VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball enters the final three weeks of the regular season when the Bearcats (10-15, 1-9 America East) host UMBC (16-9, 7-3 AE) at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Events Center.  

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 welcomes second-place UMBC to the Events Center five days after the Retrievers opened their new building with a near-identical name (Event Center)
• With six regular season games remaining (3 home, 3 away), BU sits two games outside a playoff spot

Last time out
• BU rallied from 10 down in the second half to force OT but came up short, 81-79, Saturday at Maine
• Junior guard J.C. Show tallied 20 points (five 3s) and junior center Thomas notched his seventh double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds
• Sophomore guard Fard Muhammad added 17 points (five 3s)
• Bruce's tip-in with 0:08 left sent the game to OT but BU missed 9-of-11 shots in the five-minute extra period and Maine made 7-of-8 free throws to seal it    
   
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 9-4 when scoring 70 or more points and is 10-5 when holding opponents to less than 70. The Bearcats are 0-10 once an opponent reaches 70.

Rebounding is telling statistic
Binghamton is 9-3 when outrebounding opponents and 1-12 when outrebounded.

About UMBC
• Retrievers have only lost to two AE teams (Vermont, 2x) and Albany
• Team is coming off an emotional 81-53 loss to Vermont in the christening game of their new arena
• UMBC leads the league in 3-pointers (11 made/game) and ranks third in scoring offense (74.7 ppg.) and third in turnover margin (+2.4/game) 
• Senior guard Jairus Lyles (20.3 ppg.) is a 2-time all-conference selection who ranks third among current AE players with 1,558 career points
• Nation's third-most improved team last season after winning 21 games, including three postseason games (CIT)
• Picked to finish tied for third in Preseason Coaches' Poll 
 
All-time series vs. UMBC
Thanks to four straight wins, including one in Baltimore three weeks ago, UMBC has evened the all-time series 16-16. The home team has controlled the series, with BU owning a 10-5 mark at the Events Center. Before the most recent UMBC run of four wins, BU had rattled off four straight victories. On January 24 in Baltimore, Binghamton cut a 20-point second-half deficit to five but UMBC hung on in the closing minutes for a 69-57 win. Junior guard Everson Davis and sophomore guard Fard Muhammad tallied 11 points apiece in the second half and BU used a 23-8 run to climb back into the game. The host Retrievers hit three three-pointers in the final 4:34 to seal the win.   

Bruce notches seventh double-double of season
Junior center Thomas Bruce contributed 18 points and 13 rebounds in the overtime loss to Maine on Saturday. It was his seventh double-double of the season (2nd in AE) and ninth of his career. The 18 points were his highest since a 26-point outing against Colgate on Dec. 2. Bruce leads the AE in blocks (2.4) and field goal percentage (.601) and is second in rebounds (8.6).

Show hits 20 points for fifth time this season
Junior guard J.C. Show netted 20 points in the overtime loss at Maine on Saturday — the fifth time this season (and second in the last five games) he has reached the 20-point mark. Show ranks third in the America East in three-pointers per game (2.6) and has hit five or more 3s five times this season.  

Ty Stew stepping up production
Redshirt freshman forward Tyler Stewart is averaging 12.0 ppg. over his last four and is shooting 50% during that stretch. Stewart has also recorded a steal in six consecutive games. 

Muhammad has highest scoring output since November
Sophomore guard Fard Muhammad took advantage of 26 minutes of playing time and dropped 17 points (5-11 3s) on Maine last Saturday. It was his highest scoring output since he tallied a career-high 18 points at Cornell on Nov. 13. It also was the third time this season that Muhammad drained five or more 3s.
   
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 1,351 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 619 (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 AE players. 

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.  

Up Next
Binghamton has a week off before hosting Stony Brook on Feb. 15.