VESTAL, N.Y. - As the conference season draws near, Binghamton men's basketball looks to build momentum when the Bearcats (4-7) face Niagara (5-5) Wednesday night in Western New York. Tip-off is 7 p.m. at the Gallagher Center with the game set to be broadcast on ESPN+.

The Bearcats are coming off an 86-58 win over SUNY Oneonta on Saturday. Junior forward Armon Harried posted a double-double and BU shot 51 percent to roar past their former SUNY rival. Harried tallied team-highs of 12 points and 14 rebounds (tied a career high) to lead a balanced BU attack. Harried added three blocks, three steals and three assists and was a plus 31 in the game. Sophomore guard Matt Solomon (12 pts.) and junior center Tariq Balogun (10 pts.) also reached double figures.

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
• This is the first of three straight road games to wrap up the calendar year
• This is the second-to-last non-conference game of the season (Dec. 29 at Cornell)
• 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 86-58 win over Div. III Oneonta on Saturday at home
• Win snapped a five-game losing streak
• Armon Harried had complete game with 12 pts, 14 rebs, 3 blocks, 3 steals, 3 assts
• Matt Solomon and Tariq Balogun chipped in 12 and 10 points respectively
• Shot 51% and scored 50 points in the paint
• All 12 roster players scored
• The last five games have been decided by an average of 15.8 points
 
About Niagara
• Coming off 62-53 road loss to America East member NJIT on Sunday
• Trailed by 12 at half and couldn't rally (1-for-16 from 3-pt. range)
• Picked to finish eighth (of 11) in MAAC preseason poll
• Have won five of last eight after an 0-2 start
• Two losses came against nationally-ranked Maryland and St. John's
• Preseason All-MAAC guard Noah Thomasson leads team
• Played two games in Dublin, Ireland in November (went 2-0)
• Fifth-year head coach Greg Paulus was a three-year starting guard and two-year captain at Duke (2005-09) before captaining the '09 Syracuse football team as a graduate, setting the SR for QB completion percentage
 
All-time series vs. Niagara
• The teams have met twice all-time but not in 16 years (2005, 2006)
• Each time the road team was victorious
• Niagara won 71-56 in 2005 at the Events Center and BU won 74-66 in 2006 at the Gallagher Center
• Teams were scheduled to play last December at the Events Center but had to cancel with BU in COVID protocols
• BU is 8-16 all-time vs. the MAAC, including a win over Marist (Nov. 12)  
     
Lineup options
Binghamton entered the season with its deepest roster in many years and the split of playing time is evidence. The team has 11 players averaging double-digit minutes and nine different players have been in the starting lineup. Only one player (Jacob Falko) is averaging more than 28 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 4-0. When trailing, they are 0-7.  

One possession game ... or 14+ point margin
The Bearcats have played in four games that were determined by three or fewer points and are 2-2 in those games. But BU's other seven games have all been decided by 14 or more points and the team is 2-5 in those (0-5 vs. DI opponents). Binghamton's last three games have been decided by an average of 20+ points.

Versatile starter Armon Harried returns to lineup, is familiar with MACC member Niagara
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. He then produced a double-double with 12 points, a career-high-tying 14 rebounds, three blocks, three assists and three steals in the win over Oneonta. Harried played Niagara four times in MAAC play while at Canisius. He averaged 7.0 ppg. and 4.5 rpg. in those games in 2019-20 and 2021-22.  

Bearcats getting familiar with close games
Four of BU's first nine 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 4-0 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.  

Second-half surge
Binghamton is minus 33 in first-half scoring but is plus 4 in the second half