GameThread for Buffalo Bulls at Binghamton Bearcats

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Buffalo Bulls (6-2,0-0 MAC) vs Binghamton Bearcats (1-13, 0-0) America East December 30, 2014 | 07:00 p.m. ESTEvent Center | Binghamton TV / Stream : Internet Stream

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Game 11: UB (7-3) at Binghamton (1-13)
	Date - December 30th	Last Meeting - 2013 UB 87 vs BU 57
	Time - 7:00 PM	Opponent League League: America East
	Venue - Event Center	Opponent Rankings - RPI (1-13)

Buffalo proved once again that for 30 minutes they are as good as anyone in the nation. With some more depth development by Hurley this will be a very dangerous team. But the good times against Wisconsin are over and now its time to go from playing first to playing worst.

There was a time when the Binghamton Bearcats looked like they would become the standard bearer for basketball in the SUNY system. In 2009 the won the America East and went dancing, they were a program on the rise. While the America East is an easier conference to win than the MAC it was still bitter to be a UB fan and watch Bingo get to the NCAA tournament before we did.

What we now know is that Bingo got there by letting the inmates run the asylum. Following their March Madness loss to Duke the program was rocked scandals which made both local and regional headlines. There were academic and behavioral violations by both players and coaches of the team.

By the start of the 2009–10 campaign six players had been kicked off the team, one for selling crack cocaine. The violations were so bad that head coach Kevin Broadus was suspended.

Towards the end of the 2010 basketball season the SUNY system produced an audit outlining the failures of the previous administration in running the basketball team. Due to these failures Binghamton withdrew itself from the 2010 America East Men's Basketball Tournament.

Since then Bingo has been a disaster as the school goes about trying to build up their basketball program without cutting corners. They may eventually get back to being a power in the America East conference but for the time being they seem to be perpetually rebuilding.

This season they have a win and a loss against Division II schools and have yet to beat a Division One opponent. Their last game, against Mount Saint Mary's of the NEC, was the closest they came to a win. Bingo rallied from 14 points down to take the lead with 14 seconds left but then fouled Andrew Smeathers. The Mountaineers made two free throws with 2.9 seconds and lifted their team to a 69-68 victory.

I'd like to say this is a game UB is guaranteed to win but lets not forget last year's forgettable loss to a 3-12 Ball State team. So far this season UB has done a good job winning the games they should win and showing up even in the games that they lose.

UB has a chance to enter MAC play at 9-3, they just have to keep their eye on the ball.

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