PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Binghamton men's basketball finishes off a two-game swing through Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania when the Bearcats (5-6) face ACC member Pitt (8-3) Friday night. The teams meet at 7 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center in a game broadcast on the ACC Network.

It is the second-to-last non-conference game before Binghamton begins America East play early in the New Year. 

Last time out
• On Wednesday at Youngstown State, BU surrendered a 19-4 run to end the first half and couldn't recover in a 73-55 loss
• BU was nearly even in the second half on the scoreboard (33-34) but gave up 16 offensive rebounds in the game and could come no closer than 12 points
• Senior forward Pierre Sarr scored a game-high 20 points (9-of-14 FG)
• Freshman forward George Tinsley added 13 points and played the full 40 minutes. Tinsley continues to lead the country in minutes played (39.4/game)        

About Pitt
• Pitt is 8-3 after fending off upset-minded Northern Illinois 59-50 Monday at home
• In that game, Pitt trailed by seven in the second half but finished the game on a 15-0 run over the final 6:11 as NIU missed its final 11 shots
• The Panthers return three of their top four scorers from a 14-19 team
• Pitt was picked to finish 10th (of 15) in the rugged ACC this season
• Sophomore guard Xavier Johnson was an All-ACC Freshman Team selection last year and was the only player in the ACC to average at least 15.0 points and 4.5 assists 
• The Panthers have won at an 81 percent clip at the Petersen Center since it opened in 2002-03 (255-61) and the home wins are sixth-most in the NCAA during that span  

All-time series vs. Pitt
• The teams have met just once, a 71-46 Pitt home win on Nov. 17, 2009 as part of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic
• After losing four starters just weeks before the 2009-10 season, BU was undermanned in the lopsided road loss
• Pitt held BU to five first-half field goals, led by 20 at intermission and cruised in front of 7,677 fans at The Pete

BU vs. the ACC  
Binghamton is 1-7 all-time vs. teams from the ACC with the lone win being a stunning 79-74 upset over University of Miami on Dec. 20, 2006 in Miami. The Bearcats have lost against Duke, North Carolina, Florida State, Notre Dame (2x), Boston College and Syracuse.

Bearcats are eighth youngest team in nation
Binghamton is ranked No. 346 in experience (eighth youngest team in nation) by KenPom. The team's normal starting lineup is composed of three freshmen (Mills, Tinsley, Hjalmarsson), a sophomore (Sessoms) and a senior (Sarr).  

Sessoms sets school scoring records in OT win over Boston on Dec. 7  
Sophomore guard Sam Sessoms added to his resume with a record-setting performance against Boston University on Dec. 7. In BU's 84-79 overtime win at the Events Center, Sessoms broke single-game records for points (40) and field goals (15) — both records he previously shared. Sessoms scored 28 of his points after halftime (9 in OT) to break the old mark of 34 points that he shared with J.C. Show and Dusan Perovic. His 15 field goals broke the mark he set twice and also shared with three others.  

Tinsley leads nation in minutes played  
Freshman forward George Tinsley played the entire game Wednesday at Youngstown and continues to lead the nation in minutes per game (39.4). Tinsley has played a full game six times this season, including 45 minutes in the overtime win over Boston University on Dec. 7.  

Trio of Tinsley, Mills and Sessoms leading league in minutes  
Binghamton's starting trio of freshmen George Tinsley (39.4 minutes/game), Brenton Mills (34.7) and sophomore Sam Sessoms (34.6) are 1-2-3 in the America East in minutes played.

Bearcats riding 3-point scoring  
BU entered the Youngstown State game ranked 15th in the nation in 3-pointers per game (10.2) but hit just 5-for-28 in the loss (and slipped to 30th with 9.7/game). The Bearcats rank No. 4 in the country in 3-point reliance (Ken Pom), with 44% of its offense coming via the 3-ball.

Young BU lineup is delivering  
Binghamton is receiving 78% of its offense from underclassmen and its top three scorers are all first or second-year players.

Pittsburgh recruit Petcash will play in front of home fans  
Freshman guard Dan Petcash played scholastic ball at Pine-Richland High in a suburb of Pittsburgh. His family were Pitt season ticket holders and there will be upwards of 50 family and friends at the Petersen Events Center to see him play Friday night. Petcash previously played there during high school state playoffs. Two weeks ago, Petcash and his older brother Andrew, squared off in Binghamton when the Bearcats beat Boston University.  

Bearcats boast four different players with double-doubles  
With the most recent double-double by senior guard Richard Caldwell, Jr., BU now has four different players produce a double-double this season. Freshman forward George Tinsley has four, sophomore guard Sam Sessoms and senior forward Pierre Sarr have two apiece. That's the most of any BU team in school history and also leads the America East this season.

Bearacts among the America East, NCAA stat leaders  
Sophomore guard Sam Sessoms leads the America East in assists (4.5) and is second in scoring (19.0). No player in the history of the conference has led it in both categories at season's end. Sessoms also ranks third in both free throw percentage (86%) and steals (1.4). Freshman forward George Tinsley leads the nation in minutes (39.4/game). Tinsley is second in the America East in rebounding (8.7) and is averaging 12.0 points, third-best among conference freshmen. Senior forward Pierre Sarr is fifth in the AE in rebounding (8.1). Freshman guard Brenton Mills is third in the AE in 3-point percentage (.397) and sixth in 3-pointers per game (2.3).    

Sessoms already approaching 800 career points  
Sophomore guard Sam Sessoms is averaging 19.0 points this season and has quickly moved his career total to 797 points less than halfway through his second collegiate season. He currently ranks 13th in Div. I era scoring at Binghamton and his career average (18.4 ppg.) is on pace to reach 1K in early February (midway through conference play) and become the program's all-time scoring leader (1,705 pts.) by the end of his junior season. Sessoms is also on pace to surpass the 2,000-point mark by the time he graduates, which would make him a 2K scorer in both high school and college.  

Sarr nets 20 points in first game without mask  
After playing seven games with a mask to protect a broken nose, senior forward Pierre Sarr shed it for the Youngstown State game and delivered a game-high 20 points — his second 20+ game of the season. Sarr had his nose broken four minutes into the Nov. 10 game at No. 1 Michigan State. He had a recent string of four straight games with double-digit rebounds (13-14-15-11) and now has scored 20 or more points in two of his last three games (career-high 24 pts. vs. Colgate on Dec. 4). He has two double-doubles this season.  

Mills sizzling from backcourt  
Freshman guard Brenton Mills has quickly and quietly become a crucial element to the Bearcats' starting lineup early in his collegiate career. Mills is averaging 11.6 points, second-best among America East freshmen. He is shooting 40% from 3-point range (3rd in AE) and 83% from the line (15-for-18). Mills hit 5-of-7 3-pointers against Colgate and has scored in double-figures in five of his last seven games.