VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball (3-5) renews its rivalry with a familiar in-state foe when two-time reigning Patriot League champion Colgate (5-5) comes to town for a Wednesday night encounter. The teams will tip-off at approximately 8 p.m. following the women's basketball game (at 5:30 p.m.) at the Events Center. 

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
• Today is the last of three straight at home in an eight-day span
• 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 69-66 home loss at buzzer to Stonehill on Saturday
• Never led in the game but tied it with 4.8 to play on a Jacob Falko layup
• Stonehill took inbounds, made two passes upcourt and hit GW 3-pointer at horn
• Falko and John McGriff had 15 points apiece
• Miles Gibson (13 pts., 9 rebs.) and Christian Hinckson (10 pts.) also in double digits
• Trailed by as many as 11 points but clawed back with Falko (11 pts.) and Gibson (8) keying offensive push in second half
• Were plus-9 on glass but Stonehill made 17-of-21 free throws
• Have now dropped three straight games and five of last six

About Colgate
• Coming off 93-66 loss at No. 15 Auburn on Friday
• Three of team's other losses were by five or fewer points
Top team in Patriot League and two-time reigning champion
• Receiving votes in latest CollegeInsider Mid-Major Top 25 poll
• Have advanced to the NCAA tournament three times in last four years
• Returned three starters and 10 lettermen from 23-12 team
• Beat Syracuse for second straight year, 80-68, on Nov. 15
• Led by PL Preseason Player and Defensive Player of Year Tucker Richardson (1,400+ pts)  
 
All-time series vs. Colgate
• Colgate leads the series 12-5 and has won two straight
• BU won three straight between 2015-17
• The teams have played since the 2019-20 season when visiting Colgate posted an 82-74 win at Events Center
• BU is 10-33 all-time against teams from the Patriot League

Bearcats getting familiar with close games
Four of BU's first seven 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).  

Buzzer Bummer against Stonehill
The Bearcats suffered a tough 69-66 loss to first-year Division I member Stonehill on Saturday when the Skyhawks hit the GW 3-pointer at the buzzer. It was an odd sequence with BU tying it up on a driving layup by Jacob Falko with 4.8 left. Stonehill inbounded but stood still with the ball for at least one second in their backcourt, appearing to conceded overtime. But the visitors then rifled the ball up the sidelines with two passes and released the winning shot before the horn sounded.

Falko named BU Athlete of the Week
Senior guard Jacob Falko was selected as BU's Miller Auto Team Student-Athlete of the Week on Nov. 28 after averaging 22.0 points in a 1-1 week. Falko scored 24 points, including a key 3-pointer with 5.6 seconds left that sparked a late comeback win against Columbia. Falko then added 20 points at La Salle. In the two games, he shot 53% from the field, hit 6-of-12 3-pointers and added 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists.  

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 0-4 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.