VESTAL, N.Y. - Playing the team's second game in three days, Binghamton men's basketball (3-6) will face a stiff test against Atlantic 10 member Fordham (9-1) Friday night in the Bronx. The Bearcats and Rams tip at 7 p.m. from historic Rose Hill Gym, where Fordham is 8-0 this season. The venue is the oldest gym used by an NCAA Division I team, having opened in 1925. It was named one of the four "Cathedrals of College Basketball" by ESPN The Magazine. 

Binghamton is coming off an 81-62 home loss to Colgate Wednesday night, despite shooting 59 percent and outscoring the Raiders in the second half. 

Senior guard Jacob Falko continues to pace the team on offense with 14.2 points per game. Junior guard John McGriff is averaging 11.0 points and graduate forward Miles Gibson is producing 10.8 points and 5.4 rebounds.

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 lone road game interrupting 4-of-5 at home
• BU has dropped four straight and six of last seven
• 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 81-62 home loss to Colgate on Wednesday
• Fell behind 25-9 to start game and never recovered
• Colgate shot 62% in first half, led by 22 at break and didn't let BU inside 14 pts in 2nd
• Miles Gibson led BU with 15 points (7-of-10 FG)
• Armon Harried returned to lineup after nearly a month out with a hand injury and played 25 minutes with six points
• John McGriff added 11 points - 10 in second half
• BU shot 59% in second half and outscored Colgate 36-33

About Fordham
• Are 9-1 overall and 8-0 at home
• Coming off a 72-59 win over visiting Wagner on Tuesday
• Averaging nearly 74 points on offense and holding teams to 66 ppg.
• Already have wins over fellow America East teams UNH and Maine
• Only loss was at Arkansas (74-48)
• Beat Stonehill (71-60) 11 days before BU lost to Skyhawks (69-66)
• Picked to finish 11th (of 15) in tough Atlantic 10 conference
• Graduate guard Darius Quisenberry is a preseason All-A-10 pick  
 
All-time series vs. Fordham
• Fordham leads the series 2-0 with home wins in 2007 and 2011
• The teams haven't met in 12 years
• The Rams' average margin of victory in the series is 13.5 points
• BU is 3-17 all-time against members of the Atlantic 10
     
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 eight different players have been in the starting lineup. Only one player (Jacob Falko) is averaging more than 29 minutes.

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 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 0-5 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.