5, 7-0 AE) when the teams collide at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Events Center. The Catamounts carry a 28-game conference win streak into the matchup, which coincides with a Weis Markets "Pack the House" White Out promotion. All fans are encouraged to wear WHITE and the first 4,000 fans will receive a free WHITE OUT Bearcats T-shirt.

Fans can stop by any of the Binghamton area Weis Market locations and pick up free ticket coupons. Ticket coupons may be redeemed at the Events Center box office for free tickets compliments of Weis Markets. The Events Center Box Office is open Monday thru Friday from noon – 4:30 p.m. and two hours prior to start time during weekend games. 

QUICK HITS
•    This is Binghamton's 71st season of basketball, 17th at the Division I level
•    BU went 9-6 in non-conference play, tying the record for wins (9) set last year
•    BU was picked to finish T-6th (of 9) in the Preseason Coaches' Poll 
•    Binghamton finishes up a tough stretch of three straight games against the top three teams in the standings
•    BU starts the second half of league play with the first of two meetings in a three-week span with league-leading and defending champion Vermont

Last time out
•    UNH ended the game with a 16-4 run and defeated host BU 57-52 on Saturday
•    BU held UNH to just eight second-half field goals and 33% shooting for game
•    Redshirt freshman Tyler Stewart led BU with season-high 14 points
•    After being recognized pregame for becoming BU's all-time (Div. I era) scoring (1,339) and rebounding leader (610), senior forward Willie Rodriguez tallied 10 points and seven rebounds    
   
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 

70 is magic number on scoreboard
Binghamton is 9-3 when scoring 70 or more points and is 10-4 when holding opponents to less than 70. The Bearcats are 0-9 once an opponent reaches 70.

Rebounding is telling statistic
Binghamton is 9-2 when outrebounding opponents and 1-11 when outrebounded.

About Vermont
•    Premier program in America East closing in on 10 consecutive seasons of 20 or more wins (win percentage of 81% in AE play in last nine years, 117-28)
•    Boast current win streak of 28 (regular season) against AE opponents
•    Ranked 14th in College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll
•    Unbeaten in conference play and outscoring foes by nearly 15 pts./game
•    Lost leading scorer and rebounder and projected AE Player of Year Anthony Lamb to injury in December but haven't missed beat
•    Played No. 4 Kentucky to final possession in season-opening 73-69 loss
•    Have no one in the AE top-10 scoring or rebounding but lead league with 50% team shooting 
 
All-time series vs. Vermont
Vermont owns a 30-8 advantage in the all-time series and the Catamounts have won 14 of the last 16 (and four in a row) after BU had rattled off three wins in a row from 2008-10. In Vestal, Vermont has a 14-6 advantage. The Catamounts swept the season series last year, winning 67-50 at the Events Center and 71-51 in Burlington. Binghamton's last win came at home on Feb. 18, 2015 - a 57-55 victory.    

Rodriguez hauls in 11 boards at UMBC, sets career record
Senior forward Willie Rodriguez already is the program's all-time scoring leader (Div. I era) with 1,339 points. He currently ranks sixth all-time in BU's 71 years of basketball. But on Jan. 24 at UMBC he grabbed 11 rebounds to also became the all-time rebounds leader (Div. I era). He currently has 610 (7th all-time) after passing seven-footer Nick Billings (2001-05), who graduated with 598. Rodriguez ranks fifth in career scoring and rebounding among current America East players. 

Ty Stew has good week
Redshirt freshman forward Tyler Stewart averaged 13.5 points in two games last week. Stewart notched 13 points with five boards at UMBC and followed up with a season-high 14 points against UNH on Saturday. After playing a combined 18 minutes in three previous games, Stewart logged an average of 23.5 minutes in the two games and shot 46% from the field.    

Bruce sets school record with 19 rebounds against UMass Lowell
Junior center Thomas Bruce etched his name into the BU record books (Div. I era) with a 19-rebound performance Sunday against UMass Lowell. Bruce had five offensive boards and 14 defensive to break the old mark of 18, set by Jordan Reed vs. St. Peter's on Nov. 18, 2012. Thirteen of those rebounds came in the second half against UMass Lowell and the 19 total boards are the most of any America East player this season. Bruce's previous high was 16 rebounds, set against Hartford last winter. He also added 13 points to register his sixth double-double of the season.  

Show pumps in 26 points against UMass Lowell
Junior guard J.C. Show hit 6-of-12 three-pointers en route to a game-high 26 points against UMass Lowell on Sunday. It marked the fourth time this season and eighth time in his Binghamton career he has gone over 20 in a game. Show leads the America East and ranks 54th in the country in made 3s (56). 

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 (2.6) and field goal percentage (.604) and second in rebounding (8.4). Junior guard J.C. Show is fourth in three-pointers (2.5), seventh in steals (1.3) and 11th in scoring (14.3). Junior guard Everson Davis is sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8). As a team, BU ranks fourth in both field goal percentage (.459) and field goal percentage defense (.447). BU leads the league in blocks (4.5/game). 

Bruce one of nation's elite shot blockers
Junior center Thomas Bruce ranks 19th in the nation in blocks (2.6/game). He has rejected three or more shots 11 times this season (5 or more four times), including a career-high 6 against Army on Dec. 6.   

Up Next
After back-to-back home games, BU settles in for its longest bus ride of the season when the Bearcats travel nine hours up north to Bangor, Maine for a Saturday afternoon tip against the Black Bears.