VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball hits the homestretch of the regular season when the Bearcats (11-17, 2-11 America East) face first-place Vermont (22-6, 12-1 AE) Wednesday in Burlington. Binghamton has three games remaining and begins with a stiff test against a Catamounts team that has won 15 of its last 16 games.  

Game time is 7 p.m. from Patrick Gym.   

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
• With three regular season games remaining (1 home, 2 away), BU sits one game outside a top-8 playoff spot and will need two wins (minimum) to have a chance to overtake Maine or UMass Lowell for the final spot 

Last time out
• BU held UMass Lowell to 38% shooting but the hosts used 24-of-33 free throw accuracy to hold off the Bearcats 74-69 on Sunday
• Junior guard J.C. Show tallied 15 points and eight rebounds
• Junior center Thomas Bruce earned his ninth double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds
• Sophomore guard Fard Muhammad netted 14 points in 26 minutes
• Freshman wing Albert Odero added 12 points, five boards and three assists      
   
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 

About Vermont
• Premier program in AE with 10 consecutive seasons of 20 or more wins
• Had 33-game AE win streak snapped with 69-68 loss to Hartford on Sunday
• The loss also snapped UVN's 15-game win streak, longest in the nation
• Have RPI of 54 and ranked ninth in Mid-Major Top 25
• Lost leading scorer and rebounder and projected AE Player of Year Anthony Lamb to injury in December but haven't missed beat
• Have no one in the AE top-8 scoring or rebounding but lead league with 50% team shooting 
 
All-time series vs. Vermont
Vermont owns a commanding 31-8 advantage in the all-time series and the Catamounts have won 15 of the last 17 (and five in a row) after BU had rattled off three wins in a row from 2008-10. Vermont has a 15-2 advantage on its home floor. On Jan. 31 in Vestal, the Catamounts put four players in double figures and surged past BU in the second half for a 68-54 win. A 3-pointer from senior Willie Rodriguez brought BU to within three, 36-33, 4:48 into the second half. But Vermont countered with a three to start an 18-7 run that sealed the win. Binghamton drew no closer than 10 the rest of the way. Redshirt freshman wing Tyler Stewart led the Bearcats with 12 points, with eight coming in the first half. Rodriguez, junior guard J.C. Show and sophomore guard Fard Muhammad each wound up with nine points. Binghamton's last win in Patrick Gym came on Feb. 4, 2009 and it was an epic comeback. In the team's championship season, the Bearcats rallied from 25 points down in the second half (with 55 pts.) to stun a sellout crowd and post an 85-83 win. The comeback still ranks among the largest in NCAA history.   
    
Muhammad has amped up offense
Sophomore guard Fard Muhammad is averaging 14.0 points over his last four games, including an 18.0 average in his last two. On Feb. 15 against Stony Brook, Muhammad hit 6-of-9 field goals (5-of-8 3s) en route to a career-high 22 points. Muhammad also pulled down a career-high eight rebounds. He also became the fourth different Bearcat to score 20 or more points this season. On Sunday at Lowell, Muhammad scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting. 

Bruce notches ninth double-double of season
Junior center Thomas Bruce contributed 11 points and 13 rebounds in the loss at UMass Lowell on Sunday. It was his third double-double in the last four games and ninth of the season (2nd in AE). Bruce leads the AE in blocks (2.3) and field goal percentage (.610) and is second in rebounds (8.5).

Odero making most of increased playing time
Freshman wing Albert Odero has seen his minutes increase dramatically in the last two weeks and his production has also jumped. He has scored in double figures in two of the team's last three games: a season-high 14 points against UMBC on Feb. 8 and 12 points at UMass Lowell on Sunday, when he earned a season-high 28 minutes of action.  
   
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 (2.3, 30th in nation) and field goal percentage (.610) and second in rebounding (8.7, 62nd in nation). Junior guard J.C. Show is third in three-pointers (2.6), ninth in steals (1.2) and 12th in scoring (14.6). Sophomore guard Fard Muhammad is fifth in three-point percentage (.417). As a team, BU ranks fourth in scoring defense (70.1), field goal percentage (.450) and 3-point field goal percentage (.352). The Bearcats continue to lead the league in blocks (4.3/game). 

70 is magic number on scoreboard
Binghamton is 9-4 when scoring 70 or more points and is 10-5 when holding opponents to less than 70. The Bearcats are 0-12 once an opponent reaches 70.

Rebounding is telling statistic
Binghamton is 10-5 when outrebounding opponents and 1-12 when outrebounded.

Up Next
Binghamton returns home for Senior Day on Saturday when third-place Hartford comes to down. Before the game, BU's seven seniors will be honored (Bobby Ahearn, Justin McFadden, Jordan McRae, Dusan Perovic, Willie Rodriguez, John Schurman, Yosef Yacob).