After faltering briefly in mid-January and dropping three straight games, the Binghamton University men’s basketball team has looked good of late, as they ride a two-game winning steak into tomorrow evening’s matchup with Maryland-Baltimore County.

The Bearcats (12-7, 5-2 AE) come into the game having defeated Hartford and New Hampshire in the past week and have no plans to end that trend any time soon. The Retrievers (8-11, 2-5 AE), who won the America East championship in 2008, are having a difficult time putting wins together, never winning more than two games at a time at any point this season. In contrast, the Bearcats put together a very impressive six-game winning streak between late December and early January.

However, Binghamton head coach Kevin Broadus was quick to point out that the Retrievers will not be pushovers come game time.

“They are the reigning champs,” Broadus said. “We’re not going to be taking any team lightly from this point forward, especially them.”

When asked why exactly he felt that UMBC had not been playing at the same pace as 2007-08, a season in which they went 13-3 in conference play and 24-9 overall, Broadus attributed it to playing away from their home turf. He also expects that the team will pick up the pace tomorrow, which will be their first home game in almost two weeks.

“They have played three straight on the road, and I know that they can’t wait to come home,” Broadus said. “It’s a different feel for a team when they play at home.”

Despite their mediocre record, the Retrievers boast two elite America East players, seniors Darryl Proctor and Jay Greene. The duo is currently first and second, respectively, in the conference in minutes played, with 39.4 and 38.9 per game.

Proctor, a 6-foot-4 forward, is currently ranked second in the conference in scoring with 19.4 points per game (Binghamton junior D.J. Rivera is first with 19.8 points per game). Proctor is also second in the conference in rebounds with 8.7 per game.

Greene, who recently passed the 1,000 career points mark, making him the 15th person in UMBC’s history to achieve the milestone, leads the conference in assists with 6.8 per game. Binghamton’s Malik Alvin and Tiki Mayben are third and fifth, respectively, in the conference with 4.3 and 4.1 per game.

Greene is also the reigning Most Outstanding Player of the America East Tournament.

The game is a rubber match resulting from the two teams splitting their two meetings last season. The Bearcats recorded a 62-59 victory on Jan. 19. Current Binghamton senior Reggie Fuller had 11 points and 12 rebounds in the affair.

UMBC struck back on Feb. 9, grabbing a 63-59 victory over the Bearcats. Fuller led Binghamton in scoring (19 points) and rebounds (12). Proctor recorded 12 points and seven rebounds for the Retrievers, while Greene had 11 points and four assists.

So what will happen this time around?

While not necessarily giving away the Bearcats’ game plan for the meeting, Broadus was quick to point out how the Retrievers have put away the majority of their opponents this season, and what Binghamton will need to do to avoid that situation.

“Our main objective is to stop them from scoring,” Broadus said. “They are a scoring team; that’s their bread and butter, plain and simple.”

The game is set for tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the RAC Arena.