I feel worse for the players.  The only thing that I can lose from this is money (give it back Hartford!).  The kids playing this season lost a whole lot more.  The 8-8conference record that Macon and his boys turned out was quite an accomplishment considering how many players they lost and the few scholarships they had.  They lost their reward for putting up with the crap all season which they weren’t involved with.

And just like that its the off season.

• Press & Sun Bulletin: “Kyrie Sutton delivered his best performance in a Binghamton University jersey, scoring a career-high 18 points as Bearcats cruised to a 66-53 victory over Hartford in an America East Conference men’s basketball game on Wednesday night at the Events Center.  Greer Wright added 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, with Dylan Talley adding 15 points for BU (13-17, 8-7 America East), which prevailed in front of 4,791 fans in its final regular-season home game this season.  The victory clinched the fifth seed for BU in next week’s America East tournament in Hartford.”

While my semester is coming to an end, the Bearcats forgot to end the game yesterday as they blew a late big lead to Hartford and lost 64-63 on a Joe Zeglinski game-winner spoiling the return of freshman Dylan Talley.  Probably karma for all of the Mike Gordon buzzer beaters.  At least Joey Z is on my fantasy team.

• Press & Sun Bulletin: “Everything seemed to be working in Binghamton’s favor when Chretien Lukusa found a streaking Greer Wright for a dunk, and a 10-point lead, with 4:54 remaining in the game.  Lukusa’s high-pitched scream, and his fingers pointed skyward, seemed to indicate so.  But Hartford, the loser of 10 games by more than 10 points this season, capitalized on BU’s complacency and fought back, using a 3-pointer from Joe Zeglinski with 15.5 seconds remaining to defeat the Bearcats 64-63 in an America East men’s basketball game at Chase Arena.  ‘The sad thing is that we kind of let up a bit at the end of the game,’ said Lukusa, who finished with six points and four assists for BU (7-13, 2-3 America East). ‘Coach [Mark Macon] always talks about us playing a full 40 minutes, but right there we played about 38.’”
• AP: “Joe Zeglinski scored 16 points and hit the game-winning 3-pointer to lift Hartford to a 64-63 win over Binghamton on Thursday night. Trailing 61-51 with 4:52 left, the Hawks (5-15, 3-3 America East Conference) used a 10-point run, capped by a Zeglinski layup, to tie the game with 40 seconds to go.  After Greer Wright’s layup put Binghamton up 63-61 with 23 seconds remaining, Zeglinski hit his 3 with 17 seconds left. Chretien Lukusa missed a potential game-winning layup with 3 seconds on the clock and Charles White rebounded for Hartford, which has won three of its last four games.”
• Hartford Courant: “Actually, it looked as if the Bearcats might have started celebrating earlier. When Greer Wright dunked with 4:51 to go, Binghamton led, 61-51. Hawks coach Dan Leibovitz called time and exhorted his team to play “one stop at a time.”  Out of the huddle, freshman Charles White ignited Hartford. His crazy shot on a drive to the basket went in as he was fouled, and the free throw cut it to seven points. Then, with the 6-foot-1 White leading the way, Hartford made six stops in a row to close within two.  Binghamton no longer could penetrate at will and the Hawks (5-14, 3-3 America East) got hot. They completed a 10-0 run to tie it on an uncontested layin by Zeglinski (16 points) with 40 seconds left.  Binghamton (7-13, 2-3) ended its 4 1/2-minute drought with Wright’s jumper. But in transition, Zeglinski was left open.  Binghamton’s offseason was engulfed in turmoil. Six players were dismissed from the defending conference champions and coach Kevin Broadus was suspended for a recruiting violation.  Macon, the former Temple star who played six years in the NBA, is, like Leibovitz, a protege of coach John Chaney and he has settled things down, refocusing on the basics.   ‘If we both learned one thing from him, it’s to be a teacher first,’ Leibovitz said. ‘There’s been a lot negative said about what’s gone on there, but there were a lot of positive things going on for them tonight. Mark’s doing an excellent job.’”

• Mark McGuire gets a little media self-righteous with his article in the Times Union on the Binghamton absence from America East media day.  If McGuire doesn’t think Binghamton isn’t being held accountable, then he needs to open his eyes.  When Judith Kaye’s report comes out, I think you are going to see the Athletic Department clean house and possibly De Fleur forced out.  Binghamton is bad publicity for the America East Conference and Albany as long as this investigation is going on.  Mark, your article made me throw up in my mouth.  Just a little bit.
• Binghamton’s men and women were voted last and third respectively at AE media day.  I don’t think anyone was surprised with this vote.
• Rush the Court is ranking all DI teams.  Binghamton is ranked #308.  At least we are ranked above NJIT.  The surprise in the ranking is that Hartford is ranked #316.