Keep it close:

The first 10 minutes of Binghamton University’s NCAA tournament game will be the most important. Duke won’t pull a Vermont and let Binghamton come back from 25 points down. As long as the Bearcats stay within double digits of Duke, they keep the pressure on the Blue Devils to make plays. If Binghamton is in the game late, every non-Duke fan in the arena will be rooting for the underdog to pull off the upset.

Share the game:

Binghamton’s stars sometimes ignored open teammates in the conference tournament because they could overcome double teams better than their teammates could hit open shots. However, while a well-contested drive by D.J. Rivera might be a good play in the America East, against a nationally-ranked team it will not be. The Bearcats cannot win without some unexpected help from its less-heralded guys. If Binghamton wins on Thursday, role players like Brandon Herbert, Chretien Lukusa and Moussa Camara will have hit some big shots off the bench.

Defensive focus:

Duke’s offense is a well-oiled machine. Binghamton’s defense is good at creating turnovers, and the Bearcats are good defenders early in the shot clock, but they often lose their focus late in the defensive possession. If Duke makes the extra pass or two, it might find an open man under the basket, just as UMBC did on Saturday several times. Binghamton head coach Kevin Broadus needs his players to buckle down and play hard-nosed D in the halfcourt after they miss their gambles in the passing lanes early in the possession.

Contributions from the big fellas:

BU forward Reggie Fuller has played out of position all season. He insists he was a wing at junior college, yet he has played center in a four-guard lineup for most of the year. When Binghamton plays AE teams, that is sufficient; no AE player above 6 feet 6 inches is particularly athletic or skilled. But against taller post players like Brian Zoubek, Broadus will look to Kyrie Sutton and Jaan Montgomery, who have the size to match up with BCS level big men. Sutton also has the speed to stay with them. Limiting Duke’s second chance opportunities by boxing its big men out will be the first priority for Binghamton’s centers.

Don’t forget what got you there:

While size matters, it does not matter as much as most people think. Most centers in college basketball do not shoot contested jumpers or hook shots, so they will not be shooting over their small Bearcat defenders for most of the game. The Bearcats made it this far by playing one forward in the post. When it came time to guard good forwards on opposing teams, such as Rutgers’ Greg Echenique and Hamady N’Diaye, Binghamton double-teamed the post using undersized players like Fuller and Lukusa. In the 2008 NCAA tournament, undersized Davidson did the same thing against 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert and had great results. As long as Binghamton boxes out and does not get backed into the paint by Duke’s big men, two smaller defenders can be better than one larger defender.

Have fun:

When all is said and done, the real accomplishment of this season will likely be Saturday’s America East Conference championship. At this point, the Bearcats are playing with house money. There’s no pressure to do well because no one would be disappointed with a loss on Thursday. Basketball is supposed to be fun, and playing Duke will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Binghamton.