VESTAL, N.Y. - After taking the preseason favorite to the closing seconds on Wednesday, Binghamton men's basketball begins a busy stretch when the Bearcats (6-8, 3-2 America East) play at NJIT (8-8, 3-3 AE) Saturday night in Newark. Tip is set for 7 p.m. from the NJIT Wellness and Events Center. It begins a sequence of three-games-in-five-days for BU, which currently sits in fourth place in the America East standings.

Binghamton has four players averaging nine or more points, led by junior Jacob Falko (11.6 ppg.). Classmate Christian Hinckson leads the team in rebounding (6.1 rpg.) and is coming off his second double-double of the season. Junior Tyler Bertram (10.8 ppg.) and sophomore John McGriff (10.5) are also scoring in twin digits, with sophomore Kellen Amos (9.5) close behind.  

QUICK HITS
• This is Binghamton's 76th season of basketball, 21st in the America East
• The 2021-22 season marks the NCAA coaching debut of Levell Sanders, who was elevated to the head coach position in March after two seasons as an assistant coach. Sanders previously coached five years in the Czech Republic after a 17-year pro career overseas
• Despite not yet having played two conference teams (Vermont and UNH), BU will wrap up its home-and-home series with NJIT, having already played on Jan. 8
• BU will play three games in the next five days — two on the road  

About Binghamton
• Coming off 74-71 home loss to Stony Brook on Wednesday
• Held Seawolves to just 34% shooting but fouls (23) and subsequent Stony Brook free throws (27-of-34) created the winning edge
• It was BU's first game decided by just one-possession this season
• BU put five in double figures and got another double-double from Christian Hinckson (team-highs of 14 pts., 11 rebs.)
• Jacob Falko continued his strong play with 13 points and five assists

About NJIT
• Coming off 83-57 home loss to Vermont on Wednesday - team's third straight loss after beginning league play 3-0
• Continue to be led by tandem of Miles Coleman (16.2 ppg., 6.3 rpg.) and Dylan O'Hearn (14.9 ppg., 40 3-pt.)
• Own wins over Maine (69-66) and UMass Lowell (77-72) with lopsided losses to UMBC (76-56) and Albany (71-56)
• Picked to finish eighth in the America East Preseason Poll
• Entering 16th season at Division I - second in America East
• Returned three starters and eight lettermen from 7-11 team that placed eighth and lost in quarterfinals, led by All-Rookie pick Mekhi Gray
• Graduated talented all-conference guard Zach Cooks

All-time series vs. NJIT
• The short series between the two programs is even at 3-3
• NJIT posted a 67-56 win in Vestal two weeks ago
• In that game, visiting NJIT used a 16-6 early second-half run to seize control in an early season battle between two then-unbeaten (AE) teams
• Two nights after the Bearcats shot 59 percent and put 88 points on the board in a win at Albany, BU's offense stalled against the Highlanders
• Teams played once as D3 members (74-72 NJIT win in 1983) and then split D1 non-conference games in 2018 and 2019
• Last season, BU swept pair of weekend games in Newark, winning 76-63 and 72-58 on Feb. 20-21 in the final two regular season games
• BU has won three straight at the Wellness and Events Center

NJIT game a homecoming of sorts for Levell Sanders
Coach Levell Sanders returns to the state of New Jersey, where he played collegiately at Seton Hall. South Orange is about four miles west of Newark. Longtime Asbury Park Press reporter Jerry Carino wrote about Sanders and his college roots in this recent piece.    

BU among league leaders in stats
The Bearcats rank among the America East leaders (conference games) in several categories. BU is first in 3-point defense, holding foes to just 30% shooting from beyond the arc. They also are second in scoring (71.2 ppg.) and third in both rebound margin (+1.0) and field goal percentage (46%).

Falko moves to top of conference scoring
After scoring a game-high 22 points at Maine on Jan. 16 and chipping in 13 vs. Stony Brook on Wednesday, junior guard Jacob Falko now has scored in double figures six consecutive games with three 20+ point performances. He is averaging 18.2 points during that span on 61 percent shooting. In conference play, Falko is averaging 18.8 points, tops in the America East. He also ranks third in the America East assists (4.4 apg.) and sixth in FG% (59%).  

Hinckson also picking up steam in starting role
Since moving into the starting lineup on Dec. 8, junior wing Christian Hinckson has averaged nearly a double-double with 10.0 points and 8.7 rebounds over the last seven games. During that stretch he is shooting 50% from the floor. Hinckson ranks second in the America East in rebounding (9.0) and is fifth in blocks (1.6) in conference games.