Albany Great Danes vs. Binghamton Bearcats
Site: Binghamton Events Center
Location: Vestal, NY
Date: February 11, 2023
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| The Historic Binghamton Railroad Terminal. (Flickr) |
Rolling Green Hill Zone: The City of Binghamton has seen a number of costume changes over the years. In the early days it was considered a transportation Mecca, sitting at the convergence of the Lackawanna, Delaware, and Western railroads, with the Chenango Canal connecting the southern tier with the Erie Canal to the north.
As a result of all this traffic, the city became a major manufacturing hub, especially for cigars. In its heyday, Binghamton was considered the second-largest manufacturer of cigars in the country. Later, the city would be known as a hub for high-tech and defense firms. IBM was one such notable company founded here, and the flight simulator can also claim Binghamton as its birthplace.
Hard times struck following the conclusion of the Cold War, as the tech and arms wars ebbed. In recent years, Binghamton has re-emerged as a city grounded in healthcare and education, thanks to Binghamton University. The city has earned the moniker of "Valley of Opportunity;" an idol to capitalism, entrepreneurial spirit, and reinvention.
Today, Binghamton is a "city" that almost feels like a quintessential upstate New York town. Nestled in the region's renowned emerald valleys, the city has found a way to unite industry with nature. There's a little bit of something for everybody. Historic estates such as the Phelps Mansion Museum inform us of the city's history and growth, while outdoor escapes like the Chenango Valley Park draw us in to the southern tier's natural beauty.
Me? I went to an arcade. In the outskirts of Binghamton is Robot City Games and Arcade, which operates as both a new and classic video game seller and a classic video arcade. With over 100 machines, including pinball machines dating back to 1974 and favorites such as Defender and Robotron 2084, Robot City Games is a great way to step back in time and have a little fun while doing so.
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| The Stevens Square Building. (Flickr) |
The Power In-Vestaled in Them: Binghamton has also earned its reputation as a hub for sports fans, in large part to the university bearing the city's name. Originally called the Colonials, Binghamton University competed in Division III athletics until 1998, when it moved up to Division II. One year later, the University would vote to move up again, this time to Division I. They would also adopt the Bearcat as their new mascot.
Binghamton officially moved into Division I in 2001, joining the America East conference. Since then, the Bearcats have seen a mixed bag of success across many athletic disciplines. The baseball team has made five NCAA tournament appearances, including last year, and won six regular season titles. The rugby team is the class of the America East, having won several conference championships over the years.
Then, we have the men's basketball team. Their sole NCAA tournament appearance in 2009 is unfortunately marred by scandal. After defeating the UMBC Terriers in the tournament championship that year 61-51, the Bearcats would earn a 15 seed and challenge number 2-seeded Duke. They hung tough with the Blue Devils and their legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, but would ultimately go down 86-62.
Despite an early-round loss, there was optimism that Binghamton basketball was only getting started. That was, until October 2009, when it was discovered that the university had compromised admissions and academic standards in order to strengthen its men's basketball team. The scandal would force head coach Kevin Broadus to step down, and put the Bearcats in a slump they have never truly recovered from. Binghamton has failed to accrue a winning record in overall and conference play since 2009, in one of college basketball's most depressing droughts.
Their 2022-2023 campaign, however, has shown some promise. Though they are 11-13 overall, the Bearcats have amassed a 7-4 conference record, and as of this writing are sitting in the second position in the America East standings.
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| Dr. Bai Lee Court at Binghamton Events Center. |
Falko Punch: What makes this Binghamton team so special is its veteran presence. There are only two underclassmen on the team (sophomore Matt Solomon and freshman Masud Stewart), with the rest of the team being anchored by juniors, seniors, and fifth-year grad students who have played at the highest level for years. It is this synergy that has led the Bearcats to their best season in over a decade, and close wins over power teams in the conference like Bryant, UMass Lowell, and NJIT.
On Saturday, February 11, the Bearcats challenged the Great Danes from Albany. Once upon a time, the phrase "why not us?" was closely associated with the Albany program. The Great Danes nearly became the first 16 seed to knock off a 1 seed, when they nearly defeated the UConn Huskies in the first round of the 2006 tournament. Despite a fair amount of tournament appearances in the 2010's, the Great Danes have fallen off in recent years.
2022-23 has been an especially rough go for the Great Danes from the state capital. As of this writing, they sit at a miserable 6-21 overall record, and 1-11 in the conference, last place. A team hungry for a win is a dangerous one, however, and the Bearcats would witness that almost right off the bat against their in-state rival.
The Bearcats would be kept off the scoreboard for the first 3:30 of action. By the first media break with 15:16 on the clock, Albany had soared to an early 10-2 lead, largely on the back of Rochester-native Gerald Drumgoole Jr. Aggressive in the paint as he is on defense, Drumgoole Jr. was the first to score for the Great Danes, kicking off a 6 point scoring run while buoying a tough defense that kept the white-hot Bearcats far away from the basket.
Binghamton quickly adjusted, however, and with 6:20 showing on the clock, Bing's Armon Harried would steal-and-score to tie the game at 20. Albany and Bing would trade scores from there, but the home team wouldn't get their first lead until a little over one minute left, when Dan Petcash calmly drained a three to put the Bearcats up 32-31. Despite a slow start, the Bearcats would survive the first half up 35-33.
The back-and-forth continued deep into the second half, with Binghamton and Albany both finding pockets of scoring and trading the lead. With 1:30 left, however, it looked like Albany had dealt the decisive blow when Drumgoole Jr. hit a crucial three to put the Great Danes up 63-59. The pressure was on for the Bearcats, but we all know what pressure makes.
That diamond turned out to be Jacob Falko. A clumsy foul from the Great Danes put Falko to the line, where he drained both free throws to bring the Bearcats within two. With the seconds counting down, and the Great Danes attempting to drain the clock, he made a bold steal and made a break for the basket, where he was fouled a second time. Once again, Falko drained both.
63-63, with 16 seconds to go. Albany would fail to make a basket, and the game went into overtime. Perhaps inspired by their clutch comeback, the Bearcats would dominate the overtime period. They limited the Great Danes to only three points, while scoring on every possession to down the Great Danes 80-66.
Binghamton shot up into second place in the standings with the win, while Albany's difficult season continued.
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