Stony Brook 'Wolves Look to Extend Binghamton's Woes

When I was a kid, I used to play that stupid camp game hot potato. You remember: a group of kids sit in a circle and toss each other a potato (more often a tennis ball or beanbag, but whatever), and when the music stops, whoever is holding it loses.

That pretty much sums up America East right now, with Binghamton in the role of the potato. At 0-21, they have exactly the same number of wins that a team comprised of five actual potatoes placed at center court would have. But at some point, the music is going to stop, and one of the other eight teams in America East is going to be stuck holding the ball.

Nobody wants to be that team. And tomorrow, Stony Brook holds its breath and takes its chance when the Seawolves welcome the Binghamton Bearcats to loud Pritchard Gymnasium.

This will be the second meeting between these two teams. Back in early January, Stony Brook barely escaped Vestal with a win, squeaking by 60-54. While the old adage "a win is a win" still applies, it was a poor performance all around for Stony Brook, which allowed Binghamton to shoot 42% from the field, and an astounding 43% from three-point range. Those are troubling statistics for a team that wins games by playing air-tight defense.

More after the jump.

Much of Binghamton’s production came from guard Robert Mansell, who had one of his best offensive games of the season with 22 points, tied for the most versus America East opponents this year. Containing him will go a long way towards limiting the Bearcats on offense.

On the other side of the court, Stony Brook looked like a D-III school on offense. Their 42 percent field goal percentage was decent, but from three-point land, the Seawolves were held to just 3 of 16 shooting, good for a laughable 16.7%.

Three point efficiency aside, the starters actually had a pretty good night, with four of the five reaching double digits in points, led by Tommy Brenton’s 17, his season high. But the bench, considered a strength for this year’s team, was abysmal. In a combined 53 minutes on the floor, the bench contributed a total of 2 points, on a Ron Bracey field goal. If Stony Brook wants to put some distance between itself and Binghamton tonight, Bracey, Anthony Jackson and Marcus Rouse need to contribute.

Of course, Stony Brook has a lot going for it tonight that it didn’t have a month ago: home court, where the Seawolves are undefeated; a hot streak highlighted by Friday’s big win over Boston; and a team that seems to have found it’s groove offensively. All of the above should translate to a big win over a SUNY rival.

Stony Brook 74, Binghamton 52