If they want to avoid the play-in game in the upcoming America East tournament, the guys on the Binghamton men’s basketball team will need a strong finish. And they could also use a little bit of help.

After Sunday’s loss to the Vermont Catamounts, the Bearcats are in a position where they will need to win out if they want to avoid the chance of having their tournament experience conclude before the weekend even starts. One loss in its final two games guarantees Binghamton no better than a seventh place finish. So the game against the Hartford Hawks on Thursday, which serves as the Bearcats’ 2006-07 regular season finale, takes on a whole new sense of urgency.

By the time this game comes around, BU will be in one of two spots. It could be tied with New Hampshire for seventh place at 5-10, or alone in last place at 4-11. A win over UNH today will ensure the tie for seventh; a loss will mean a lonely spot in the AE cellar.

Binghamton comes into this game playing its best conference basketball of the year, but with little to show for it. They have lost three of four, despite some very impressive performances from junior point guard Mike Gordon and freshman forward Lazar Trifunovic.

The Bearcats are two spectacular Gordon plays away from being 2-12 in conference play, and despite its stodgy play, Binghamton finds itself in a scenario where it could still potentially end the season in a tie for fifth place.

Now it gets tricky.

For this to happen they would need to win out, and have Hartford and Maine lose all of their remaining games. This would mean a 6-10 tie between Hartford, Maine and the Bearcats, and potentially New Hampshire if it wins its final game against UMBC. Stony Brook could end up at 6-10 as well if it wins out against Albany and Maine, so we could see five teams finish at 6-10, with tiebreakers determining the seeds.

And with wins over Maine, Hartford and Stony Brook, and still an opportunity to beat New Hampshire, a big America East mess could prove to be the best ally for Binghamton.

The situations are endless, but for any of it to matter the Bearcats need to beat UNH today, and follow that with a win over the Hawks on Thursday. But in addition to battling Hartford, there are several other factors that Binghamton will have to overcome if it wants to conquer the Hawks.

When the Bearcats take on Hartford on Thursday it will be its third game in five days. So while they will be playing for their tournament seeding, and potentially their head coach’s job, the Bearcats will be battling fatigue and a lack of preparation time.

Binghamton will also have to prepare despite having not seen the Hawks for quite some time; this will be the first time these teams have seen each other in 38 days, the longest stretch between games against the same opponent for the Bearcats this season.

In the last meeting between Binghamton and Hartford, the Bearcats came away with a last-second win as Mike Gordon provided the last-second heroics. For the second consecutive year, Gordon laid in the game winner with .1 seconds remaining on the Hawks’ home floor; the final was 57-55 ‘ the score and final play were eerily exact carbon copies of the 2005-06 result.

Three players hit double digits in the last game against Hartford, led by Richard Forbes’ 12 points. Steve Proctor had 11 and Gordon 10. Binghamton held the Hawks to 35 percent shooting for the game, with only 33 percent in the second half.

Regardless of where the records stand come game time on Thursday, this game will also mark Senior Night at the Events Center, where departing seniors Troy Hailey, Duane James and Steve Proctor will be recognized before playing their final home game in a Bearcat uniform.

Proctor and James have made impacts in Binghamton basketball since coming over as junior college transfers from Pensacola and Miami Dade, respectively. Proctor has brought his stingy defense and long-range jump shot to the floor, despite missing time in both Binghamton seasons due to injury. James has brought muscle to the middle, filling in admirably last year when Sebastian Hermenier was injured. And no fan can forget when he bounced back after he was knocked unconscious in an on-count collision on Senior Night last season, making it back in time for the tournament.

Hailey will depart as the school’s all-time leading scorer in the Bearcats’ Division I era, breaking the 1,000-point mark just a few games ago. Hailey spent four years here, becoming a fan favorite, playing through nagging injuries and streaky shooting while always keeping his lockdown defense strong, making himself an important part of the Binghamton rotation even when he struggled offensively.

Game time is set for 7 p.m at the Events Center.