VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball (12-14, 8-5 America East) plays its final road game of the regular season Wednesday and it will be a tough test when the Bearcats face league-leading Vermont (17-10, 11-2 AE) at Patrick Gym, where UVM is 8-1 this season and unbeaten against conference opponents. Tip is 7 p.m. and the game will be shown on ESPN+.

Binghamton follows up the Vermont game with home games on Saturday and Tuesday to end the regular season. The Bearcats are in third place  - a half-game behind UMass Lowell and one game ahead of both Bryant and New Hampshire. The top four teams earn home quarterfinal games on March 4. 

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 projection in the program's 22 years of conference membership
• BU sits in third 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 final regular season road game
• There are four teams who are separated by just one loss in the standings
• There are three games remaining in the regular season (BU 2 home games-1 road)
• BU has the third-oldest roster in the country with an average age of 22.0 years

About Binghamton
• Outshot and outrebounded UMass Lowell on Saturday but 23 turnovers and a heavy road whistle spelled doom in an 84-70 loss to the River Hawks (14-0 at home)
• Dan Petcash led BU with 21 points (4-of-7 3-pt.) in 40 minutes
• Armon Harried scored 14 points in 19 foul-plagued minutes
• BU shot 58% in first half yet trailed by six
• UML went 25-for-29 from free throw line
• The loss moved BU down a spot in the standings and left them one game ahead of both Bryant and UNH with three to play. Goal is a top-4 spot with home quarter game  

 About Vermont
• League's premier program with seven consecutive regular season titles, and three tournament crowns in the last six years
• Coming off 82-80 overtime win at NJIT on Saturday - team's ninth straight win
• Have five players averaging 10+ points in conference play
• Shook off rare two-game losing skid in AE last month (road losses at UNH and UML) and have now won nine straight
• All but two of their league wins have come by double digits
• Have outscored AE opponents by an average of 11 points
• Have won 20 or more games 13 consecutive years (non-COVID)
• Program is 90-12 against AE opponents in last seven years

All-time series vs. Vermont
• Vermont holds a commanding 41-8 lead in the series — the most lopsided among all BU's America East opponents
• Vermont has won 17 straight in the series, including three wins last season — two during regular season and 74-42 in AE semis
• BU's last win was 57-55 at Events Center on Feb. 18, 2015 (8 yrs.)
• In Burlington, BU is 2-20 all-time and has lost 14 straight (by 23 ppg.)

Defense dialed in
Binghamton has stepped up its defense in conference play and has moved near the top of the conference statistical rankings in both scoring defense (69.0, 3rd in AE) and field goal percentage defense (42%, 2nd). The Bearcats are also third in rebound margin (+0.2).

Harried on a roll
Junior forward Armon Harried is averaging 14.6 points in his last seven games. In conference play, Harried is averaging 13.1 points (13th in AE) on 49% shooting and a team-high 5.9 rebounds (10th in AE). Inside the arc, he is shooting 51% against America East opponents.  

America East standings still congested headed to wire
With three games 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
More so than any recent year, America East teams are protecting their home courts in conference this season. On Saturday, home teams went 3-1. The top six teams in the standings are a combined 33-6 at home (85%). Binghamton is 5-1 in home conference play but Vermont 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. 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 making a push for all-conference honors. He has scored 20 or more points three times in his last six games (five times for season) and is averaging 15.3 points on 63% shooting in that span. Petcash is particularly hot from 3-point range, where he has hit 18-of-his-last -29 (62%). In 13 conference games, Petcash leads the conference in field goal percentage (56%) and 3-point shooting (30-of-59, 51%) and is converting 82% from the free throw line. He is averaging 13.4 points, typically guards the opponents' top player and is logging 35 minutes per game.    

Falko closing in on 1000-point career mark with Harried right behind
Consistent with a veteran team, BU has five players with 600 or more NCAA career points and three with 700 or more. Jacob Falko (957) needs just 43 points to reach the 1,000-point NCAA plateau. Falko scored 1,143 points in two seasons of JUCO ball before attending Gardner-Webb. Armon Harried (913) is within 87 points of the 1K mark. Christian Hinckson (761) and Miles Gibson (758) keep piling onto their totals. Dan Petcash (614) is the other Bearcat to reach the 600-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 4-13 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 11-1 with the one loss coming Saturday at Lowell. When opponents shoot the 3-ball better, BU is 1-13. The Bearcats also are 7-2 when they commit fewer turnovers and 5-12 when they commit the same or more. When tied or leading at the half the Bearcats are 11-1. When trailing, they are 1-13.  

Seven different leading scorers this season
BU has had seven different players share or lead the team in single-game scoring this year. The Bearcats also have had five different players tally 20 or more points (Dan Petcash 5x, Jacob Falko 4x, Armon Harried (2x), Miles Gibson (2x) and Christian Hinckson).