VESTAL, NY. - Binghamton men's basketball (12-13, 8-4 America East) has its sights set on a fourth consecutive win and continued hold on second place when the Bearcats travel to Lowell to face third-place UMass Lowell (21-7, 8-5 AE) Saturday afternoon. The teams will square off at 1 p.m. at Costello Atlhetic Center. 

As much as the Bearcats are surging, they will face an equally strong River Hawks team that is unbeaten on its home floor.  

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 — the latest they have been this high in standings since 2008-09 championship team went 13-3 and won regular season title
• This is the first of back-to-back road games against the highest-positioned AE foes in the conference in UML and then Vermont (Wed.)
• They are four teams who are separated by just one loss in the standings
• There are four games remaining in the regular season (BU 2 home games-2 road)
• BU is looking for its fourth straight win and fourth 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
• Held onto second place in standings with 86-67 win over visiting NJIT Wednesday
• Miles Gibson led five in double figures with a season-high 21 points
• Jacob Falko had 17 points (12 in first half), career-high nine assists and five boards
• BU shot 57% and collected season-high 22 assists
• Have won eight of its last 11 to strengthen its top-4 standing (home playoff game)
 
About UMass Lowell
• Coming off 85-71 win at Bryant on Wednesday
• In that game, Everette Hammond tallied a game-high 25 points and UML used an 11-0 late run to complete a season sweep of the Bulldogs.
•   Picked to finish third in Coaches' Preseason Poll (one spot ahead of BU)
• Went 12-2 in non-conference play with wins vs. UMass and Boston U.
• Ranked as high as No. 17 in Mid-Major Top 25
• Have most wins during program's Division I era
• Are 13-0 at home, sixth best unbeaten record in nation
• Among AE wins was an 80-65 home win over league-leading Vermont
• Averaging 78 points (2nd in AE) and give up only 66 (2nd in AE)
• Don't have a player in AE top-10 in scoring and just one in rebounding but lead league in FG% offense, FG% defense and rebounding (+9.0)

All-time series vs. UMass Lowell
• UML leads 15-9 (11-8 as Division I programs)
• BU has won three straight and four of the last six
• On Jan. 14 at Events Center, BU prevailed 66-65
• In the game, Jacob Falko scored nine points in the final 3:15 and sank the winning free throw with 1.6 seconds left. The game featured seven ties and five lead changes and the entire second half was played within six points. With the score tied at 65-65 and BU holding for the final shot, Falko rose for a 13-footer but was fouled with 1.6 seconds left. After missing the first, Falko made the second free throw. The River Hawks inbounded to half court, called timeout and ran a lob play to the left of the bucket with 1.4 seconds left. But the catch and eight-foot shot from the baseline was off the side of the rim as the horn sounded.
• BU swept the series last year, 68-63 at home and 78-64 in Lowell
• UML leads 8-3 in games played in Lowell
• UML won four of five when both programs were D2

A win over UMass Lowell would ...
• Give BU a season sweep over UML, a key tiebreaker advantage for playoff seeding
• Give BU a 1.5 game lead over UML for second place
• Be BU's fourth straight win and ninth in last 12
• Even BU's overall record at 13-13
• Give BU its most overall wins (13) since 2009-10 (13-18)
• Give BU its most conference wins (9) in 14 years (13-3 in 2008-09)

Gibson and his fadeaway "J" too much for NJIT
Graduate forward Miles Gibson produced his highest-octane performance of the season to steer BU to an 86-67 win over visiting NJIT on Wednesday. It also was Binghamton's highest point total in conference play and second-straight 80+ point showing. Gibson hit 10-of-17 from the floor on an array of mid-range jumpers and finishes at the rim. He tallied 13 of his team-high 21 points in the second half and added seven rebounds and two steals in 40 minutes. In conference play, he is shooting 50% from inside the arc and is averaging 12.0 points and 5.6 boards.  

Defense dialed in
Binghamton has stepped up its defense in conference play and has moved to the top of the conference statistical rankings in both scoring defense (67.8) and field goal percentage defense (41.8%). The Bearcats are also third in rebound margin (+0.2). Binghamton has led its last five opponents under 70 points and only three opponents have scored more than 70 against BU (in regulation) during conference play (Bryant twice, Vermont, Maine).

Harried on a roll
Junior forward Armon Harried is averaging 14.6 points in his last six games. In conference play, Harried leads the Bearcats in scoring (13.0, 10th in AE) and rebounding (6.3, 9th in AE). Inside the arc, he is shooting 50% against America East opponents.  

America East standings jammed up
With less than two weeks remaining in the regular season, a cluster of teams still are jockeying for position in spots two through six. Four 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 Wednesday, home teams went 3-1. The top six teams in the standings are a combined 31-6 at home (85%). Binghamton is 5-1 in home conference play but UML is even better at 6-0. Even including Albany (2-5), who is playing on a neutral court in Troy, N.Y., the overall home team win percentage is 70% — 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 2,517 fans — highest in the America East (Vermont is second at 2,376). The Bearcats have drawn 2,000 or more in five straight games, including 2,082 on Wednesday for the NJIT win. A season-high 3,570 came for the Vermont game on Jan. 25.    

Petcash leads America East in shooting accuracy during 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 five games and is averaging 14.2 points on 67% shooting in that span. Petcash is particuarly hot from 3-point range, where he has hit 14-of-his-last -22 (64%). In 12 conference games, Petcash is shooting 56% from the floor (1st in AE), 50% from 3-point range (23-of-48, 1st in AE) and 79% from the free throw line. He is averaging 12.8 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 over 900 mark with Harried right 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 (944), Armon Harried (899), Christian Hinckson (757) and Miles Gibson (756) keep piling onto their totals. Dan Petcash (593) 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 8-1 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 11-0. When opponents shoot the 3-ball better, BU is 1-13. The Bearcats also are 7-2 when they commit fewer turnovers and 5-11 when they commit the same or more. When tied or leading at the half the Bearcats are 11-1. When trailing, they are 1-12.