For the last two seasons, Binghamton has been the unquestioned underdog of the America East (AE) Conference. After winning just two conference games in 2014-15 and losing star point guard Jasmine Sina to injury for the entirety of last season, it would have been nonsensical to regard the Bearcats as a threat.

The storyline heading into the 2016-17 season couldn’t be more different.

For the first time in recent memory, Binghamton’s perception as a long shot has been shattered. BU has been picked to finish fourth in the conference in the preseason coaches’ poll — its highest ranking in five seasons. Last season, the Bearcats finished the regular season tied for third and went on to win their first playoff game in five years.

“I think that some coaches around the league respect us a little bit and I think that we’ve earned that respect,” said BU head coach Linda Cimino. “I thought we showed great strides last year and maybe exceeded expectations a bit, but we didn’t exceed our internal expectations: to win a championship and to win every game we play.”

Although these goals haven’t wavered in over two years, the tools Cimino can use to accomplish them have.

The starkest difference in this year’s squad is its depth. Binghamton’s greatest deficiency has been its short bench, which forced players to average nearly 40 minutes per game. BU now boasts a 14-player lineup, which includes five freshmen, and expects this depth to significantly improve its game play.

“I think [our depth] is going to be one of our strengths this year,” Cimino said. “We’re too deep in every position, which is the first time that we can say that, so I think that when somebody’s tired, they can actually come out this year.”

This depth is most evident in the Bearcats’ backcourt, which is poised to become one of the best in the AE. Leading the effort is redshirt sophomore Sina, who earned AE Rookie of the Year honors following the 2014-15 season. In her first year in a Binghamton uniform, Sina was fourth in the conference with 14.8 points per game and seventh in all of Division I with an average of three 3-pointers per contest. Despite sitting out last season due to an ACL injury, Sina was named co-captain for this year and is ready to make up for lost time.

“I feel great; I feel better than I ever did before surgery,” she said. “Everybody on the team has been pushing me a lot to get better and I am very confident in myself right now and my teammates.”

Taking the lead as shooting guard is junior guard Imani Watkins, who led the Bearcats in scoring last season with 16 points per game and was named to the AE second team. During the 2014-15 season, Watkins and Sina formed a dynamic duo that kept Binghamton alive in many of its games.

Rounding out BU’s impressive trio of guards is freshman Kai Moon, a combo guard who averaged 14.7 points per game as a high school senior.

“Kai has unbelievable ball-handling skills,” Cimino said. “She has great court vision, which allows her to create scoring opportunities for her teammates.”

Complementing Binghamton’s guards is its increasingly able frontcourt which will be anchored by junior center Alyssa James. The 2015-16 AE Defensive Player of the Year served as an imposing presence under the basket in her first year on the court for the Bearcats. James, who led the conference with 3.0 blocks per game and was second only to Watkins with 14.4 points per game last season, will serve as co-captain along with Sina.

Also returning for the Bearcats is sophomore Rebecca Carmody, whose versatility allows her to play multiple positions. In 2015-16, the AE All Rookie team selection started every game and contributed on both sides of the ball. She averaged 7.9 points per contest, and was second on the squad in both rebounds and steals.

Freshman forward Karlee Krchnavi is also expected to make an impact for Binghamton. In her senior year of high school, she recorded 20 double-doubles and averaged 18.7 points per game.

“Karlee has the highest motor of anyone I have ever coached in my life,” Cimino said. “She hustles. She competes. She does all of the things that don’t show up in the backcourt.”

Although Binghamton’s perception in the conference is different this season than it has been in recent years, the Bearcats plan to maintain the approach that has gotten them this far.

“It doesn’t matter if we’re ranked last, first, second, whatever,” James said. “We have to hope that everyone plays as hard as they can and hope that we can win a championship, even if we are last, dead last, and have lost every game. We’re still going to have that confidence to go at it and win the championship.”

The strides that Binghamton made as a program last season have set the foundation for continued improvement this year. BU was the eighth most improved team in all of Division I and lowered its scoring differential from an unsightly 15 points in 2014-15 to just 2.1 last year. This was due largely to its consistently solid defense, which allowed the fourth-fewest points in the AE.

Cimino is confident that her squad can continue the growth it has seen in the past two seasons.

“We want to win every game that we play,” she said. “We come out on the court and we expect that our preparation and our work ethic is going to help us to win a game. I’m really excited about our program and where we’re going. I think we’re headed in the right direction.”