VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball faces its stiffest conference challenge yet when the second-place Bearcats (10-10, 7-4 America East) head to Burlington to meet league-leading Vermont (18-4, 10-0 AE) Wednesday night. The teams will square off at 7 p.m. at Patrick Gym in a game broadcast on ESPN+.

Reigning America East Player of the Week Jacob Falko continues to pace the Bearcats, who already have recorded the program's most conference wins in 12 years. Falko is asserting himself against conference opponents and ranks first in assists (4.6/game) and third in scoring (18.5 ppg.). He has six games with 20 or more points - most of any America East player. Junior forward Christian Hinckson has also been a huge contributor and leads the league in rebounding (7.7 rpg.). 

It will be daunting test to face Vermont at Patrick Gym, where no America East opponent has been within single digits this winter. The Catamounts own the third-longest win streak in the nation (12 straight) and rank among the top 70 teams in the country.    

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 seven games remaining in the regular season (3 home, 4 away)
• BU has won four of last six to move into second place in the standings
• BU has second-most wins to Vermont but there are five teams within one game of BU in the loss column

About Binghamton
• Coming off workmanlike 69-60 win over Maine Saturday at Events Center
• Jacob Falko scored 13 of his team-high 18 points in second half
• BU shot 65% in second half to overcome sluggish first period (24 pts.)
• George Tinsley added season-high 17 points off bench on 6-of-7 shooting
• Tyler Bertram and Dan Petcash added 12 and 11 points respectively
• The win was BU's seventh in conference play — most since 2009-10 season

About Vermont
• Unbeaten AE leader (10-0) has beaten foes by more than 17 pts per game
• Have averaged 83 ppg. against conference opponents on 57% shooting
• Catamounts have won three of the last five AE titles and eight overall
• Program is 78-9 against AE opponents in last six years
• Have won 12 straight and 13 of 14 (third-longest win streak in nation)
• Ranked #70 in NCAA Net and #11 in CollegeInsider Mid-Major Poll
• Boast reigning Player of Year (Ryan Davis, 18.5 ppg.) and second team all-conference and current leading scorer Ben Shungu (18.6 ppg.)

All-time series vs. Vermont
• Vermont holds a commanding 37-8 lead in the series — the most lopsided among all BU's America East opponents
• Vermont has won 13 straight in the series
• Binghamton's last win was 57-55 at Events Center on Feb. 21, 2012 (10 yrs.)
• At Patrick Gym, Vermont is 18-2 against the Bearcats with an average margin of victory above 20 points
• The last 10 meetings at Patrick have been decided by 14 or more pts and BU has only had single-digit results twice in 20 tries
• The last 3 matchups have been decided by an average of 30 points, including a 76-48 loss in most recent game on Feb. 15, 2020
• The only two wins came in 2006 and in 2009 during BU's championship run when BU rallied from a 25-point deficit in the second half, scored 55 second-half points and won 85-83 to stun the Catamounts (Tiki Mayben scored 31 pts)
   
A win over Vermont would ...
• Give BU its fifth win in the last seven games
• Snap a 13-game head-to-head losing streak to the Catamounts
• Be BU's first win at Patrick Gym in 13 years (0-12)
• Snap one of the longest win streaks in the nation
• Move BU to 8-4 — equaling the program's most AE wins in 12 years
• Move BU four games over .500 (AE play) for the first time this late in the season since the 2008-09 title team
• Move BU to within 2.5 games of Vermont in the standings

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

Bearcats notch seventh AE win, now eye loftier goals
The win over Maine 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 seven 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).

Nine starting lineups
With injuries, COVID and balanced production, BU has utilized nine different starting lineups through its first 20 games. That figure ranks 10th-most across the country.

Falko named America East Player of Week  
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 this 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 ranks among the league's top-3 in scoring (3rd, 18.5), assists (first, 4.5) and field goal percentage (3rd, 52%) — the only player to cover those stat categories. He has the most 20+ point performances (6) in the conference. Falko also ranks fourth in free throw percentage (82%).  

Bearcats are cranking out 20-point performances
Binghamton has had 11 instances of a 20+ point performance through its first 19 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, joins half-dozen former Bearcats at 600-point, 400-rebound club
Junior forward George Tinsley continued his resurgence with 24 strong minutes off the bench against Maine on Saturday. 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. Tinsley (583 career pts.) is averaging 9.0 points in his last four games on 76% shooting (13-for-17). He is 17 points away from reaching the 600-point plateau. 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 10 conference games, Hinckson is averaging 10.4 points and a conference-best 7.7 rebounds. He has produced three double-doubles and notched a career-high 20 points in the Jan. 24 win over Hartford. Hinckson leads the America East in rebounds and is fourth in blocks (1.3/game). He is shooting 54 percent in league play, both overall and from beyond the arc (15-of-28).

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 (38.0/game) and 3-point defense (31%), is second in opponent field goal percentage (41%) and third in scoring (70.3), shooting (45%) and blocks (3.9/game).