Tomorrow night at the Events Center, two of the best guards in the America East Conference will face off. Binghamton University’s Mike Gordon will be matched up against Vermont’s Mike Trimboli.

But which Mike is better?

The answer is Gordon, and no, it’s not just because I go to Binghamton.

Let’s first look purely at the stats from nine conference games.

Trimboli is averaging 16.2 points per game in conference games while Gordon scores 15.6 ppg. Trimboli is dishing out 4.11 assists per game while Gordon has 3.11 apg. Trimboli is one of the best from the line shooting 86 percent while Gordon shoots 78 percent.

Gordon averages 2.33 steals per game, tied for top in the conference, while Trimboli averages 1.2 spg. Gordon is also one of the America East’s best 3-point shooters at 49 percent, while Trimboli shoots 27 percent. Gordon is shooting 55 percent from the field, again, one of the best marks in the conference, while Trimboli shoots 40 percent.

There is no doubt they are two very closely matched and accomplished players. But the most important stat, especially for a point guard, is assist/turnover ratio.

Gordon’s conference play ratio is 1.87, good for fourth in the league, turning the ball over 1.7 times per game. Trimboli’s ratio is 1.48, turning the ball over 2.8 times per game. Including non-conference games, Gordon averages 2.1 turnovers per game while Trimboli coughs it up 3.5 times per game.

And Mr. Macyk, arguing the fact that Vermont has beaten Binghamton the past four times, therefore making Trimboli the better player, does not hold up.

Vermont got the better of Binghamton a month ago, but Gordon out-played Trimboli with a game-high 21 points adding seven rebounds and four steals.

Gordon was also the better player when the two battled in Vestal last season. Trimboli seemed to fold under pressure from the Bearcats and the fans, turning in nine points, two assists, five turnovers and committing four fouls.

You’ll see a common theme here: Trimboli’s performance doesn’t necessarily hinder the outcome of the game.

The same is not true for Gordon, which also makes him more important to his team. In fact, Trimboli isn’t even the best player on his team. That award would go to Marqus Blakely.

Binghamton needs Gordon to have a great game in order to win. Look at the Bearcats’ most recent defeat to Hartford. Gordon had four points on 2-for-9 shooting, four fouls, three assists and three turnovers in 36 minutes. The result: a 71-62 loss.

There is no doubt both guys can run an offense, but if you need a basket on a spread-the-floor, clear-out, one-on-one drive to the hole, I’ll take Gordon.

Vermont has more threats on offense than Binghamton, yet Gordon is still putting up similar — and, in most cases, better — numbers than Trimboli. Both are scrappy and hustlers, but Gordon has that added clutch factor. Would Trimboli think to bounce off a Stony Brook player’s back for the layup to win the game? Or would Trimboli defer to teammate Kyle Cieplicki or Blakley for the game-winning shot?

Trimboli is a great player, but as a point guard, leader and overall basketball player, Gordon is better.