VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball looks to complete a season sweep of its oldest rival when the Bearcats (10-12, 7-6 America East) welcome Albany (10-15, 6-7 AE) to the Events Center Wednesday night. The teams, separated by just one game in the standings, will tip at 7 p.m. at Dr. Bai Lee Court. 

The Bearcats are in a three-way tie for the No. 2 playoff position with five games remaining. But the standings are jammed as six teams are separated by just one game in the loss column, setting up a scenario where there could be a slim margin between second and seventh place heading into the playoffs.  

Junior guard Jacob Falko continues to lead the Bearcats in scoring and assists. In conference play, Falko is averaging 17.7 points and 4.0 assists. Sophomore guard John McGriff is averaging 10.5 points and junior forward Christian Hinckson is adding 9.7 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds. 

The annual "Weis Markets Pack the House" game is expected to draw a large crowd as the Bearcats have enjoyed their best season in more than a decade. The team's attendance figure has increased in four straight home games, capped by the season-high 2,581 that attended the New Hampshire game last Saturday. Fans can stop by any of the local area Weis Markets and pick up free ticket coupons for Wednesday's game and also receive a special in-store discount off of groceries compliments of Weis Markets. Ticket coupons can be redeemed at the Events Center ticket office Tuesday and Wednesday from noon – 4:30 p.m. or two hours prior to the 7 p.m. start time. 

QUICK HITS
• This is Binghamton's 76th season of basketball, 21st in the America East
• The 2021-22 season marks the NCAA coaching debut of Levell Sanders, who was elevated to the head coach position in March after two seasons as an assistant coach. Sanders previously coached five years in the Czech Republic after a 17-year pro career overseas
• There are five games remaining in the regular season (2 home, 3 away)
• BU is in a three-way tie for the No. 2 playoff position but doesn't hold the tiebreaker against UNH and UMBC at the moment, having lost to both teams
• For playoff seeding, there are six teams separated by one loss in the standings

About Binghamton
• Have dropped two straight after winning four of previous six games
• On Saturday suffered 69-60 loss to UNH in a game they trailed for 35+ minutes
• Offense has slowed to 55.5 ppg. during two-game slide
• Jacob Falko led with 13 pts. to reach double digits for 13th time in last 14 games
• BU outshot UNH but gave up 9 3-pointers and were outrebounded (-10)
• In 13 AE games have scored the exact same number of points as given up (883)

About Albany
• After winning five of six, now have dropped four of last five, though two of those losses came against league-leading Vermont
• Coming off 76-63 setback at Vermont on Saturday
• Rank second in AE in defense (allowing 64.8 ppg.)
• Lost leading scorer De'Vondre Perry (12.8 ppg.) to injury early in AE play
• Were picked to finish seventh in the America East Preseason Poll
• Have nine newcomers, along with first-year coach Dwayne Killings
 
All-time series vs. Albany
• Albany leads the all-time series 72-35
• The Great Danes are BU's oldest foe — the first game dates back to 1948
• Since both schools joined the America East in 2001-02, Albany leads 25-15, thanks to a current 11-year stretch where UA has won 19 of 21  
• When both schools elevated to D1, BU won eight of the first nine games and 13 of 19 before Albany's recent dominance
• In Vestal, Albany leads 11-9 since 2001
• Back on Jan. 6 in Albany, Jacob Falko poured in a career-high 28 points and BU was near-perfect offensively in an 88-79 road win at SEFCU Arena. The Bearcats shot 59 percent from the field, hit 12 3-pointers and put four in double figures to snap a 10-game losing skid at SEFCU.

A win over Albany would ...
• Complete a season sweep of Albany for the first time since 2009-10
• Give BU's its eighth conference win — most since 2009-10

Logjam in middle of standings
With five games remaining in the regular season for Binghamton, there is congestion in the middle of the standings. Six teams are separated by just one loss in the standings. The teams are all eying a top-4 finish that guarantees at least one home playoff game.  

70 remains magic number
When BU scores 70 or more points (in regulation), they are 7-1 this season. When opponents reach 70, BU is 1-8.

Bearcats notch seventh AE win, now eye loftier goals
The win over Maine on Feb. 5 completed a season sweep of the Black Bears (first time in 13 years) and gives BU its seventh conference win — the most the program has had in 12 seasons — still with six games remaining to add to that total. The 2009-10 team went 8-8, following the championship team's 13-3 mark the year before. The Bearcats are setting their sights on a top-4 conference finish, which would deliver a home playoff game to the Events Center for the first time in 13 years (since BU won the AE title on March 14, 2009).

Ten starting lineups
With injuries, COVID and balanced production, BU has utilized 10 different starting lineups through its first 22 games. That figure ranks ninth-most across the country.

Falko making case for all-conference  
Junior guard Jacob Falko exploded for a season-high 29 points at Stony Brook (11-for-20 FG) and earned America East Player of the Week honors last week. The Gardner-Webb (N.C.) transfer averaged 23.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in a 2-0 week that vaulted the Bearcats into second place. He currently leads the league in assists (4.0) and free throw percentage (83%) and ranks fourth in scoring (17.7) and fifth in field goal percentage (51%). He has the most 20+ point performances (6) in the conference.  

Bearcats are cranking out 20-point performances
Binghamton has had 11 instances of a 20+ point performance through its first 22 games. A league-best five different players have reached the plateau, led by junior guard Jacob Falko, who has six, most in the AE. Junior guard Tyler Bertram has done it twice and the others to reach 20 or more points in a game are Kellen Amos, Christian Hinckson and Dan Petcash.

Tinsley scores season-high 17 points vs. Maine, eclipses 400-point mark in career
Junior forward George Tinsley continued his resurgence with 24 strong minutes off the bench against Maine on Feb. 5. Tinsley hit 6-of-7 shots (3-of-3 3-pt.) for a season-high 17 points. He added five rebounds to reach the 400-board mark for his career, which ranks eighth all-time at Binghamton. He is 17 points away from reaching the 600-point plateau (583). Only six previous Bearcats have achieved the 600-point, 400-rebound milestones in BU's 21 years of Division I (Willie Rodriguez, Jordan Reed, Nick Billings, Thomas Bruce, Sebastian Hermenier, Bobby Ahearn).  

Hinckson filling up stat sheet
Junior forward Christian Hinckson has become a key contributor since moving into the starting lineup halfway through the season. In 13 conference games, Hinckson is averaging 9.7 points and 7.5 rebounds. He has produced three double-doubles and notched a career-high 20 points in the Jan. 24 win over Hartford. Hinckson ranks second in the America East in rebounds and is fifth in blocks (1.2/game). He is shooting 51 percent in league play and 47 percent from beyond the arc (16-of-34).

Bearcats Among Stat Leaders
Into the second half of conference play, BU ranks among the league's top-3 in a handful of categories. Binghamton leads the league in rebounds (36.9/game), FG% defense (42%) and 3-point defense (33%). The Bearcats are third in both blocks (3.6/game) and assists (11.6).