VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball will look to maintain its hold on first place when the Bearcats (7-10, 3-1 America East) meet longtime SUNY rival UAlbany (6-14, 1-4 AE) on Thursday. With the Great Danes' campus facility undergoing renovations this year, the game will be played at McDonough Sports Complex at Hudson Valley CC in Troy. Tip-off is 7 p.m. and the game will be shown on ESPN+ and also broadcast on WNBF News Radio 1290. 

In its first four conference games, BU is averaging 71 points and is shooting 43% from the field. A quartet of Bearcats is netting double-digit points: Jacob Falko (13.5), Armon Harried (13.5), Dan Petcash (13.5) and Miles Gibson (12.0).  

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 start of a two-game, five-day road trip that ends Sunday in Bangor, Maine
• BU has roared into 2023 with three straight wins and a share of first place
• 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 66-65 win over UML Saturday in Vestal — team's third straight win
• Jacob Falko scored nine of his game-high 19 points in final 3:15 and sank winning free throw with 1.6 seconds left for final margin
• The game featured seven ties and five lead changes and the entire second half was played within six points
• Tied at 65-65 and BU holding for the final shot, Falko tried to drive the lane, was denied and lost the ball for a moment. He recollected, drove toward the paint and rose for a 13-footer but was fouled with 1.6 seconds left
• Tariq Balogun (16 pts.) and Armon Harried (13 pts.) also were in double digits
• BU played second straight game without starting forward Christian Hinckson

About UAlbany
• Picked to finish sixth in Coaches' Preseason Poll (two spots below BU)
• Have dropped five of last six
• Coming off 74-67 road loss at NJIT Saturday in Newark
• Senior forward Gerald Drumgoole is third in AE in scoring (15.3 ppg.)
• Opponents are shooting 49% and average 75 ppg. (last in AE)
• Lone AE win was convincing 89-63 home win over UMass Lowell
• Went toe-to-toe at UMBC two weeks ago in 92-83 loss
• Played tough non-conference schedule that included Virginia, Providence, St. Joseph's, UMass and Loyola Chicago
 
All-time series vs. UAlbany
• Albany leads the series, which dates back to 1948, 73-35
• Since both schools joined the AE, Albany leads 26-15
• BU won 13 of the first 19 matchups as AE members (2002-10)
• Thanks to a 14-game win streak between 2001-17, UA has won 20 of last 22 head-to-head
• Teams split the season series last year with road team winning both games (BU 88-79 in Albany and Great Danes 68-67 in Vestal)
• In that last game Feb. 16, 2022 at Events Center, Albany closed the game with a 9-0 run to snatch the one-point victory in front of 3,835 fans  
• The teams have played at all three NCAA divisional levels and joined the America East in the same year (2001-02)
• This is the first time the teams meet on a neutral court
 
Falko converts game-winning FT in final second to beat UML 66-65
Senior guard Jake Falko scored nine of his game-high 19 points in the final 3:15 and sank a free throw with 1.6 seconds left to provide the winning point in BU's home victory over UMass Lowell on Saturday.

Bearcats have played back-to-back nailbiters
BU has won two straight one-point games that weren't decided until the final horn. For the season, BU is 4-2 in games that were decided by one possession (3 points or less). In four AE games, BU has had three decided by four or fewer points with the team's 18-point home win over UNH the outlier.

Petcash strikes for another 20+ point showing, plays hero at NJIT
Senior guard Dan Petcash drained a corner 3-pointer with 10 seconds left to provide the winning margin in the 72-71 OT win at NJIT on Jan. 11. He wound up with a game-high 21 points (7-of-14 FG) and tied his career-high with five 3-pointers (5-of-11).

A different leading scorer for five straight games
In a five-game stretch that ended with the win over UNH on Jan. 5, BU had a different leading scorer each game. It was Matt Solomon (12 vs. Oneonta), Jacob Falko (36 at Niagara), Armon Harried (25 at Cornell), Dan Petcash (22 at Bryant) and Miles Gibson (20 vs. UNH). The Bearcats have also had five different players tally 20 or more points with Christian Hinckson (20 vs. Columbia) joining the group above.  

Harried on strong five-game stretch
In his last five games, junior forward Arman Harried is averaging 15.8 points on 52% shooting. He has also pulled down eight or more boards three times in that stretch. Harried has logged 34+ minutes in four of those five games. He scored a career-high 25 points Dec. 29 at Cornell (16 pts. in first half). He has narrowly missed two double-doubles after winding up with nine rebounds in two of the last four games. In conference play, Harried leads BU with 13.5 points and is second with 6.3 rebounds.

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 (out of 12 on roster) averaging nine or more minutes and nine different players have been in the starting lineup. Coach Sanders has used 10 different starting lineups in 17 games.

70 remains tipping "point"
The 70-point scoring mark remains a key indicator for Binghamton's success. BU is 5-1 when they score more than 70 and 2-9 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.  

Other predictors
Three-point shooting accuracy has become a strong indicator of BU's success. In games when BU shoots a higher percentage than its opponent, the Bearcats are 7-0. When opponents shoot the 3-ball better, BU is 0-10. The Bearcats also are 5-2 when they commit fewer turnovers and 2-8 when they commit the same or more. When leading at the half the Bearcats are 6-1. When trailing, they are 1-9. The Bryant game on Dec. 31 was the only time BU led at the half (41-40) but lost. The 66-65 win over UML was the only game BU trailed at the half (33-30) but wound up winning.