After watching the Binghamton University men’s basketball team’s dismal first half at the Events Center on Saturday against the Maine Black Bears, one thing became very clear (other than the fact that we were about to have one of the strangest halftime shows in school history seconded by a 15-foot blow-up flamingo hiding out in the right corner opposite the student section).

It became apparent that the men’s basketball team is just not very good in a slow, controlled game. To take it one step further, the Bearcats find it very difficult to score in the halfcourt and have a hard time staying focused for any prolonged defensive stint (say, longer than 25 seconds).

The Bearcats are at their best when playing at a pace that is somewhat chaotic. A term that University of North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams used to describe his team comes to mind: controlled chaos. The Bearcats are at their best when they are in a full-court press, sprinting to trap the ball handler and doing everything they can to get a steal or deflection. Their opponents generally look uncomfortable at this break-neck pace, especially with junior D.J. Rivera — who, I will say in a not-so-bold statement, is the most athletic guard in the conference — jetting behind them trying to knock the ball away if they do manage to break the press. Junior guard Malik Alvin also has the quickness to wreak havoc in an up-and-down game. Tiki Mayben is a half step slower than his two backcourt mates, though he has length, which will help him get his hands on a few extra passes thrown just a bit too softly to make up for it. Sophomore guard Brandon Herbert’s talents should also not go unnoticed. Without his outside shooting, the team’s loss to UMBC could have been a whole lot uglier, and the team could have even dropped the game against Maine.

To play at this pace, it is an absolute necessity that the team is better conditioned and is somewhat more athletic than its opponents. There are also many other factors that help, such as having a couple of designated 3-point bombers to dish out when defenders collapse to prevent an easy layup, and having a deeper rotation than the opponent.

The Bearcats do not seem to have a conditioning problem, at least at first glance. However, in sports, mental lapses are generally caused by fatigue. Furthermore, lack of hustle is usually caused by players pacing themselves because they are concerned that they will not have anything left in the tank if they play too hard early in the game. That being said, after catching a practice earlier this year and feeling the lactic acid build up in my legs just from watching, I do not think that the team is lacking in this department.

Perhaps more depth would be the answer to the team keeping its foot on the pedal for the entirety of the game, rather than just one half — something which was all too apparent against Maine, and which has been somewhat of a trend for the Bearcats this season.

Keeping the team’s current core in mind, another shooter or two and two more athletic big men (one for depth and one to take over for irreplaceable senior Reggie Fuller) should elevate this team to the top of the conference next year. Athletic 6-foot-7 forward Mahamoud Jabbi, who is currently sitting the year out due to transfer rules, should help in the front court. Not to say that accurate 3-point shooters who can compete on this level and athletic big men grow on trees, but head coach Kevin Broadus is known for his recruiting ability, after all.

In the meantime, the Bearcats can deflect, dive and dunk their way to victories. What the Bearcats lack in size, they can make up for in conditioning, athleticism and hustle.

*For those of you who were not lucky enough to catch the show, you can see a similar act by doing a quick Youtube.com search for “mascot eats cheerleader.” The Binghamton version replaced the cheerleader with a man who was planted in front of Maine’s bench, leading those in attendance to believe that he was part of the team’s coaching staff.