VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball opens its season by hosting Cornell Tuesday night at the Events Center. The teams will tip-off at approximately 7:30 p.m. at Dr. Bai Lee Court, following the conclusion of the women's game. The 2021-22 opener against BU's closest geographic rival also kicks off the coaching tenure of first-year head coach Levell Sanders. 

Binghamton returns three starters and seven lettermen from a year ago but three scholarship newcomers are each expected to play a key role. This is Binghamton's 76th season of basketball, 21st at the Division I level. After a COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, BU returns to a full 29-game regular season with 11 non-conference games followed by the 18-game America East slate.

After Tuesday's game, the Bearcats will play their next three and five of the next six on the road, including a tough test at No. 24 UConn on Nov. 20. 

2020-21 Binghamton Highlights
• Led America East in 3-pointers (8.8/game) for the second straight season and ranked 51st in the country
• Won three of its final four regular season games
• Defeated regular season co-champion UMBC on the road
• Six different players scored 20 or more points in a game
• Tyler Bertram ranked fourth in the AE in 3-pointers (2.2/game)

Who's Back?  
Eleven letterwinners return, led by two-year starter George Tinsley (46 career games, 479 points, 325 rebs.). Joining Tinsley (8.5 ppg., 6.6 rpg.) are 2020-21 starters Tyler Bertram (10.8 ppg.) and Dan Petcash (8.1 ppg., 5.3 rpg.). Junior guard Hakon Hjalmarsson (47 career games, 20 min/game) offers a seasoned guard presence and outside shooting threat.  

Who's New?  
Three transfers are expected to make an immediate impact in 2021-22. Six-foot-8 junior forward Taveion White (Prosper, Texas/Clarendon College), 6-foot-3 junior guard Jacob Falko (North East, Md./Gardner-Webb University) and sophomore guard John McGriff (Glenn Dale, Md./St. John's University) will see plenty of time. White is an athletic "5" man who is strong on the defensive end (8.7 rpg. last season). He played his freshman season at IUPUI. Falko averaged 9.8 ppg and ranked seventh in the Big South in steals (1.4/game) last season at Gardner-Webb. McGriff is a 3-star recruit who began his career at BIG EAST member St. John's. He is an explosive point guard who is expected to take over the starting role. 

About Cornell
•    Play their first game in 612 days after Ivy League elected not to play in 2020-21
•    After a year away, Cornell returns eight players (no starters) from a 2019-20 team that went 7-20 (4-10 Ivy) in 2019-20 and has 11 newcomers
•    One of those seven wins was an 84-64 season-opening home victory over Binghamton in a game that featured 24 points from Jimmy Boeheim (now at SU)
•    Picked to finish seventh in 2021-22 Ivy League Preseason Poll

Bearcats' White, Big Red's Boothby crossed paths in AAU  
Growing up just 20 minutes apart in Northeast Texas, BU junior forward Taveion White (Prosper) and Cornell sophomore forward Keller Boothby (Plano) played against each other in AAU competition. Plano is approximately 30 miles south of Prosper going toward Dallas.   

All-time series vs. Cornell
•    Cornell leads 11-4 and has won the last three head-to-head
•    BU has three of its four wins at home, where the series is even, 3-3
•    In the last meeting on Nov. 5, 2019 in Ithaca, Cornell stretched a seven-point halftime lead with a 9-0 early second-half run and cruised to an 84-64 win in the season opener for both teams at Newman Arena. The Big Red shot 52% from the floor and Jimmy Boeheim led all scorers with 24 points.

Welcome Fans!  
Binghamton has always enjoyed a loyal and robust community fan base and those Events Center patrons will be a welcome site in 2021-22 after no fans were allowed inside the building last winter. The Bearcats have won the America East attendance crown 10 times in 15 years since 2005. In the last full season in 2019-20, BU drew 2,285 per game, which ranked third in the America East, behind only Vermont and Stony Brook). That average was higher than 13 Division I conferences across the country.