VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball plays the first of back-to-back home games to close out the regular season when the third-place Bearcats (12-15, 8-6 America East) entertain Maine (11-16, 5-9 AE) to the Events Center at 2 p.m. Saturday. 

Before the game, BU will honor Ador Athuai, Jacob Falko, Miles Gibson, John McGriff, Dan Petcash and Taveion White as their Bearcat careers come to a close. 

Binghamton welcomes the return to its home floor after a tough two-game road stretch against second-place UMass Lowell and regular season champion Vermont. At the Events Center, BU is 5-1 in conference play and has won three straight. With an eye on finishing in third place in the standings, BU try to gain a season split with the Black Bears, who defeated Binghamton 78-57 one month ago in Bangor. 

Senior guard Jacob Falko (13.7 ppg.) leads a quartet of Bearcats scoring in double figures. Armon Harried (12.0), Miles Gibson (10.9) and Dan Petcash (10.1) have given BU a balanced squad on the floor. All four players should receive consideration for all-conference honors as the season comes to an end this weekend. 

With tiebreak scenarios mostly favoring BU, a win over Maine would put the Bearcats in the driver's seat to finish in the top-4 and host a quarterfinal game 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 a tie for third place — the highest spot since 2008-09 championship team went 13-3 and won regular season title
• This is SENIOR DAY and BU will be honoring Ador Athuai, Jacob Falko, Miles Gibson, John McGriff, Dan Petcash and Taveion White pregame
• There are still four teams who are separated by just one loss in the standings
• Bearcats have two games remaining in the regular season (both home)
• BU has the third-oldest roster in the country with an average age of 22.0 years

About Binghamton
• Put up tough battle at regular-season champion Vermont on Wednesday but fell 81-70 in closing minutes
• Vermont converted eight free throws in the final 1:14 to end BU's upset bid
• Miles Gibson scored a season-high 23 points on 11-of-18 shooting
• Jacob Falko scored 17 points (13 in second half) to pull within 26 points of 1,000
• Dan Petcash and Christian Hinckson added 13 and 10 points respectively
• BU used just six players — shortest rotation of the season

About Maine
• Picked to finish last in Coaches' Preseason Poll but sit in seventh
• Coming off 74-62 loss at UNH on Wednesday
• Have dropped three of last four after winning four of previous five
• Are 4-3 at home but 1-6 on road in America East play
• Point guard Kellen Tynes leads nation in steals (3.2/game)
• Gedi Juozapaitis ranks fifth in AE in scoring (15.1 ppg.)
• Former Maine standout player Chris Markwood is in his first season as HC after serving 16 years as an assistant at BC, Northeastern and Maine

All-time series vs. Maine
• Maine leads 24-19
• The Black Bears won the first game on Jan. 22 in Bangor 78-57. In that game, winless Maine (0-5 AE) built a double-digit halftime lead and never allowed first-place BU to get comfortable. The Bearcats struggled throughout on offense, committing 19 turnovers and hitting just 2-of-13 from 3-point range. Maine built a 15-point lead halfway through the first period and never looked back, holding BU 13 points under its season scoring average.
• The teams have split the last 16 games with average margin of victory of more than 11pts.
• BU holds a 14-7 lead in games in Vestal

Bearcats in three-way tie for third place
With two games remaining in the regular season, the Bearcats are in a three-way tie with Bryant and UNH for third place. At stake is a top-4 position which brings a home quarterfinal game on March 4. Additionally, the benefit of a third-place finish (instead of fourth) is the potential of NOT playing at No. 1 Vermont in the semifinals. The Bearcats hold the tiebreak over UNH because of their season sweep. BU also holds a tiebreak edge over Bryant because of BU's win over second-place UMass Lowell.      

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 (69.9, 3rd in AE) and field goal percentage defense (43%, 2nd). The Bearcats are also third in rebound margin (+0.1).

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 2-2. The top six teams in the standings are a combined 35-7 at home (83%). Binghamton is 5-1 in home conference play. Even including Albany (2-5), 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%).  

Falko closing strong, is within 26 points of 1,000-point scoring mark
Senior guard Jacob Falko has hit his stride in the last five games, reaching double figures all five and averaging 15.8 points. Falko now has 974 points in his three NCAA seasons and is just 26 points away from the 1,000-point career scoring plateau. Falko also scored 1,143 points in his first two collegiate seasons of junior college play. In his last five games, he also is averaging 5.0 assists. Falko ranks ninth in the AE in scoring (13.7 ppg.) and seventh in assists (3.1/game).  

Petcash leads America East in 3-point shooting 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 seven games (five times for season) and is averaging 15.4 points on 62% shooting in his last five. Petcash is particuarly hot from 3-point range, where he has hit 15-of-his-last-23 (65%). In 14 conference games, Petcash is second in the conference in field goal percentage (55%), leads in 3-point shooting (32-for-63, 51%) and is converting 82% from the free throw line. He is averaging 13.4 points (10th in AE), typically guards the opponents' top player and is logging 35 minutes per game.  

Gibson hits for 20+ again
Graduate forward Miles Gibson has posted a pair of superb performances of late, and has raised his conference scoring average to 12.1 points. He netted a season-high 23 points on 11-of-18 shooting at Vermont on Wednesday — the fifth time he has scored 19 or more this season. Two games prior, Gibson tallied 21 points in the win over NJIT. Both games he played the full 40 minutes. Inside the arc this season, he is shooting 50%, thanks to a deadly mid-range jumper. In AE play, Gibson also has been near perfect at the line, converting 17-of-19 free throws (90%).  

Shortened rotation of late
As BU heads toward the postseason, coach Levell Sanders has shortened his rotation. At Vermont, BU used just six players — fewest in any game this season. In the last five games, BU starters are averaging 31 minutes, led by Dan Petcash, who has logged an average of 39 minutes, including and overtime game and two other games that he didn't come out of.  

Bearcat veterans padding career points totals
Consistent with a veteran team, BU has five players with 600 or more NCAA career points and three with 700 or more. Jacob Falko (974) needs just 26 points to reach the 1,000-point NCAA plateau. Armon Harried (916) is within 84 points of the 1K mark. Miles Gibson (781) and Christian Hinckson (771) keep piling onto their totals. Dan Petcash (627) is the other Bearcat to reach the 600-point plateau.

71 remains tipping "point"
The 71-point scoring mark remains a key indicator for Binghamton's success. BU is 8-1 when they score 71 or more and 4-14 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. When opponents shoot the 3-ball better, BU is 1-14. The Bearcats also are 7-2 when they commit fewer turnovers and 5-13 when they commit the same or more. When tied or leading at the half the Bearcats are 11-1. When trailing, they are 1-14.