On a day known worldwide for love and affection, tonight’s Binghamton/Boston tilt provides a perfectly imperfect contrast for single, frustrated basketball fans.

No love will be lost between the Terriers and the Bearcats, two teams known for their respective defensive abilities. If you’re not going to score tonight, don’t worry — neither will they: the Terriers have the top defense in the conference, holding opponents to just 57.9 points per contest, while the Bearcats check in second at 62.0 per game. (Their offenses, meanwhile, rank eighth and sixth, respectively.)

For the ladies in the crowd, the scene shakes out a little differently. As I wrote last Valentine’s Day, Binghamton power forward Sebastian Hermenier could always use a little more love. The underappreciated 4-man is the heart and soul of the Bearcats, hitting his free throws late and grabbing more rebounds than that a-hole frat guy you met last weekend at the Rat. Of course, if he’s not your type there’s always 2-guard “T-ROY” Hailey, a member of the “Top Ten Hunks of Binghamton” Facebook group, or seven-footer Jaan Montgomery.

On a more sentimental side, tonight’s game provides a chance for the BU Zoo to send some lovin’ to their sometimes-tragic hero, head coach Al Walker. Under continual criticism for years from cynical fans and local journalists alike, this year’s Walker squad has, with one disappointing exception (OK, very disappointing exception), shown an unprecedented consistency by winning the games they should win, like Saturday’s 76-58 destruction of Stony Brook.

If you need fine dining for your holiday pleasure, remember that BG’s provides free pizza for the craziest fans in the stands. Purveying your pent-up sexual frustration through green body paint and a “GO BEARCATS” sign could earn you some free delicious slices — delivered by none other than the lovely ladies of the BU Dance Team. (Doesn’t that sound more appealing than stuffing your face with chocolate and watching “Flavor of Love” reruns?)

As for the game itself (oh yeah), lovers of nitty-gritty basketball should be entertained, as long as you’re OK with making the walk of shame to and from the Events Center in the freezing cold weather (it’s really not that bad). Assuming the referees let the starters decide the game (hopefully they’ll realize the theme of this story and not “blow” it), the red and white Terriers, much like all us single fans in the stands, will probably be seeing too much green by the game’s final horn. Come down to the Events Center at 7 p.m. and make a date with the only “cats” you’ll be seeing tonight.