VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball (12-17, 8-7 America East) hosts UMBC (17-13, 7-8 AE) Tuesday night and the regular-season finale has huge implications. Tip is 7 p.m. at Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center.

Binghamton can secure its first home playoff game in 14 years with a win. That game would be a quarterfinal matchup as the No. 3 seed on Saturday afternoon. A loss could tumble the Bearcats all the way down to a No. 6 seed and send them on the road for the playoffs. 

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 three-way tie for third place — the highest spot since 2008-09 championship team went 13-3 and won regular season title
•    This is the final game of the regular season and seeds 3-8 are still up in the air
•    BU earns the No. 3 seed with a win over UMBC
•    A loss puts BU anywhere from No. 4 to No. 6 depending on UNH and Bryant results
•    The top four positions earn a home playoff game 
•    BU has the third-oldest roster in the country with an average age of 22.0 years 

About Binghamton
•    Despite leading for 38 minutes, lost to Maine 71-67 in OT Saturday at home
•    Loss stalled BU from clinching a top-4 playoff spot and was third straight setback
•    Season-high 3,678 fans were in attendance
•    Armon Harried tallied team-highs of 22 points and eight rebounds
•    Miles Gibson added 16 points, seven boards and four assists
•    Maine closed overtime with a 10-2 run to sweep the season series

About UMBC
•    Have dropped three straight and six of their last nine after 4-2 start
•    Are 13-3 at home but just 4-10 on road this season
•    Had bye on Saturday so haven't played since 75-70 home loss to UML last Wednesday
•    Picked to finish fifth in Coaches' Preseason Poll (one spot behind BU)
•    Sit in sixth place in the standings but can move up to as high as No. 3
•    Rank third in AE in offense (74.8 ppg.) and sixth in defense (73.1)

All-time series vs. UMBC
•    UMBC leads 23-19, thanks to four wins in the last five matchups
•    On Feb. 1 in Baltimore, UMBC won 69-55
•    In that game, UMBC built a 15-point halftime bulge and held off a late BU charge at the Chesapeake Arena. The Bearcats trimmed a 20-point second-half hole to eight with seven minutes remaining but couldn't complete the comeback, despite 32 combined points from Armon Harried (17 pts.) and Miles Gibson (15). Harried added 10 rebounds for his second double-double and also had team-highs of six assists and three blocks. 
•    UMBC used a run of seven straight wins between 2016-19 to take lead
•    Bearcats are 11-8 at home in the series although UMBC has won three of the last four at the Events Center

A win over UMBC would ...
•    Clinch the No. 3 seed, highest finish since 2008-09 title team (T-1st)
•    Give BU a home quarterfinal game on Saturday vs. No. 6 seed
•    Give BU a home playoff game for first time in 14 years
•    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)

Bearcats one win away from No. 3 seed
On the final day of 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 this Saturday. BU can grab the No. 3 seed with a win over UMBC. Additionally, the benefit of a third-place finish (instead of fourth) is the potential of avoiding 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. The Bearcats could lose to UMBC and still gain the No. 4 seed and home playoff game — but it would also require losses by both Bryant (at Maine) and UNH (home vs. NJIT).       

Defense dialed in
Binghamton has stepped up its defense in conference play. The Bearcats lead the league in field goal percentage defense (43%) and rank third in  scoring defense (69.9). 

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 went just 1-2 but for the season, the top six teams in the standings are a combined 36-9 at home (80%). Binghamton is 5-2 in home conference play. Even including Albany (3-5), who is playing on a neutral court in Troy, N.Y., the overall home team win percentage is 68% — 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 17 points of 1,000-point scoring mark 
Senior guard Jacob Falko is on the cusp of the 1,000-point scoring plateau. He has 983 points in his three NCAA seasons and is just 17 points away from the mark. Falko also scored 1,143 points in his first two collegiate seasons of junior college play.  

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. In 15 conference games, Petcash leads the league in 3-point shooting (32-for-66, 49%) and is fourth in field goal percentage (54%). He also is converting 82% from the free throw line. In his last six games, Petcash is averaging 13.5 points, has logged an average of 40.2 minutes and typically guards the opponents' top player. He has not come out of the game in each of BU's last three games and four of the last five, including two overtime games.   

Gibson, Harried playing vital roles  
Graduate forward Miles Gibson and junior forward Armon Harried have been crucial contributors in their first seasons at Binghamton. Along with senior guard Jacob Falko, the pair are averaging double digits and are playing 30+ minutes a game. Gibson is averaging 13.4 points in his last nine games, including a pair of 20+ point performances. Harried is averaging 14.1 points in his last nine. He leads BU in rebounding (6.3/game).   

Shortened rotation down stretch
As BU heads toward the postseason, coach Levell Sanders has shortened his rotation. At Vermont last Wednesday, BU used just six players — fewest in any game this season — and then Saturday against Maine only seven Bearcats played. In the last six games, BU starters are averaging 33 minutes, led by Dan Petcash, who has logged more than 40 minutes (overtimes).  

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 (983) needs just 17 points to reach the 1,000-point NCAA plateau. Armon Harried (938) is within 62 points of the 1K mark. Miles Gibson (797) and Christian Hinckson (783) are closing in on 800. Dan Petcash (631) 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 4-15 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 11-2. When opponents shoot the 3-ball better, BU is 1-14. The Bearcats also are 7-2 when they commit fewer turnovers and 5-14 when they commit the same or more. When tied or leading at the half the Bearcats are 11-2. When trailing, they are 1-14.  

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 for a total of 16 times (Dan Petcash 5x, Jacob Falko 4x, Miles Gibson 3x, Armon Harried 3x and Christian Hinckson).