# 2008–09 Binghamton Bearcats men's basketball team

The 2008–09 Binghamton Bearcats men's basketball team represented Binghamton University during the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearcats, led by second-year head coach Kevin Broadus, played their home games at the Binghamton University Events Center in Vestal, New York as members of the America East Conference.
The team finished with a record of 23–9, which tied a school record for wins in a season, and tied for first in America East play with a 13–3 conference record. The Bearcats clinched a share of their first America East regular season title and earned the top seed in the America East tournament. The Bearcats defeated 9th–seeded Hartford and 4th–seeded New Hampshire, before punching their ticket to their first NCAA tournament by beating 6th–seed UMBC in front of a sold-out Events Center. The Bearcats were given the #15 seed in the East Region, slated to face off against the 3–time national champion Duke. CBS nationally televised the game as the late-night headliner, but the Bearcat's historic season ended as they lost 86–62. Head coach Kevin Broadus was named the conference's coach of the year for his efforts in the Bearcats run to the NCAA tournament.

## Previous season

In Kevin Broadus' first season as Binghamton's head coach, the Bearcats showed signs of improvements that they previously had not under the leadership of Al Walker. The team finished 14–16, tied for fourth in the America East with a 9–7 conference record, a 3–game improvement from the previous season. The Bearcats earned the fifth seed in the 2009 America East men's basketball tournament, where they lost to fourth-seeded Vermont in the quarterfinals.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| November 17, 2008* | | Mansfield | W 80–62 | 1–0 | Binghamton University Events Center (3,461) Vestal, NY |
| November 19, 2008* | | at George Washington | L 57–71 | 1–1 | Charles E. Smith Center (2,650) Washington D.C. |
| November 25, 2008* | | at Central Connecticut | L 51–76 | 1–2 | William H. Detrick Gymnasium (1,673) New Britain, CT |
| November 29, 2008* | | Utah Valley | W 73–66 | 2–2 | Binghamton University Events Center (2,783) Vestal, NY |
| December 1, 2008* | | at Quinnipiac | W 74–58 | 3–2 | TD Banknorth Sports Center (898) Hamden, CT |
| December 6, 2008* | | at Rutgers | W 66–56 | 4–2 | Louis Brown Athletic Center (4,076) Piscataway, NJ |
| December 9, 2008* | | at Bucknell | L 60–63 | 4–3 | Sojka Pavilion (1,244) Lewisburg, PA |
| December 20, 2008* | | Manhattan | L 80–86 | 4–4 | Binghamton University Events Center (3,338) Vestal, NY |
| December 23, 2008* | | Rider | W 69–58 | 5–4 | Binghamton University Events Center (2,721) Vestal, NY |
| December 27, 2008* | | at Tulane | W 74–73 | 6–4 | Avron B. Fogelman Arena (1,104) New Orleans, LA |
| December 30, 2008* | | Marist | W 73–71 | 7–4 | Binghamton University Events Center (3,190) Vestal, NY |
| America East Regular Season ||||||
| January 3, 2009 | | at Maine | W 70–62 | 8–4 (1–0) | Alfond Arena (1,142) Orono, ME |
| January 5, 2009 | | Stony Brook | W 67–60 | 9–4 (2–0) | Binghamton University Events Center (2,709) Vestal, NY |
| January 8, 2009 | | Vermont | W 91–83 $^{OT}$ | 10–4 (3–0) | Binghamton University Events Center (3,404) Vestal, NY |
| January 10, 2009* | | at Utah Valley | L 70–80 | 10–5 | McKay Events Center (2,165) Orem, UT |
| January 14, 2009 | | at Albany | L 66–72 | 10–6 (3–1) | SEFCU Arena (3,409) Albany, NY |
| January 17, 2009 | | Boston University | L 64–81 | 10–7 (3–2) | Binghamton University Events Center (4,128) Vestal, NY |
| January 19, 2009 | | Hartford | W 66–59 | 11–7 (4–2) | Binghamton University Events Center (2,926) Vestal, NY |
| January 22, 2009 | | at New Hampshire | W 60–47 | 12–7 (5–2) | Lundholm Gym (915) Durham, NH |
| January 28, 2009 | | at UMBC | L 78–84 | 12–8 (5–3) | RAC Arena (1,852) Catonsville, MD |
| January 31, 2009 | | Maine | W 83–77 | 13–8 (6–3) | Binghamton University Events Center (4,923) Vestal, NY |
| February 4, 2009 | | at Vermont | W 85–83 | 14–8 (7–3) | Patrick Gym (2,822) Burlington, VT |
| February 7, 2009 | | at Stony Brook | W 63–61 $^{OT}$ | 15–8 (8–3) | Pritchard Gymnasium (1,680) Stony Brook, NY |
| February 9, 2009 | | Albany | W 88–75 | 16–8 (9–3) | Binghamton University Events Center (5,142) Vestal, NY |
| February 14, 2009 | | at Boston University | W 60–59 | 17–8 (10–3) | Case Gym (726) Boston, MA |
| February 18, 2009 | | at Hartford | W 62–44 | 18–8 (11–3) | Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (811) West Hartford, CT |
| February 22, 2009 | | New Hampshire | W 70–69 $^{OT}$ | 19–8 (12–3) | Binghamton University Events Center (5,222) Vestal, NY |
| February 26, 2009 | | UMBC | W 71–51 | 20–8 (13–3) | Binghamton University Events Center (5,222) Vestal, NY |
| America East tournament ||||||
| March 7, 2009 | (1) | vs. (9) Hartford Quarterfinals | W 73–65 | 21–8 | SEFCU Arena (3,473) Albany, NY |
| March 8, 2009 | (1) | vs. (4) New Hampshire Semifinals | W 72–67 | 22–8 | SEFCU Arena (3,656) Albany, NY |
| March 14, 2009 ESPN2 | (1) | vs. (6) UMBC Final | W 61–51 | 23–8 | Binghamton University Events Center (5,342) Vestal, NY |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| March 19, 2009* 9:40 pm, CBS | (15 E) | vs. (2 E) No. 6 Duke First Round | L 62–86 | 23–9 | Greensboro Coliseum (20,001) Greensboro, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||