VESTAL, N.Y. - Second-place Binghamton men's basketball (11-13, 7-4 America East) hosts NJIT (7-17, 4-7 AE) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center. 

With five games remaining in the regular season, BU is positioned in second place in the tightly-packed conference standings. The Bearcats have won seven of their last 10 games and are eying a season sweep of the seventh-place Highlanders.  

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
• BU sits in second place — first time they are this high in standings this late in the season since 2008-09 championship team
• They are five teams who are separated by just one loss in the standings
• There are five games remaining in the regular season (BU 3 home games-2 road)
• BU is looking for its third straight win and third straight season sweep of on AE foe
• BU has the third-oldest roster in the country with an average age of 22.0 years

About Binghamton
• Moved into second place in AE with 80-66 OT win over Albany Saturday at home
• In that game, Dan Petcash and Jacob Falko scored 20 points apiece and BU outscored Albany 17-3 in overtime. The Bearcats were down seven with under four minutes to play in regulation before rallying. Binghamton closed regulation with an 11-4 run that was capped with a pair of clutch free throws from Falko that tied the game at 63-63 with 16 seconds left. A strong team defensive effort on Albany's final possession forced a miss at the buzzer to sent the game to overtime.
• Have won seven of its last 10 to strengthen its top-4 standing (home playoff game)

About NJIT
• Picked to finish eighth of nine in the Coaches' Preseason Poll
• Coming off 65-50 home win over Maine on Saturday
• Have dropped five of last seven after starting AE play 2-2
• Have played three overtime league games - most of any AE team
• Rank fifth in AE offense (69.9 ppg), fifth in defense (73.8)
• Third-year America East program in its 17th season of Division I
• Returned seven players (2 starters) from 11-18 team (6-12 AE, 9th)

All-time series vs. NJIT
• Al BU leads 5-3 (5-2 since both schools were D1)
• Bearcats posted 72-71 OT win in Newark on Jan. 11
• In that game, Dan Petcash scored 21 points and drilled a corner 3-pointer with 10 seconds left in overtime. After Petcash hit the three, NJIT drove for a possible game-winning bucket in the closing seconds but Miles Gibson bottled up the lane and the Highlanders lost the ball as time expired. The Bearcats rescued the win after seeing NJIT force OT with a second-half comeback from 13 points down. The Highlanders hit a tying 3-pointer with a half-second remaining in regulation to extend the game.
• BU is 0-2 at home vs. NJIT (0-1 since both were in AE)

Petcash, Falko combine to lift Bearcats over visiting Albany
Senior guards Dan Petcash and Jacob Falko combined for 40 points in the overtime win over Albany. They combined to go 15-for-21 from the floor (.714) and 6-for-7 from 3-point range. They began the OT period with back-to-back 3-pointers to start the decisive 17-3 BU run.  

Akuwovo steps up with strong performance against Albany
Senior center Ogheneyole Akuwovo played a key role in the overtime win over Albany on Saturday. The 6-foot-9 center played a season-high 26 minutes and contributed nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds (8 after halftime). He was +27 in plus-minus rating - by far the highest rating for either team. Back from an injury himself and the only healthy BU center, Akuwovo helped the Bearcats finish plus six on the glass.  

Harried on a roll
Junior forward Armon Harried saw his double-figure scoring streak snapped at four after tallying nine points vs. Albany. But he has scored nine or more points in six straight games and is averaging 14.2 points in that span. In conference play, Harried leads the Bearcats in scoring (13.1, 9th in AE) and rebounding (6.1, 10th in AE).  

America East standings jammed up
With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, a cluster of teams still are jockeying for position in spots two through six. Five teams are separated by just one loss in the standings.    

Teams are protecting home court this year
Moreso than any recent year, America East teams are protecting their home courts in conference this season. On Saturday, home teams swept all four games. The top six teams in the standings are a combined 29-5 at home (85%). Binghamton is 4-1 in home conference play. Even including Albany (1-5), who is playing on a neutral court in Troy, N.Y., the overall home team win percentage is 69% — well above last year's 56%. This data makes securing a top-4 playoff position all the more important. Since 2015, AE tournament home teams are 40-8 (83%).  

Bearcats lead league in home attendance
With the Bearcats surging to second place in the standings, home attendance has swelled at the Events Center. In conference play, BU is averaging 2,604 fans — highest in the America East (Vermont is second at 2,431). The Bearcats have drawn 2,000 or more in four straight games, including 2,746 for the Albany rival game. A season-high 3,570 came for the Vermont game on Jan. 25.  
 
Petcash peaking in final go-around of conference play
Senior guard Dan Petcash is winding down his collegiate career and the sharpshooter is showing his accuracy against America East foes. He has scored 20 or more points twice in his last four games and is averaging 14.5 points on 64% shooting in that span. Petcash is particuarly hot from 3-point range, where he has hit 11-of-his-last -18 (61%). In 11 conference games, Petcash is shooting 54% from the floor (4th in AE), 48% from 3-point range (23-of-48, 1st in AE) and 79% from the free throw line. He is averaging 12.7 points, typically guards the opponents' top player and is logging 35 minutes per game.    

Balanced lineup
Binghamton entered the season with its deepest roster in many years and the split of playing time and scoring is evidence. The team has 11 players (every healthy player) averaging nine or more minutes and nine different players have been in the starting lineup. In conference play, BU has four players scoring in double figures.

Five players with 500 or more career points; Falko setting sights on 1,000 with Harried not far behind
Consistent with a veteran team, BU has five players with 500 or more NCAA career points and three with 700 or more. Jacob Falko (927), Armon Harried (887), Christian Hinckson (752) and Miles Gibson (735) keep piling onto their totals. Dan Petcash (580) is the other Bearcat to reach the 500-point plateau.

70 remains tipping "point"
The 70-point scoring mark remains a key indicator for Binghamton's success. BU is 7-1 when they score more than 70 and 4-12 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 10-0. When opponents shoot the 3-ball better, BU is 1-13. The Bearcats also are 7-2 when they commit fewer turnovers and 4-11 when they commit the same or more. When tied or leading at the half the Bearcats are 10-1. When trailing, they are 1-12.