Two regular-season wins over Maine, the No. 2 seed, and home-court advantage might make some Binghamton fans feel pretty confident about Saturday’s quarterfinal matchup.

But with the most successful season in Binghamton history on the line, head coach Al Walker has his team working harder than ever.

“This is one game and you’re done,” Walker said. “So if you look ahead you’re going to get beaten. You can all pack your bags and everyone will go home.”

Regardless of tomorrow’s expectations, second-seeded Binghamton comes into the tournament on a roll. After starting the season poorly, the Bearcats went 12-3 in 2006, finishing 12-4 in conference play and 15-12 overall – the highest win total for the program since joining Division I.

Maine did not live up to expectations, but has caught fire at the right time. Ernest Turner leads the Black Bears, winners of three straight, with 15.2 points per game.

“Maine’s won three in a row and they’re shooting the heck out of the basketball,” Walker said. “They’re shooting 53 percent from three in the last three games so those guys are on fire right now. We just happened to catch those guys on two nights when they didn’t shoot it very well.”

In their two meetings this season, the Bearcats thoroughly dominated the Black Bears, winning by margins of 18 and 28 points. After playing a close first half in their January game at Maine, Binghamton outscored the Black Bears 119 to 76 in the remaining three halves against each other.

The two teams also have a postseason history: in the 2004 conference tournament quarterfinals, No. 5 Binghamton lost a heartbreaker to No. 4 Maine, 79-77 in overtime.

After being picked third in the preseason polls this season, Maine finished seventh in the America East with a record of 7-9 against conference foes (12-15 overall). The Black Bears were forced to play the season without senior guard Kevin Reed, who had to redshirt because of a stress fracture in his left foot.

Binghamton, picked in the preseason poll to finish fourth, has succeeded thanks to a stingy defense, allowing just 61.3 points per game. The Bearcats’ late-game grit also helped them finish 4-1 in games decided by three points or less.

Senior Andre Heard has led the Bearcats all season, averaging 16.6 points per game, good for third in the conference. Senior Sebastian Hermenier, the team’s emotional leader, has stepped it up offensively, while also bringing down 6.6 rebounds per game. Sophomore Mike Gordon contributed with 4.41 assists per contest, ranking him second in the conference.

Asked what the key was to his team advancing in the America East tournament, Walker was crystal clear.

“It’s our defense,” he said. “That’s what we’ve relied upon to win 12 games in the league, and that’s what we’re going to rely upon to try and come out on top on Saturday.”

Fun Fact:

If Maine were to upset Binghamton, it would be incredible after what happened in their regular-season matchups. Here’s some perspective … The Bearcats outscored the Black Bears by a total of 46 points this season. In last year’s AE tournament, the biggest margin of victory during the regular season that was overcome was 28, when UMBC upset New Hampshire 78-73 … But don’t count out Maine just yet; last year the Black Bears beat Boston 47-45 after being outscored by 25 in their two regular-season losses to the Terriers.