Halftime Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Binghamton looks much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a quick 44-43 lead against UMBC. The finale is shaping up to be a lot like these teams' last head-to-head, which was decided by just one point.
If Binghamton keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 9-7 in no time. On the other hand, UMBC will have to make due with an 8-8 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who's Playing
UMBC Retrievers @ Binghamton Bearcats
Current Records: UMBC 8-7, Binghamton 8-7
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, January 4, 2025 at 2 p.m. ET
- Where: Events Center -- Vestal, New York
- TV: ESPN Plus
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $18.00
What to Know
UMBC is preparing for their first America East matchup of the season on Saturday. Their road trip will continue as they head out to face the Binghamton Bearcats at 2:00 p.m. ET at Events Center. Coming in fresh off a win as the underdog, the Retrievers will stroll into this one as the favorite.
On Sunday, UMBC needed a bit of extra time to put away American. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 96-93 victory over the Eagles. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
UMBC got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Marcus Banks Jr. out in front who almost dropped a double-double on 28 points and nine rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Banks Jr. a new career-high in threes (six). Another player making a difference was Ace Valentine, who almost dropped a double-double on 17 points and nine assists.
Meanwhile, after a string of six wins, Binghamton's good fortune finally ran out on Sunday. They took a 69-51 bruising from Marist. The contest marked the Bearcats' lowest-scoring match so far this season.
UMBC now has a winning record of 8-7. As for Binghamton, their loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 8-7.
Saturday's matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: UMBC has been dynamite from deep this season, having drained 39.1% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Binghamton struggles in that department as they've made 38.4% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
UMBC and Binghamton were neck-and-neck in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, but UMBC came up empty-handed after a 72-71 defeat. Can UMBC avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Odds
UMBC is a slight 2-point favorite against Binghamton, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Retrievers as a 1.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 148.5 points.
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Series History
UMBC has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Binghamton.
- Mar 05, 2024 - Binghamton 72 vs. UMBC 71
- Feb 15, 2024 - UMBC 89 vs. Binghamton 78
- Mar 04, 2023 - Binghamton 67 vs. UMBC 65
- Feb 28, 2023 - UMBC 70 vs. Binghamton 67
- Feb 01, 2023 - UMBC 69 vs. Binghamton 55
- Mar 01, 2022 - UMBC 78 vs. Binghamton 68
- Jan 29, 2022 - UMBC 70 vs. Binghamton 68
- Dec 28, 2020 - Binghamton 75 vs. UMBC 69
- Dec 27, 2020 - UMBC 74 vs. Binghamton 67
- Feb 26, 2020 - Binghamton 76 vs. UMBC 74