VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball finishes up its flurry of three road games in seven days when the Bearcats (1-2) travel to Hartford to face undefeated No. 23 UConn (3-0) on Saturday. The teams will meet at noon at the XL Center in a game broadcast on Fox Sports 1. 

Binghamton is coming off a tough 85-77 overtime loss at Columbia on Wednesday. Junior guard Tyler Bertram scored a career-high 29 points and BU was on the brink of a second straight road win before a late dry spell sparked a 16-point Columbia comeback to force overtime. 

Sophomore point guard John McGriff leads the Bearcats with a 14.3 scoring average and 3.7 assists. Sophomore guard Kellen Amos (13.3 ppg.) and Bertram (12.0) are also in double figures. Junior center Ogheneyole Akuwovo is pulling down a team-best 6.3 rebounds in just 16 minutes of action per game. 

The Bearcats will get no relief from a dominant BIG EAST member UConn team that has trounced its first three opponents this season, outscoring them by an average of 46 points.  

About Binghamton
•    Bearcats gave first-year coach Levell Sanders his first NCAA win on Nov. 14 with a 72-60 road win at Sacred Heart
•    BU is coming off a tough 85-77 overtime loss at Columbia on Wednesday in a game the team led by 16 points with 6:19 remaining
•    Junior guard Tyler Bertram scored a career-high 29 points on 10-of-14 FGs
•    Three players scoring in double-figures and nine averaging twin-digit minutes
•    Transfers John McGriff and Jacob Falko lead the team in minutes and have been key producers. McGriff is averaging 14.3 points and 3.7 assists in 32 minutes at the point and Falko is averaging a team-high 36 minutes and 9.0 points      

About UConn
•    Undefeated and ranked No. 23 in this week's AP Top 25 and No. 24 in USA Today Coaches Poll
•    Have defeated Central Connecticut State (99-48), Coppin State (89-54) and LIU (93-40) by an average margin of 46 points
•    Picked to finish runnerup (of 11) in the BIG EAST Poll behind Villanova
•    Have three preseason all-conference selections, including veteran guards R.J. Cole and Tyrese Martin
•    Six-foot-9 sophomore forward Adama Sanogo also was an HM pick
•    Team went 15-8 last season (11-6 BIG EAST, third), falling to Maryland in NCAA first round
•    Huskies are 160-24 (87%) in non-conference games at the XL Center, formerly the Hartford Civic Center 
•    UConn has won four NCAA titles, most recently in 2014 and has produced 44 NBA draft picks

All-time series vs. UConn
•    This will be the first meeting 

Bearcats against nationally-ranked opponents
This will be the 14th time Binghamton has played a ranked opponent during its 21-year NCAA Division I era. The last ranked opponent was No. 1 Michigan State on Nov. 10, 2019 (100-47 loss). The last ranked BIG EAST team the Bearcats faced was No. 4 Syracuse (85-56 loss on Dec. 11, 2004). The closest BU has been to beating a ranked opponent was 21 points (75-54 loss to No. 19 Syracuse in 2003).

Binghamton vs. the BIG EAST
Binghamton is 1-9 all-time against opponents from the BIG EAST. The Bearcats have played Syracuse (4), Providence (2), Rutgers, Villanova and St. John's. Binghamton's lone win was a 66-56 road win at Rutgers on Dec. 6, 2008. That landmark win came six games into what would become the program's first conference championship and NCAA tournament season in 2008-09 (23-9 overall).

Former Seton Hall teammates square off from coaching box
Binghamton first-year coach Levell Sanders will see a friendly face down the UConn sideline with former Seton Hall teammate Dan Hurley in his fourth year with the Huskies. Sanders and Hurley played two seasons together for George Blaney and the BIG EAST member Pirates from 1994-96. In 1995-96, senior Hurley (14.3 ppg.) and sophomore Sanders (12.3 ppg.) gave Seton Hall a formidable backcourt. Sanders (1994-98) finished his collegiate career as an All-BIG EAST selection and amassed 1,399 points in 113 games. Hurley scored 1,070 points in 121 career games between 1991-96.     

Bearcats surrender big lead late at Columbia
In "the one that got away" category, BU led by 16 points with 6:19 left at Columbia on Wednesday before a dry spell turned into the overtime loss. The Bearcats were in control up 69-53 before being held scoreless for the final 6+ minutes (0-8 FG, 3 turnovers). A final shot at the regulation buzzer didn't fall and the host Lions made all five shots in the OT to pull away.  

Who's Next?
In back-to-back games, BU has had a 25+ point scorer. Three days after Kellen Amos hit for 26 against Sacred Heart, Tyler Bertram pumped in 29 at Columbia on Wednesday. Last season, the Bearcats had three different players score 20 or more in a game during the shortened 18-game season. Six BU players hit for 20 or more in the 2019-20 season. 

Bertram goes off for career-high 29 points at Columbia
Junior guard Tyler Bertram produced a big game at Columbia on Wednesday with a career-high 29 points on 10-of-14 shooting. Bertram hit 7-of-10 from 3-point range. He scored 18 points in the first half on 6-of-7 shooting and moved his total to 29 points with 12:08 left in regulation before being held scoreless for the remainder of the game. Bertram packed his entire 29-point showing into 24:38 of game time. It was the second time he reached the 20-point mark in college (20 vs. UMass Lowell on Jan. 16, 2021) 

Amos explodes for career-high 26 points at Sacred Heart
Sophomore guard Kellen Amos enjoyed a breakout game Nov. 14 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.

Tinsley moves over the 500-point scoring mark
Junior forward George Tinsley scored 14 points at Columbia to move over the 500-point scoring mark for his career. He is averaging 10.3 points and 6.9 rebounds in 49 career games at Binghamton. Tinsley is on pace to become just the second Bearcat to hit the 1,000-point, 600-rebound marks during the team's Division I era (Willie Rodriguez).