VESTAL, N.Y. - After 15 non-conference games, Binghamton men's basketball wipes the slate clean and begins America East play on Saturday when the Bearcats (4-11) host New Hampshire (2-11) in the conference opener for both teams. It's the first of a 16-game league schedule that culminates with the playoffs in early March. The opener is set for 2 p.m. at the Events Center and will be broadcast on ESPN3. 

The Bearcats are led offensively by freshman guard Sam Sessoms (17.5 ppg.) and senior guard J.C. Show (10.6 ppg.). Senior forwards Chancellor Barnard (9.4 ppg., 6.5 rpg.) and Caleb Stewart (8.5 ppg., 6.3 rpg., 2.3 bpg.) have been big contributors as well. 

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 season of America East play for the Bearcats, who are 106-170 (.384) all-time in AE play 

Last time out
• BU stormed back from 19 points down in the second half but visiting Columbia hit a buzzer beater to edge the Bearcats 65-63 on Wednesday
• Freshman guard Sam Sessoms set a school record with seven second-half three-pointers (21 points in second half) to lead the rally
• Sessoms wound up with 25 points and senior forward Caleb Stewart added 14 points and a career-high five blocks. Senior forward Chancellor Barnard grabbed 11 rebounds, matching his career high
• BU shot 65 percent in the second half, best shooting half of the season  

About UNH
• Wildcats have dropped 10 straight games and are winless vs. Division I foes
• Played tough non-conference slate: SetonHall, UConn, UMass and Boston U
• Senior Jordan Reed (11.1 ppg.) and sophomore Josh Hopkins (9.7) pace team
• UNH was picked to finish in a tie for seventh in the America East Preseason Poll 
• Return two starters and 10 letterwinners from a 10-21 team that went 6-10 in AE play (T-6th) and lost in the tournament quarterfinals
• Took heavy graduation toll and have to replace elite all-conference forward Tanner Leissner, all-time rebound leader Iba Camara and 1,000-point scorer Jacoby Armstrong in frontcourt  
    
All-time series vs. UNH
• UNH leads the close all-time series, which began in 2002, 19-17
• The Wildcats have won nine straight in the series to erase a comfortable BU lead head-to-head. UNH has swept the season series in each of the last four years
• Last season UNH won 71-67 at home and 57-52 at the Events Center
• UNH has gone 10-7 in Vestal and 9-5 at the Events Center
• The last six games have been decided by single digits
• The average margin in the series history is 9.9 points

BU in America East play
• The Bearcats are 106-170 (.384) in 17 years of America East play
• BU is 5-12 all-time in AE openers but is winless at home (0-5 home, 5-7 on road)
• This is just the sixth time in 18 years BU has opened AE play at home, but the second straight year (lost to Maine 76-73 in last year's opener on Jan. 6)
• BU has dropped its last seven AE openers. It's last win in an AE opener came against UNH on Jan. 8, 2011 in Durham (66-61)

Sessoms lights it up in second half vs. Columbia
Freshman guard Sam Sessoms set a school record with seven three-pointers in the second half (7-of-8) against Columbia on Jan. 2. His seven field goals ranks third in BU's Division I history (FG in half) and his 21 points also ranks third (pts. in half). During the half, he had 15 points in a six-minute span and 18 points in 7:12. With 25 points for the game, Sessoms went over the 20-point mark for the fifth time this season.

BU hangs with No. 2 Michigan, highest-ranked foe in program history
For 30 minutes Sunday in Ann Arbor, BU outshot and outrebounded No. 2 Michigan before the Wolverines stretched a single-digit lead to the final 22-point margin (74-52) as BU's starting unit fatigued down the stretch. Binghamton's starters played 171 of 200 minutes and were only outscored 52-49. Michigan was the highest-ranked opponent in program history, eclisping the pair of games against No. 3 Michigan State (2015) and the same Michigan program (2012). 

Bearcats lead America East, rank second in nation in blocks
Despite opening the season without the top shot blocker in the America East (Thomas Bruce), BU has racked up 93 blocks through 15 games, second only to NCAA leader Duke (96). In blocks per game, BU led the country for a week and currently ranks sixth. Individually, senior forward Caleb Stewart swatted a career-high five vs. Columbia and has 35 blocks, which ranks 12th in the country. His 2.33 average is 30th. Senior forward Chancellor Barnard has 25 blocks (4th in AE). The Bearcats lead the America East in blocks, thanks to four players in the league's top-10.   

Sessoms ranks eighth in nation in freshman scoring
Freshman guard Sam Sessoms ranks fourth in the conference in scoring (17.5 ppg.) and ranks eighth in the entire nation in freshman scoring. He has scored in double figures in 13 of his first 15 collegiate games, including five 20+ games.   

Pair of Bearcats moving toward 1,000-point mark
Seniors J.C. Show and Caleb Stewart are marching toward the 1K mark for their scoring careers. Show, who played his first collegiate season at Bucknell, currently sits at 983 points. Stewart played single seasons at South Carolina-Aiken and Saint Leo before finishing his last two seasons at Binghamton. He has 897 career points.  

Barnard shooting lofty 72 percent, ranks seventh in kenpom FG%
Senior forward Chancellor Barnard has converted 58-of-81 shots (.716) and ranks seventh in kenpom's "effective FG percentage" category. Barnard's 72 percent would rank third in the nation but he falls short of the minimum FGs.