The Bearcats have always been used to going up against Great Danes, Retrievers and Catamounts. This season, however, the Bearcats will face off against some new foes, including Scarlet Knights, Wolverines and the Green Wave.

The non-conference schedule for Binghamton University men’s basketball is a demanding one. The Bearcats will be going up against universities that have competed against big names like Villanova and Memphis. Squads like Marist and Bucknell, which have long and rich histories of successes and championships, will be challenging for Binghamton to fight through. Although matching up to these schools will be tough, BU head coach Kevin Broadus believes that it will give them experience and, most importantly, train them for the America East Conference.

“I decided to step it up a little bit because I wanted to be ready for the America East this year,” Broadus said. “When you are playing teams from the Big East, Atlantic 10 and Conference USA, you prepare yourself for what you gotta do when you’re playing your conference.”

The road will not be easy for the Bearcats. One of the squads they will have to play against will be the Big East’s Rutgers. Although they came in last place with a 3-15 conference record, the Scarlet Knights managed to beat both Villanova and Louisville last season. Another formidable opponent is Tulane University, which had a total of 17 wins last season and finished in sixth of 12 teams in Conference USA.

“These teams, no matter how good they were in their conference, [are] still a high level basketball program,” Broadus said. “When you are talking about the Tulanes, the Rutgers and the GWs, they are still in those … conferences that, night in and night out, are playing against the best. I wanted to play in some of those conferences so that our guys will be prepared playing top ranked teams like Marist.”

With new recruits and a few returning players, the Bearcats will have to work harder than ever. Broadus believes that with hard work and determination, the basketball team can match up to anything they are faced with. He continually stressed four core points that, if followed, would bring the basketball team success.

“We’ve got to be quicker, faster, stronger, and then at the end of the day, we’ve got to be smarter too,” Broadus explained. “That’s our biggest thing, and that’s why we work the way we do. All of the work that we do on the court and off the court, you have to be quicker, faster, stronger and smarter. That’s what we have to do to compete against the big conference[s].”

Broadus will not only be relying on certain people to carry the team through. He expects everyone to work equally so they can grow in skill and experience.

“I look at it equally,” Broadus said. “All these guys have a responsibility. We’ve got a good core of guys returning, but we’ve got a good group coming in too. We’ve got to get all these guys ready from day one — the new guys and the returning.”

As the Bearcats continue to train hard, their fans will be able to taste the fruits of their labor in a few months. The Bearcats’ first game will be against former America East rival, Northeastern, at the Events Center on Friday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. The Huskies finished sixth out of 12 schools in the Colonial Athletic Association last season with an overall record of 14-17. It will be the second time in the last six years that Binghamton will host its season opener.