Playoffs Begin for Bearcats Basketball

The "Third Season" begins tonight for the Binghamton Bearcats as they face the New Hampshire Wildcats in Durham at 7:30 PM (air at 7:15 on News Radio 1290 WNBF).  Many coaches talk about three different parts of their season....the non-conference schedule, the in-conference schedule and the post-season.  Tonight starts that third part...the post-season..

Binghamton enters tonight's game seeded fifth and meets the number four seed New Hampshire.  Binghamton holds the edge in the series 17-14 but the Wildcats have won the past four meetings including two this season.  New Hampshire beat the Bearcats 58-43 in January in Durham and topped Binghamton 59-55 at the Events Center in February.

Each team is paced by an all-star performer.  Tanner Leissner was selected to the America East All-Conference First Team and is averaging 15.6 points per game....third best in the conference for UNH.  Binghamton is led by Willie Rodriguez, a Third Team All-Conference selection who averages 15 points per game.

New Hampshire has won 10 of its last 13 games to finish 11-5 in America East.  The Bearcats finished the regular season 5-11 and won two of their last three outings.

The winner of tonight's game advances to play in the America East Semi-Finals next Monday night.  That's a spot the Bearcats have not been in since 2009.