Binghamton 2009 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Binghamton Bearcats - America East Conference (23-8, 13-3)

Seed: #15 - East Region

RPI: 88

Big Wins: 12/23 Rider (69-58), 1/8 Vermont (91-83), 2/4 at Vermont (85-83)

Bad Losses: 11/25 at Central Connecticut State (51-76), 12/9 at Bucknell (60-63), 1/10 at Utah Valley (70-80)

Last NCAA Appearance: none

Coach: Kevin Broadus (First NCAA appearance)

Probable Binghamton Starters:

• Emanuel Mayben, Junior, Guard, 11.5 ppg, 4.6 apg

• Malik Alvin, Junior, Guard, 11.7 ppg, 3.8 apg

• Chretien Lukusa, Sophomore, Guard, 4.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg

• D.J. Rivera, Junior, Forward, 20.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg

• Reggie Fuller, Senior, Forward, 10.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.7 bpg

Key Binghamton Roleplayers:

• Moussa Camara, Sophomore, Forward, 3.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg

• Brandon Herbert, Sophomore, Guard, 3.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg

• Kyrie Sutton, Freshman, Center, 1.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.2 bpg

Why The Bearcats Can Surprise:
Binghamton has a trio of guards that are capable scorers. They might not be the best shooters around, but D.J. Rivera, Malik Alvin and Emanuel Mayben will do plenty of scoring. Rivera is the go-to-guy and averages 20.0 points per game. The 6-4 wing does a magnificent job getting to the basket and, at the least, he will get fouled. Rivera is not a great free-throw shooter, but he makes up for that by getting to the line so much. As long as it is not at the end of the game, it will not be a big problem.

Alvin is a lot like Rivera, but not quite as effective of a scorer. He will do a great job getting to the basket and finishing, but Alvin’s game is more about setting up his teammates than scoring. Alvin dishes out 3.8 assists per game and he is not even the team’s leader in that category. Mayben, a transfer from Massachusetts, dishes out 4.6 assists per contest and between Alvin and Mayben, Binghamton has two very capable ball handlers.

Why The Bearcats Can Disappoint:
Reggie Fuller does the dirty work in the paint. He is a good rebounder, a solid shot blocker and has emerged as a decent scorer in the paint. The problem is the rest of the team struggles on the glass. Center Kyrie Sutton is the usual starter, but he only averages 11.7 minutes per game and rarely is given the opportunity to contribute. The Bearcats will play relatively small most of the time and that is a big problem in the rebounding department.

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Who To Watch:
Eleven different players have started at least two games this year for Coach Kevin Broadus. The lack of continuity has not seemed to effect this team, but it does mean that Binghamton can get some help from unexpected players, most notably Moussa Camara, Brandon Herbert and Chretien Lukusa. Each of those three players have had at least two double digit scoring games this year and the Bearcats will need at least one of them to step up during the tournament if they hope to pull off an upset. Camara and Herbert are both quality shooters and they need to provide a spark off of the bench at some point.

Binghamton By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 70.4 (131st in nation, 2nd in conference)

Scoring Defense: 67.4 (155, 5)

Field-Goal Percentage: 44.0 (156, 2)

Field-Goal Defense: 41.3 (71, 2)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.0 (180, 5)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.1 (205, 5)

Free-Throw Percentage: 66.4 (245, 8)

Rebound Margin: -1.4 (237, 5)

Assists Per Game: 12.5 (210, 6)

Turnovers Per Game: 13.2 (122, 2)

Joel’s Bracket Says: First Round loss to Duke

By Joel Welser
CollegeSports-fans.com Senior Basketball Writer

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