VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball (3-7) returns to the court after final exams and welcomes former Division III conference rival SUNY Oneonta (8-2) to the Events Center on Saturday. The teams tip-off at 2 p.m. at Dr. Bai Lee Court and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3.

The Bearcats have three games remaining before America East play begins. Binghamton has three players scoring in double figures, led by senior guard Jacob Falko (14.6 ppg.). Junior guard John McGriff (11.0 ppg.) and graduate forward Miles Gibson (10.3 ppg.) also are in twin digits. 

QUICK HITS
•    This is Binghamton's 77th season of basketball, 22nd in D-I and the America East
•    The Bearcats were picked to finish fourth of nine in the AE Coaches' Preseason Poll — tied for the highest in the program's 22 years of conference membership
•    Saturday's matchup with Oneonta is the last home game before three straight on the road
•    BU has dropped five straight and seven of last eight
•    BU returns four starters but only 61% of scoring and 63% of minutes (8 departures) 
•    BU has the third-oldest roster in the country with an average age of 22.0 years 

About Binghamton
•    Coming off eight-day layoff for final exams
•    In last outing, lost to Fordham 77-62 on Dec. 9 in Bronx
•    Were within four with four minutes to play before Rams closed with 16-5 run
•    Jacob Falko led three double-digit Bearcats with game-high 18 points
•    Dan Petcash and Tariq Balogun added 11 points apiece
•    BU nearly rallied from 13 down in second half
•    Bearcats played game without injured starting point guard and best 3-point shooter John McGriff (11.0 ppg., 48% 3-pt.) and made just 3-of-13 from beyond arc

About Oneonta
•    Former Division III rival in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC)
•    Team is 8-2 and one of losses was to fourth-ranked Williams
•    Return nine lettermen and three all-conference players from 18-9 team that came within one win of NCAAs as SUNYAC runnerup
•    Limiting opponents to just 60 ppg. on 39% shooting
•    Balanced scoring with four starters averaging in double figures
•    Start three seniors and two sophomores
  
All-time series vs. Oneonta
•    Oneonta leads 45-31 from Division III era
•    Teams have played twice in last three years with BU winning 90-69 in 2019 and 79-55 last December
•    Last Oneonta win was 62-47 in Oneonta in 1996
•    BU won final three meetings as a DIII program and then teams didn't play for 22 years   
     
Lineup options
Binghamton entered the season with its deepest roster in many years and the split of playing time is evidence. The team has 10 players averaging double-digit minutes and nine different players have been in the starting lineup. Only one player (Jacob Falko) is averaging more than 29 minutes.

Over at the half?
The first half remains the most prominent indicator of BU's fortunes early this season. When leading at the half the Bearcats are 3-0. When trailing, they are 0-7. Binghamton is minus 47 in first-half scoring but just minus 10 in the second half. 

McGriff finding scoring column
Junior point guard John McGriff has shown his shooting touch early in the season. He's reached double digits five times, including each of his last two games. McGriff is shooting a team-best 48% from 3-point range and has the early-season highlight with his inbounds steal and buzzer-beating 3-pointer to defeat Columbia on Nov. 23. In McGriff's last three games he's averaging 11.3 points on 46% shooting. 

Versatile wing Armon Harried returns to lineup
Binghamton was dealt an early season blow when starting junior wing Armon Harried went down with a hand injury after two games. Harried was averaging 11.5 points and a team-leading 6.0 rebounds before the injury. The Canisius transfer returned to the lineup after nearly a month away and played 25 minutes with six points against Colgate on Dec. 7. 

Bearcats getting familiar with close games
Four of BU's first eight games (against Division I opponents) this season have been decided by three or fewer points and the Bearcats are 2-2 in those games. Binghamton played just four games all last season that were decided by that narrow margin and were 1-3 with the one win coming in the America East tournament (72-69 over UNH).  

70 remains tipping "point"
The 70-point scoring mark remains a key indicator for Binghamton's success. Early this season, BU is 3-0 when they score more than 70 and 0-6 when they are at or below 70. Last season, BU was 8-2 when they reached 70 points and 3-15 when they came in under 70.