Dennis Wolff opines on Binghamton

The main story of the America East offseason has been the ongoing saga unfolding at Binghamton, where six players were released from the program following guard Tiki Mayben's arrest on drug charges. The released players included three of the most significant returning contributors from last spring's championship team -- D.J. Rivera, Malik Alvin, and Mayben -- as well as Corey Chandler, an incoming recruit from Rutgers. In the wake of this news, Binghamton athletic director Joel Thirer was reassigned. Interim athletic director James Norris has since barred all Binghamton coaches from off-campus recruiting after a report surfaced that head coach Kevin Broadus had contacted potential recruits during a period where said contact was prohibited by NCAA rules.

Dennis Wolff was asked to comment on the evolving situation at Binghamton. The former BU head coach expressed concern over how Binghamton's problems affect the rest of the league, saying, "I feel badly for the programs that are doing right because they get kind of pulled into this when that's not how they're doing it."

Wolff also noted that recent events at Binghamton were not unforseen by other members of the America East Conference: "Anyone in the league that acts surprised, there's such a tremendous amount of naïveté that I don't know you should even be in college athletics. There were a lot of discussions among coaches and athletic directors. There were warning signs."

When asked what to expect from Binghamton on the court this season, Wolff was direct. "It's conceivable (Binghamton) could not win a game." The prediction underlines the impact recent events have had on Binghamton's program, only seven months removed from its first visit to the NCAA Tournament. Prior to Mayben's arrest, the Bearcats had been forecast as among the favorites in America East for the upcoming season.

Terriers announce captains for upcoming season

Head coach Pat Chambers has revealed the Terrier captains for this season via Twitter.

The captains for the 2009-2010 are Carlos Strong, Scott Brittain, Corey Lowe, and Tyler Morris. All four are seniors, and all four are expected to be significant contributors to this year's team. This is Morris' third year as a co-captain and Lowe's second.

BU conference schedule released

The Terriers' 16-game conference schedule for the upcoming 2009-2010 season has been revealed. It is as follows:

1.2 vs. Stony Brook
1.7 @ New Hampshire
1.9 @ Hartford
1.12 vs. UMBC
1.14 @ Binghamton
1.17 @ Vermont
1.19 vs. Albany*
1.24 @ UMBC
1.27 @ Maine
1.30 @ Stony Brook
2.4 vs. New Hampshire*
2.6 @ Albany
2.9 vs. Vermont*
2.13 vs. Hartford
2.17 vs. Binghamton*
2.27 vs. Maine

The four games denoted by asterisks will be played at Agganis Arena; the Terriers' remaining four home games will take place at The Roof.

BU will also be participating in ESPN's annual BracketBusters event, and will play a road game against a currently unidentified opponent on February 20; the opponent will be announced on February 1.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of BU's conference slate is the distribution of home and road games. After opening conference play at home versus Stony Brook, the Terriers will have to travel for seven of their next nine league contests. If BU can survive the first half of conference play, February promises to be much kinder, with only two road trips. The Terriers' final four conference games will all take place in Boston.

The complete schedule can now be viewed on the right sidebar of this blog.