VESTAL, N.Y. - Unbeaten Binghamton men's basketball faces a stiff test when the Bearcats (2-0) face Big Ten member Maryland (2-0) Tuesday night in College Park. The teams meet for the first time at 7 p.m. at XFINITY Center. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

The Bearcats are coming off a 78-75 road win at Marist on Saturday. Senior guard Jacob Falko and graduate forward Miles Gibson scored 19 apiece and BU used 22-9 second-half run to pull away before two Marist 3s in final five seconds tightened the score. The Bearcats led for 32+ minutes and were plus 12 on the glass. Senior guard Dan Petcash returned from injury to contribute 11 points and eight rebounds.

Maryland has posted back-to-back wins over fellow Mid-Majors Niagara and Western Carolina, holding both opponents under 52 points. The Terps rank 17th in the country in scoring defense. Maryland has made 29 NCAA appearances, the last coming in 2021. The team went 15-17 overall, 7-13 in Big Ten play last season and reached the second round of the B1G tourney. First year coach Kevin Willard took Seton Hall to the NCAAs in five of his last six seasons before coming to College Park. 

Maryland is 23-0 all-time vs. America East members.

After Tuesday's game, BU returns home for five of its next six games, beginning with a Saturday afternoon tilt with Sacred Heart at the Events Center. 

Binghamton vs. Big 10
This is BU's seventh game against a Big Ten opponent (0-6). The Bearcats have played Michigan three times, Michigan State twice, Northwestern and Penn State. Most recently, Binghamton faced No. 1 Michigan State on Nov. 10, 2019 and lost 100-47 in East Lansing. The closest result against a Big Ten opponent was BU's 80-65 loss to Penn State on Dec. 19, 2017.

Homecoming for BU trio
Three Bearcats will be returning to their home state. Senior Jacob Falko (North East, Md.) and juniors Armon Harried (Baltimore, Md.) and John McGriff (Glenn Dale, Md.). All three players have ties to multiple players on the Maryland roster, through high school and AAU ball.

XFINITY Center
The 17,950-capacity home arena for the Terps makes this setting the largest the Bearcats will compete in this season. The Terps averaged 13,052 fans last season (8th out of 14 in Big Ten).

Coaches share Seton Hall ties
Binghamton head coach Levell Sanders played at Seton Hall from 1994-98, where he scored 1,399 career points and was an All-BIG EAST selection. Thirteen years after Sanders graduated, Maryland head coach Kevin Willard began his 12-year coaching tenure at Seton Hall, where he led the Pirates to five-straight 20-win seasons. Willard was a role player for University of Pittsburgh teams that competed against the Sanders-led Seton Hall teams in 1995-96 and 1996-97. Both coaches were born in 1975 (Willard is eight months older).