MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
Vermont (11-6, 1-1 AE) will play the second part of a two-game conference road trip at Binghamton (7-9, 1-2 AE) on Wednesday (Jan. 15) in a rematch of last year's America East Semifinal. The opening tip is set for 7 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at BUBearcats.com.
 
TELEVISION AND RADIO COVERAGE
The conference matchup will be streamed on ESPN+ with a paid subscription. Fans can also listen live on the Vermont Sports Network, from Learfield IMG College, on 101.3 The Game or online at Catamounts All-Access with Jake Marsh on the call.
 
RELATED LINKS
Binghamton: Video | Live Stats | Audio | Tickets
Game Notes: Vermont | Binghamton
 
A LOOK BACK AT LAST YEAR'S AMERICA EAST SEMIFINAL | CatamounTV Highlights
Stef Smith set the America East Semifinal record with eight three-pointers as top-seeded Vermont advanced to its fourth-straight conference championship game after knocking off seventh-seeded Binghamton 84-51. Smith finished his historic night with a career-high 28 points. He shot 10-of-14 from the floor and 8-of-11 from behind the arc. He also grabbed five boards, dished out an assist, and logged a steal.
 
EMPIRE STATE OF MIND
UVM is 28-2 against New York schools since the start of the 2016-17 season. The run includes non-conference victories over Marist, Hofstra, Siena, St. Bonaventure, and St. John's while topping three league rivals. The pair of losses were against the Bonnies in December of 2017 and Stony Brook last Wednesday.
 
BECKER VS. THE BEARCATS
In his nine-year tenure in Burlington, Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker owns a commanding 15-2 record against Binghamton. The pair of defeats were a 57-53 setback on Feb. 21, 2012 and a 57-55 loss on Feb. 18, 2015.
 
CATS VS. AMERICA EAST ROOKIE/PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
In the last four years, UVM is 10-1 against the reigning America East Rookie or Player of the Week. Binghamton's Brenton Mills earned the honor on Monday. The lone loss was to former UMBC guard Jose Placer and the Retrievers on Jan. 23, 2019.
 
SCOUTING BINGHAMTON
The Bearcats carry a 7-9 record into Wednesday's game with conference losses to UAlbany (L, 74-62) and UMass Lowell (L, 85-66). Binghamton lives by the three-pointer with the 23rd-most attempts (464) and has made the 26th-most triples per game (9.6) in the country. Sam Sessoms leads the Bearcats with 18.2 points per game, which is the third-highest scoring average in America East. The sophomore has hit the 20-point mark four times in the last seven games, including a 40-point effort against Boston U on December 7. Mills is the highest scoring rookie in the conference with 12.8 points per game. The current Rookie of the Week posted 18.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game last week to receive the honor.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
The Catamounts lead the all-time series with the Bearcats 33-8 and have won the last nine meetings - the third-longest active winning streak against a conference opponent. UVM has beat Binghamton 19 out of the last 21 contests dating back to 2010. In addition to the conference semifinal win, the Green and Gold swept BU last year with a 78-50 victory in Burlington then grinded out a 69-63 win in Vestal, New York.  
 
National Life Group is the presenting sponsor of the 2019-20 Vermont men's basketball season