Gave up on the Bearcats after that 1-7 opening stretch? Can’t tell Brandon Herbert from Herbert Hoover? Never fear, loyal reader, Pipe Dream is here to help ensure that your trip back onto the bandwagon can go as smoothly as possible, starting this Saturday.

Everyone knows Mike Gordon and Lazar Trifunovic (and don’t worry, they’re still the best) but here are six guys, three new faces and three old faces in new roles, that you should brush up on to impress the BU Zoo on Saturday.

Reggie Fuller, junior forward: The athletic junior college transfer from Texas has started since day one here and immediately helped the team on both ends of the floor.

He’s a freakish athlete whose speed makes him tailor-made for running with Gordon. He currently ranks fourth in the America East in blocked shots and likely leads Binghamton University in alley oops received.

‘Reggie’s really good,’√ù Gordon said. ‘He can shoot even though he hasn’t really shown it too much. Great rebounder. Great defender.’

Fuller played through a shoulder injury in the upset victory over Maryland-Baltimore County and was easily the player of the game with 11 points, 12 rebounds and a game-sealing stolen inbounds pass with three seconds remaining.

Brandon Herbert, freshman guard: Bearcats fans who tuned in to watch the Jan. 15 TV game against Stony Brook saw why Baltimore-native Herbert has been put into the starting lineup.

He scored 20 points and connected on three of four shots from 3-point range, cementing his role with the team. As a starter Herbert is averaging 7.2 points per game, one of the best clips on the team.

Herbert started for the first time five games ago at Albany. Binghamton’s record since?

5-0.

Chretien Lukusa, freshman guard: Like Herbert, the Bearcats just play better when Lukusa is in the starting lineup.

The Canadian guard made his first start against George Washington, and the team is 7-3 when he starts. He also hit crucial free throws down the stretch in Binghamton’s 64-59 win over St. Bonaveture.

Broadus calls Lukusa the team ‘glue guy.’ He does it all, but mostly he’s a hustle guy, setting picks, moving passes and playing defense. In the team’s victory over Boston University, Lukusa had 13 points, four rebounds, three steals, one assist and one block.

He missed the New Hampshire game with a hip injury, but despite the fact that he had pain even getting down into a defensive stance, he came off the bench and scored seven points and grabbed one steal in 21 minutes, Sunday against Maine.

Dwayne Jackson, junior guard: After Sunday’s victory over Maine, Broadus called Jackson ‘the best out there offensively and defensively.’

Jackson put up 15 points in that game, extending his double-digit scoring streak to six games. That number becomes more impressive when you take into account that Jackson has started just one game all season.

He’s averaging 8.3 points per game, fourth most on the team, and few AE squads can match the bench fire power that he adds.

Gio Olomo, senior center: After missing nine games throughout the early part of the season, it seemed like the fifth-year senior from Yaounde, Cameroon was going to fade into Bearcat oblivion.

But after it was announced that Minja Kovacevic would be redshirting for the season, Olomo has healed his wounds and become the Bearcats’ most intimidating inside presence.

Against UMBC, he grabbed six offensive rebounds and added three steals, proving himself as the guy the Bearcats would go to against physical teams like UMBC.

‘Gio gave us great minutes,’ Broadus said after the game. ‘I knew it would be a game for him. That team is tough, physically and mentally.’

Richie Forbes, senior guard: Forbes has transcended roles with the Bearcats this season. He’s started, come off the bench, been in for crunch time minutes, been on the bench in crunch time minutes, taken the shot at the key time, dished at the key time ‘ in short, a guy who many thought was one-dimensional has been as versatile as anyone else the Bearcats have.

So if Forbes isn’t in the starting lineup against Hartford, don’t panic, he’s still a huge part of the team.

‘It’s a feel thing, nothing against Richie,’√ù Broadus said. ‘We’re gonna play to win, and Richie’s gonna help us win.’

He’s currently nursing an injury but has started the last two games. His 87.7 percent free throw percentage leads the America East and ranks 22nd in the nation.