Sixteen days to graduation, and I can’t help but think back on my highs and lows in my time as a Bearcats fan.

I’ve been to every men’s basketball game since the day I got here, so it’s time to look at someone else’s highs and lows. Time to take a look at the best, and worst, Bearcats basketball gave us over the last four years.

Top 10

10) The opening of the Events Center. Jan. 31, 2004.

Simply put, the building opened and we knew we had the best facility in the conference. To this day no team comes to play unprepared, because all know Bearcats fans will be ready to make it a very hostile place to play.

9) Mike Gordon beats Hartford twice in the same fashion. Jan. 19, 2006, and Jan. 15, 2007.

Two games with the same game-ending play, leading to the same score between the same teams, on the same court with the same amount of time left on the clock. It was different only in what year the calendar said. The level of bizarreness gets these Gordon layups on the list.

8) The hiring of Kevin Broadus. March 26, 2007.

After the rough 2006-07 season that left many unsatisfied, the hiring of a coach from a Final Four team was something that excited the whole Binghamton basketball community. Broadus may not have done anything yet, but his arrival has brought hope back to BU.

7) Nick Billings’ 3-pointer on 2005’s Senior Day. Jan. 27, 2005.

The game was essentially over and the play didn’t matter, but tell me you didn’t love seeing Billings, whom Binghamton fans would blame for global warming, hit that shot. It was the only day he wore the uniform that he was loved start to finish, and the motion where he pumped his fists at his side and hollered as he got back on defense just added to it. And yes, you read that right, Nick Billings actually got back on defense.

6) The double overtime win over Vermont in 2006. Jan. 25, 2006.

This was one of those games that just wouldn’t swing in either direction. The game was tied at halftime, and neither team ever started to pull away. The longer the game went the more intense it got, and when the fans rushed the floor after coming away with the win, it felt like we had won the national title. ‘Awoken’ at last.

5) Mike Gordon’s shot on Senior Day 2007. Feb. 22, 2007.

Hartford had already seen enough of Gordon, but in a game where BU said farewell to another three HDEV majors, Gordon hit another game winner, this time a 3-pointer from the right wing. We trailed much of that game, so BU fans were waiting to explode, and they got to do so. It was also the last hurrah in a season where BU needed multiple last-second shots from Gordon to beat conference rivals.

4) The tournament win over Albany. March 5, 2005.

It was the first America East tournament win for the Bearcats. And even though their season ended the next day against T.J. Sorrentine, Taylor Coppenrath and a Vermont team that would beat Syracuse in the NCAAs, it was nice to get that first victory under our belts, and it was a gigantic step for the program.

3) The first half of the 2006 tournament loss to Vermont. March 5, 2006.

This game goes down as a failure in the record books, but for anyone who was at that game, you know that the intensity surrounding Binghamton basketball was never as strong. All the shots were falling and we were already planning for a conference finals matchup with Albany. We could smell the NCAAs, and if you think about those first 20 minutes, there was no better time to root for BU.

2) Sebastian Hermenier’s game-winner on Senior Day 2006. Feb. 20, 2006.

Duane James had been knocked out cold and the heart of Binghamton fans came out strong for the last 1:05. Trailing by one, Seabass hit the 3-point shot from the corner in what turned out to be the last home game the Bearcat warrior would ever play.

1) Mike Gordon’s off-the-back inbounds play. Jan. 31, 2007.

Need I explain? Yes, it was more flashy than anything, and yes, we needed it to avoid a second loss this season to a 2-14 team. But seriously, when was the last time you saw an ESPN top-10 play from 20 feet away? It was a highlight we’ll never forget, and it’s the only time I lost my composure on the sideline in my time reporting. The Events Center was absolutely out of control, and it’s the top moment from my time at Binghamton.

Honorable mentions:

– Troy Hailey hitting 1,000 points in January. You should expect that from a four-year player, but he is our first to do it in Division I, and he played through injuries and being the scapegoat to help the team. Give the guy some credit for bringing his all every night.

– The win at Miami this December. Even if the athletic department wants to hype this one, this doesn’t make the top 10. The Hurricanes were overrated and the victory was in the midst of a rough year. Plus, the ability to take big games seriously and come up short every other night is not the way to win.

– The time when NCAA mascot J.J. Jumper was decked by a drunk Stony Brook Seawolves mascot during the 2005 America East tournament. Give the mascot credit ‘ it’s the most athleticism we’ve seen from our SUNY rival in the last four years.

For L.J. Spaet’s bottom five moments, check out Page 20.