VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball continues its stretch of road games when the Bearcats (1-1) face Ivy League member Columbia (0-2) Wednesday night in Manhattan. The teams will tip at 7 p.m. at Levien Gym in a game broadcast on ESPN+. 

On Tuesday night, BU tuned up with a shootaround at the National Basketball Players Association training facility just hours after the NBA Golden State Warriors used the same court. Binghamton alum and NBPA Special Counsel for Collective Bargaining Ron Klempner '84 paved the way for the special access. 

The Columbia game is the middle of three straight on the road for the Bearcats, who play five of six away from home before finishing December with four straight at the Events Center. The Bearcats will look to extend the momentum after a 12-point road win at Sacred Heart on Sunday. 

Sophomore guard Kellen Amos leads the team with a 16.5 scoring average. Classmate John McGriff is averaging 15.5 points and 3.5 assists. Junior guard Jacob Falko leads the team in minutes played (39/game) and is chipping in 10.5 points per contest. 

About Binghamton
•    Bearcats gave first-year coach Levell Sanders his first NCAA win on Sunday with a 72-60 road win at Sacred Heart
•    Sophomore guard Kellen Amos scored a game- and career-high 26 points — 18 coming in the decisive second half
•    BU used a 28-6 run spanning 7:33 to pull away with 60% second-half shooting
•    BU has four players with double figure pts and nine averaging twin-digit minutes
   
About Columbia
•    Have started with losses at Fordham (77-67) and vs. Marist (82-67)
•    In team's home opener Friday night, sizzling Marist shot 59% and stretched a four-point halftime lead to pull away. The Lions had three in double figures led by Liam Murphy (15 pts)  
•    Early-season lineup juggling has 11 players averaging double-digit minutes
•    Picked to finish last in Ivy League Preseason Poll
•    Lost 80% of scoring from 2019-20 (Ivy League didn't compete last season)
 
All-time series vs. Columbia
•    Columbia leads the all-time series 3-1
•    The teams played twice in three seasons in 2000-01 and 2002-03 but then didn't play again for 16 years
•    They have since played in back-to-back full seasons (2018-19 and 2019-20)
•    In the last outing on Nov. 13, 2019, host Columbia hit 10-of-17 shots to start the second half and used a 15-3 run to pull away, 75-63 at Levien Gym
•    The teams have played three lopsided games in the series and one close one (65-63 Columbia win on Jan. 2, 2019)
•    BU's lone win was a 70-42 drubbing on Nov. 26, 2002 in West Gym
•    The Bearcats are 6-18 all-time vs. the Ivy League (five different teams) 

Hot second half propels Bearcats to road win
In one of the best shooting halves in recent seasons, BU made 15-of-25 shots (60%) in the pivotal second half at Sacred Heart, sparking a 39-point period and subsequent 72-60 win. 

Amos explodes for career-high 26 points at Sacred Heart
Sophomore guard Kellen Amos enjoyed a breakout game Sunday at Sacred Heart, pouring in a career- and game-high 26 points on 10-for-13 shooting. Amos, whose previous high was seven points, scored eight first-half points in a 2:30 span late in the half. In the second half, he went off for 18 points — 16 coming in a 7:10 span midway through when the Bearcats put the game away with a 28-6 run. Amos hit 5-of-8 from distance and added three assists, a block and steal to rewrite his career-high chart. The 26 points is the most scored by a Bearcat in 20 games dating back to Feb. 29, 2020.

McGriff shows burst of talent, quickness in debut
Sophomore point guard and St. John's transfer John McGriff made a quick impression on the Events Center crowd with an eye-catching debut Nov. 9 against Cornell. Despite being saddled with foul trouble that limited him to 21 minutes, McGriff led the team with 16 points and four assists. He scored eight of BU's first 12 points in the opening 4:39 and sent several Big Red defenders to their backsides with some deft dribbling.