When University of Vermont head coach Mike Lonergan was asked after his recent loss to Binghamton University if he was surprised by the Bearcat squad, his response was “No.” He said, “I know Kevin Broadus, I knew they had signed players, I knew they would have some good players.” Someone should tell Mike that he, along with the rest of the America East coaches, in the preseason poll, voted for Binghamton to finish last in the conference. It’s about time that everyone admits that Binghamton is a lot better than anyone imagined.

I personally predicted that the team would win five games all season long (they already have nine wins). I consistently laughed off Bearcats’ interim head coach Mark Macon in the preseason when he said that the team was going to try to win every game. It seemed unlikely that any game would be in Binghamton’s hands. I thought that any BU win would be a result of poor play from its opponent.

Early on this season, it appeared that Binghamton had little chance in its games. After defeating Division II Bloomsburg, the Bearcats were routed in four straight games. They beat another Division II squad and held a 2-4 record. I was still convinced that this team was going to have a very rough season. Its only wins were against D-2 schools and they had several blowout losses. But, in a game against Rider University the team held a second-half lead against a tough program before bowing out.

Binghamton finally picked up its first win against a D-1 school against Bucknell. The Bearcats played well during a tough schedule over winter break and came up with an impressive win over La Salle University. They continued their strong play into AE games, and that’s when people started to take notice of them. Their conference record of 4-3 shows that they can play with anyone in the AE. The coaches clearly didn’t have this season correctly pegged. Binghamton sits in fifth place after a ninth-place projection. Maine currently has the best conference record but was picked to finish eighth in the preseason.

I have said that no one could have predicted that Greer Wright and Dylan Talley would be this good, but obviously Broadus did. His recruiting genius is as evident in these two stars as it was with D.J. Rivera and Tiki Mayben. Wright’s recent explosion of 30 points and 10 rebounds against Vermont showed that he is one of the most prolific scorers in the conference. That performance helped the Bearcats beat one of the best teams in the league. Binghamton gave its fans a great game to watch and a big win in conference.

With only four home games left, I am adamant about attending every single one because not only is BU winning ball games, it is doing it in an exciting fashion. Every single fan that attended the AE championship game last season should be coming to these last games to give this men’s team the support and credit it deserves.

I was very upset after the team was first dismantled, thinking that my senior year would be marred by an awful basketball season. Instead, these Bearcats have me excited and eager for the next game. Even though it is way too early to think of tournament play, I can’t help but think that the defending AE champions may have a legitimate chance to hold on to the trophy come March.