VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton plays its final game against a Power 4 opponent this season when the Bearcats (3-8) travel to face ACC member Pitt (5-6) Wednesday. The teams meet for the second time in the last three years at 7 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center. 

On Saturday, Binghamton lost to visiting Central Connecticut State 84-67. Junior forward Zyier Beverly led the Bearcats with 21 points in 27 minutes. Beverly hit 6-of-9 from the floor and 9-of-12 from the line. He scored 17 of those points in the first half, when Binghamton stayed within striking distance, trailing 46-39 at intermission. Junior point guard Jeremiah Quigley scored all 10 of his points in the first half and wound up with seven assists. Senior guard Wes Peterson, Jr. gave Binghamton three in double figures with a season-high 15-point performance. The Bearcats played the game with leading scorer and rebounder Demetrius Lilley, who was out sick. 

Four games remain before the Bearcats begin America East play (Jan. 3 vs. NJIT). The Pitt game starts a two-game, five-day road trip that finishes Saturday afternoon at Mercyhurst. 

ABOUT PITT 
•    Coming off 79-61 loss Saturday at Villanova 
•    Picked 14th (of 18) in the ACC Preseason Media Poll, but program has outperformed its preseason pick in four of last five years. 
•    186-19 (91%) in non-conference games at Petersen Events Center
•    Five players stand 6-foot-10 or taller
•    Return one starter and six lettermen from 17-15 team that tied for 9th in ACC (8-12)
•    Have fifth-most ACC wins in last three seasons, behind only Duke, Clemson, UNC and Virginia
•    Panthers have four current NBA players
•    Roster features two players from Senegal, two from Australia and one from Vancouver, BC
•    Pitt assistant coach Jason Capel, brother of head coach Jeff Capel, was on the floor for North Carolina when the Bearcats pushed UNC to the wire in a 61-60 loss on Dec. 16, 2001. Capel had a double-double and hit a 3-pointer with 58 seconds left despite being 4-for-34 from distance coming into the game. Jeff Daws made six 3-pointers and Bing had three potential game-winning shots in the final 10 seconds. The near-upset during Binghamton's inaugural Division I season was still featured on ESPN and in the USA Today, the nation's largest daily newspaper at the time.  
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. PITT
•    Pitt leads the all-time series 3-0
•    Teams met in 2009 (71-46), 2019 (79-53) and 2023 (89-60)
•    In that last meeting two years ago, unbeaten Pitt stretched an eight-point halftime lead with a big second half. Coming off a 24-win season that included two NCAA tournament wins and a third-place ACC finish, Pitt used an 8-0 run to open the second half. The Panthers hit 6-of-8 to start and used their size advantage to pull away with a larger, stifling 28-9 opening run. Pitt shot above 60 percent for most of the half as the lead swelled. Freshman Evan Ashe led the Bearcats with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting. He hit 3-of-5 three-pointers. Graduate guard Symir Torrence added 10 points and five assists. Leading scorer Armon Harried was limited to just 14 minutes with foul trouble and the Bearcats were whistled for 20 fouls to discourage any upset bid.
•    Bearcats are 1-9 all-time vs. ACC with lone win being a 79-74 win over Miami on Dec. 20, 2006

BEARCATS REWIND TO BIG EAST HEYDAY WITH GUARANTEE GAMES
Binghamton will face Syracuse, Georgetown and Pitt in their three annual "guarantee" games this season, harkening back to when all three opponents were members of the formidable Big East. Syracuse and Georgetown were founding members and Pitt played in the Big East for 31 years before departing with the Orange for the ACC in 2013. Between the three programs, they collected 15 Big East tournament titles and produced dozens of NBA players. 

ANATOMY OF AN UPSET
Mid-Major upsets of Power 4 schools are infrequent but when they do occur, they typically are the product of 3-point shooting, fast starts and high-octane offense. Fellow northeast programs Quinnipiac (83-75) and Hofstra (80-73) have posted upset wins over Pitt this season. Quinnipiac hit 11-of-17 3-pointers and led by 10 at the half. On Dec. 7, Hofstra hit eight 3-pointers, led by 13 at the half and shot 53% for the game. Both teams avoided foul trouble and were competitive on the glass.

OUTSHOOT OPPONENT, START QUICKLY KEYS TO UNLOCK WINS
Binghamton has two stat categories that are emerging as indicators of success: field goal percentage and halftime score. When outshooting their opponent from the field, Bing is 3-1. When outshot, they are 0-7. When leading or tied at half, the Bearcats are 3-2. When trailing at half, they are 0-6. 

SEVEN DIFFERENT STARTING LINEUPS IN 11 GAMES
Because of the rash of injuries and now illness, coach Levell Sanders has utilized seven different starting lineups in the first 11 games, with Bryson Wilson being the lone player to start all 11. 

BLACKBURN MAKES COLLEGIATE DEBUT
Freshman forward Jake Blackburn played his first collegiate game in the CCSU game on Saturday — a debut that was delayed five weeks with an injury. He logged 15 minutes and scored his first college points on a 3-pointer with 5:41 left. He also grabbed a defensive rebound. After he ramps up his fitness and game rhythm, Blackburn is expected to be one of the team's top outside shooters.   

BEVERLY NOTCHES ANOTHER 20+ GAME
Junior forward Zyier Beverly made the most of his 27 minutes against CCSU, totaling 21 points on 6-of-9 shooting. It was his second 20+ point game of the season and second in the last three games (25 vs. Lehigh). Beverly ranks second in the America East in field goal percentage (69%). 

LILLEY AMONG NCAA LEADERS IN DOUBLE-DOUBLES, REBOUNDS
Senior center Demetrius Lilley has five double-doubles in his last six games and seven for the season, which ranks No. 4 in the nation. Lilley leads the America East and ranks 16th in the NCAA in rebounds (10.2). He also is second in the conference in scoring (16.4 ppg.) and fifth in free throw shooting (81%). Lilley's minutes per game (36:24) leads the America East and ranks ninth in the nation. He is the only "big man" among the nation's leaders in minutes.   
   
QUIGLEY LEADS AMERICA EAST IN ASSISTS
Junior point guard Jeremiah Quigley is quickly starting to assert himself early in his Bearcat tenure. He leads the America East and ranks 23rd in the country in assist average (6.1) and also ranks third in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio, second in minutes (35/game) and 11th in in scoring (12.1). He has registered 6+ assists six times already this season. Former PG Symir Torrence averaged a school-record 7.2 assists in 2023-24 (5th in NCAA).   

JUST CALL US DOUBLE-DOUBLE, REBOUND U.
Binghamton is in rare company when it comes to its top players being ranked in NCAA rebounding and double-double categories. In the last two years, the Bearcats are the only program in the country with two different players ranked in the top-20 in double-doubles (Gavin Walsh 18th last year with 14, Demetrius Lilley 4th this year with 7). Further, Binghamton is one of just two schools (New Mexico) with two different players ranked among the top-20 in rebounding (Walsh 5th last year with 10.9, Lilley 16th this year with 10.2). Binghamton is the ONLY program with two different top-20 guys in BOTH categories.   

ROSTER HIT HARD BY INJURIES
The Bearcats have been dealt a series of blows to what was once a deep roster in the summer. Of the 13 scholarship players, six (46%) have been out with injuries for multiple games, four of whom are now done for the season. That number of season-ending injuries and percent of roster lost are believed to to be the highest of any D-I program in the country (NCAA list serve). The injured players have combined to miss 48 games.