VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball (5-13, 1-2 America East) will finish off a tough stretch of opponents when the Bearcats travel north to Burlington to face league-leading Vermont (14-4, 4-0 AE) on Saturday. With the pending winter storm, the game has been moved up to a 1 p.m. start at Patrick Gym. 

Freshman guard Sam Sessoms continues to lead the Bearcats in scoring (17.2 ppg.). He is ranked No. 7 in the nation for freshman scoring. Senior guard J.C. Show (10.0 ppg.) recently moved over the 1,000-point mark for his career. Senior forwards Caleb Stewart (9.5 ppg., 6.4 rpg.) and Chancellor Barnard (9.1 ppg., 6.5 rpg.) have given BU a strong tandem in the frontcourt.  

QUICK HITS
• This is Binghamton's 73rd season of basketball, 18th at the Division I level
• BU was picked to finish 6th (of 9) in the America East Preseason Coaches' Poll
• This is the 18th America East season for BU, which is 106-170 (.384) all-time
• This is the last of three straight road games vs. teams picked to finish 4-3-1
• BU faces its biggest nemesis in the AE, having won just once in last 12 meetings  

Last time out
• BU gave up a 9-0 run early in the second half and UMBC shot 50% in second half to pull away for a 68-49 win in Baltimore
• Senior forward Caleb Stewart matched his career high with 16 points
• Stewart had 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting in first half
• Freshman guard Sam Sessoms added 15 points (10 in second half)    

About Vermont
• UVM is coming off 73-59 win at UNH on Wednesday
• UVM is outscoring AE opponents by an average of more than 21 points
• Junior standout Anthony Lamb ranks in nation's top 30 in points and blocks
• Team features trio of Duncan brothers (Ernie, Everett, Robin)  
• Catamounts are 34-4 at home in the last three years
• Catamounts have won 20 or more games for a remarkable 10 straight years
• Returned two starters and 10 lettermen from 27-8 team that won regular season title, lost at buzzer to UMBC in title game and then played in NIT
• Team was picked to win title in the AE Preseason Poll for third straight year

All-time series vs. Vermont
• Vermont owns lopsided 30-8 lead in all-time series and is 15-2 at Patrick Gym
• Catamounts have won six straight and 11 of last 12 in series
• Last seven matchups at Patrick have yielded Vermont wins by average of 22 pts
• Last season UVM swept pair with 68-54 win in Vestal followed by 75-54 win at Events Center three weeks later
• BU's last win in Burlington was epic. On Feb. 4, 2009, BU's NCAA team rallied from 25 points down in the second half to win 85-83 at Patrick Gym. It's the eighth-greatest road comeback in NCAA history.

Bearcats lead America East, rank eighth in nation in blocks
Despite opening the season without the top shot blocker in the America East (Thomas Bruce), BU has racked up 97 blocks through 18 games, eighth-most in the country. In blocks per game, BU led the country for a week and currently ranks 15th. Individually, senior forward Caleb Stewart swatted a career-high five vs. Columbia and has 36 blocks, which ranks third in the conference and 34th in the country. His 2.0 average is 41st. Senior forward Chancellor Barnard has 27 blocks (4th in AE). The Bearcats lead the America East in blocks, thanks to four players in the league's top-11.   

Sessoms seventh in nation in freshman scoring
Freshman guard Sam Sessoms ranks fifth in the conference in scoring (17.2 ppg.) and ranks seventh in the entire nation in freshman scoring. He has scored in double figures in 16 of his first 18 collegiate games, including six 20+ games. Sessoms also ranks 38th in the country in made field goals.   

Show eclipses 1,000-point mark; Stewart next
Senior guard J.C. Show tallied eight points at Stony Brook on Jan. 9 to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau (1,001 pts.). Show, who played his first collegiate season at Bucknell, became the third Bearcat in the last three years and 21st overall to reach the milestone. Senior forward Caleb Stewart also continued his march toward 1K. After single seasons at South Carolina-Aiken and Saint Leo, Stewart is finishing his last two at Binghamton. He has 940 career points.  

Barnard shooting lofty 67 percent, ranks 24th in kenpom FG%
Senior forward Chancellor Barnard has converted 66-of-98 shots (.673) and ranks 24th in kenpom's "effective FG percentage" category. Barnard's 67 percent would rank fifth in the nation but he falls short of the minimum FGs.

Sessoms named America East Rookie of Week for fifth time
Freshman guard Sam Sessoms earned his fifth America East Rookie of the Week honor in eight weeks (Nov. 12, Nov. 26, Dec. 10, Dec. 24, Jan. 7) after averaging 23.0 points on 57 percent shooting in games against Columbia and UNH. With five weekly honors, he ties former BU standout and AE Rookie of the Year Dylan Talley, who also had five during the 2009-10 season. It's just one honor behind the school-high of six, set by Jordan Reed during the 2012-13 season. Sessoms is on pace to tie the conference record of 10 weekly rookie honors, set by former Boston University and pro player Tunji Awojobi in 1993-94.