VESTAL, N.Y. -- Two of the youngest teams in the country square off when Albany and Binghamton meetS on ESPN3 Thursday. Tip time from the Events Center is 7 p.m. Dave Popkin (play-by-play) and Frank Sullivan (analyst) have the call.
Binghamton (1-26, 1-13 AE) is coming off its first win of the year, a 57-53 victory over 19-win Vermont on Tuesday. The win ended its 27-game losing skid and changed the complexion of the America East standings as it knocked the Catamounts out of first place. Albany (17-13, 8-7 AE) locked up the No. 4 seed for the America East Championship by virtue of New Hampshire's loss to Maine on Wednesday. It is the sixth time in 11 seasons that the Great Danes will be seeded fourth or better.
Neither Binghamton nor Albany have a senior on its roster, just two of nine Division I teams in the nation to make that claim. Sophomore Robert Mansell leads the Bearcats, ranking sixth in the league scoring 14.3 points per game. Junior Gerardo Suero paces the Great Danes, leading the conference and ranking fifth nationally averaging 22.0 points per game. He is expected to return to the lineup after missing two games with shingles. Albany won a tight contest in the first meeting, overcoming a halftime deficit to post a 74-68 win on Jan. 25.
America East is
in its first year of a five-year contract with ESPN that will feature
conference games exclusively on ESPN3, ESPN’s multi-screen network
available through an affiliated internet or video provider online via
WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and
through ESPN on Xbox LIVE. Fans can learn how to access games on all
available platforms at ESPN3's FAQ page.
Last night, Maine (12-15, 6-9 AE) snapped its five-game losing skid with a 71-58 victory over New Hampshire (12-15, 6-9 AE), which had its four-game win streak stopped. Maine can earn the No. 6 seed for the America East tournament with a win at Stony Brook on Sunday. The Black Bears had four players in twin figures led by Gerald McLemore's 16 points. UNH also had four players in twin figures, paced by Alvin Abreu's 15 points. The Wildcats can still be seeded fifth, sixth or seventh for the championship.
Boston U. (15-15, 11-4 AE) held UMBC (4-24, 3-12 AE) to just 30 percent shooting en route to a road win Wednesday. Already assured of the No. 3 seed for the tournament, the Terriers secured their fourth-straight season with at least 11 league wins. Darryl Partin paced the Terriers with 17 points. UMBC, which will be seeded eighth, got 21 points from Chase Plummer.
Upcoming Action
Thursday, February 23
Albany at Binghamton, 7 p.m. -- Live Stats | ESPN3 Video | Binghamton Audio | Albany Audio
Recent Results
Wednesday, February 22
Boston U. 73, at UMBC 52 -- Box Score
at Maine 71, New Hampshire 58 -- Box Score