After reaching the America East semifinals and advancing to the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament last season, the Binghamton women’s basketball team is entering the 2026-27 season with expectations higher than ever. The Bearcats finished 20-13 overall and 10-6 in conference play before being selected first in the America East preseason poll for the first time in program history. With a largely returning group and another season under head coach Mary Grimes, Binghamton has a chance to build on last year’s success. However, Grimes wants her team to focus less on its new standing in the conference and more on what it can control each day.

“I think we’re approaching it from a one day, one team, one game at a time approach,” Grimes said. “I just felt like we wanted to win so bad last year. We wanted to be in a conference championship so bad, and we, you know, put a little bit of pressure on ourselves and we kind of paid attention to the wrong things.”

Entering her third season with the program, Grimes is looking to help the Bearcats maintain their competitive edge without allowing expectations to distract them from their goals. After finishing 15-15 in her first season and improving to 20 wins last year, Binghamton has made steady progress under Grimes. Now, with the preseason poll placing the Bearcats ahead of the rest of the conference, the challenge will be carrying that momentum into another season.

“We’re not gonna get sidetracked with what other teams in the conference are doing or other nonconference opponents,” Grimes said.

Much of that approach comes from the experience the team gained last season. The Bearcats faced their share of difficult stretches, including seven games in which they came back from deficits of at least 10 points, according to the team’s sports information staff. Those situations tested the team’s ability to finish games and remain competitive when things did not go their way. Grimes believes those experiences have helped prepare the returning players to approach this season with greater consistency.

“I think we were trying to learn how to win,” Grimes said of the comeback matches. “We were trying to learn how to finish games.”

Rather than relying on late comebacks, the Bearcats want to establish a more consistent level of play throughout the full 40 minutes. Grimes pointed to the lessons her senior players learned over the past three seasons as an important part of that effort, particularly as they take on greater leadership responsibilities.

“They’ve grinded it out for the past three years. Going through those experiences, I think, has really helped them come out with a better mentality of playing for 40 minutes,” she said.

While Binghamton returns much of its roster, the team will still have to adjust to changes in its personnel. Grimes noted that the Bearcats added two freshmen and a transfer while also welcoming back three players who missed time last season due to injuries. With six players on the 14-person roster yet to complete a full season of practices and games at Binghamton, the team will have new combinations to work through despite its returning core.

Those additions could also change how the Bearcats approach the game. Last season, senior forward Kendall Bennett handled much of the workload among the team’s post players. With players returning from injury, Grimes expects Binghamton to have more options inside and a style of play that reflects the group’s strengths.

Grimes described this year’s approach as more team-oriented and post-oriented than in previous seasons, when the Bearcats relied more heavily on their guards. The ability to adjust to the available personnel will be important as Binghamton works to remain competitive against a demanding nonconference schedule.

The Bearcats will face a variety of opponents before America East play begins, such as South Florida State College and Providence College, along with a pair of games in Puerto Rico. Grimes said the schedule is designed to expose the team to different styles of play and give the players opportunities to learn from challenging matchups before conference competition begins.

“I think, you know, for our team and who we brought back, we needed to challenge ourselves, but challenge ourselves with games that we could learn and grow from overall,” Grimes said. “So just getting a lot of experience that’ll hopefully help propel us when we get to conference.”

That preparation will be especially important as the Bearcats enter conference play as the ones to beat. Binghamton earned six of the nine first-place votes in the preseason poll, finishing ahead of second-place University of Maryland, Baltimore County and defending conference champion Vermont. With senior guard Bella Pucci and Bennett also earning preseason all-conference honors, the Bearcats have both individual recognition and collective expectations to manage.

Still, Grimes does not believe her team needs to prove that it can compete. Instead, she emphasized the qualities that have defined the program throughout her tenure.

“I don’t think we have ever been underestimated. Regardless of our record, I think people always knew that this was a game that would be tough. We were gonna fight. We were gonna fight for 40 minutes,” Grimes said.

Grimes described the team in three words: resilient, energetic and passionate. Those qualities will be tested early, as Binghamton opens the season on the road and plays its first six games away from home while renovations to the Events Center continue.

The Bearcats are set to begin their season on Monday, Nov. 2, against Monmouth University. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Dr. Marilyn A. McNeil Arena in West Long Branch, NJ.