Hartford v. Binghamton.. The Live Blog (Don't forget to check Gene's posts live from his Iphone below)

Hartford v. Binghamton Live Blog....

8:51.

Bing wins 73-65. Malik Alvin leads them with 29 points, including 15-18 from the line. Mayben had 21 and 5 assists. D.J. Rivera had a double double with 12 points, 11 rebounds.

8:50

D.J. Rivera just stole the ball from von Rosenberg. Binghamton looks like its going to close this one out. von Rosenberg, the graduating senior from Hartford just left the court to a nice ovation.

8:48

Hartford just hit back to back threes and cut the lead to six. Binghamton has to hit free throws now. 

8:45

I felt like I time warped back to the time of NBA Jam 99. Bryant Reeves, or his twin brother something Montgomery is on the court.

8:44

Mercifully, he was taken out.

8:43

This is bad coaching by the Binghamton Coach. Mayben  is crouching on the ground stretching his back.  He should not be on the floor. 

8:36

I don't know why Mayben is in the court right now, but he's dishin' and swishin', like Clyde Frazier would say

8:33

Wolfie is in the building!

8:30

Gene taking over for a bit...

This one's still a 15 point game with 4:45 remaining.  The Stony Brook marching band has assembled at the top of the bleachers on their side of the court.  They basically double the number of band members and fans that Hartford has all by themselves.

It'll be interesting to see how loud they get when game time comes around.

And here comes Willis Reed, I mean Tiki Mayben, running out of the tunnel to play in a blowout.  It's not second guessing if you say it's a bad idea before something happens, right?

8:27 

Tiki had 19 points with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. He was one of the best players on the court. If he can't go if Binghamton advances it's going to be tough for Bing to replace his production.

8:24

Scary moment for Binghamton. Tiki Mayben is down on the floor underneath  the basket in serious pain.  He walks off the floor under his own power holding his back. I'd be surprised if he isn't done for the game. He's going to the locker room.

8:17

Hartford can't by a shot. They've missed about four straight threes. 

8:14

D.J. Rivera looks like he wants to take over the game now. Took it strong to the basket, and got to the line, but couldn't convert on the three point play.

8:10

Bing is going to be a tough matchup for anyone because they have three guards who can really score. Alvin now leads them with 17 points, and he's their third best guard. Bing has a 17 point lead, 49-32 with 9:50 left.

8:05

Coach Pikiell and the Seawolves are walking into the building now, and the Binghamton fans welcome them like you knew they would. Danny Carter waved at them.

8:01

Binghamton is really getting to line here. They've taken 20 free throws to Hartford's 5.

7:54

Hartford mounting a little comeback here, down by 6-- 35-29

7:48

Hartford starts with a three and a quick two, and Bing takes a timeout. 

7:47

Second half underway here. 

7:37

Binghamton looks to have taken a commanding lead in this game and Hartford just doesn't have the firepower to mount a comeback here. 

7:34

A Binghamton fan just got tossed for throwing a water bottle at a kid with an Albany shirt on.

7:30

Halftime, Bing is up by 13.  Mayben is Bing's leading scorer with 12, and von Rosenberg leads Harford with 9.

7:26

Albany has taken a 13 pt lead after two Mayben free throws

7:20

Binghamton fans are in full force. The Hartford cheerleaders are screaming right in front of me, but the Bearcats fans are drowning them out.

7:16

Mayben just hit another three. He has a nice looking shot

7;14

Tiki Mayyben just hit is first shot of the game and the Binghamton crowd goes nuts. 

7:10

Britney Spears "Circus" is the most overplayed cheerleading/dance song of all time. Please stop making music Britney.

7:02

This is a very one sided game, but Hartford somehow still has  a 2 point lead. Binghamton isn't knocking down shots after Hartford turnovers.

6:56

4 straight turnovers

6:55

3 straight turnovers for Hartford. Carry, travel, travel...

6:51

Binghamton is a lot quicker and more athletic. However, the most athletic team here might be the Binghamton Dance Team. 

6:48

Hartford is coming out strong hitting their threes. 6-0

6:44

The SEFCU Arena is having technical difficulties with the main scoreboard now. It looks like by the end of this game we'll be playing it with flashlights and candles

6:40

D.J. Rivera is getting the M.V.P chant during warmups. Kevin Broadus, the America East Coach of the Year got a pretty nice ovation too.

6:30

Ok, Hartford now has like 10 fans here. 3 minutes until game time. This sounds like a home game for Binghamton with how many fans they have here.

6:15

The shot clocks on top of the baskets are not working. They put two portable shotclocks on the floor. Lets see if this has any effect on the game. The teams are coming out for warmups. Wee should be underway in about 10-15 minutes.

6:00
Carl here, and I'll be taking you live through the next two games.

Binghamton comes in the heavy favorite in this game, in a matchup of the #1 vs the #9 seed.

Hartford is in this game because of their victory yesterday in the play-in game. They won yesterday behind Jaret von Rosernberg's 21 points-- 18 of them in the second half. He's going to have his hands full guarding any of Binghamton's 3 guards, as they are athletic, quick, and can all shoot, especially D.J. Rivera, who is one of the better players in the conference.

Binghamton has a huge crowd here, taking up 3/4 of their side of the court. As of now, Hartford has no one...literally, no one their student section consists of five Albany kids.