Binghamton, N.Y. - Binghamton Men's basketball will face two Big Ten schools and an ACC opponent, highlighting the 2018-19 schedule, which was released today. Head coach Tommy Dempsey's squad will play reigning NCAA runnerup Michigan (Dec. 29), Northwestern (Nov. 16) and Notre Dame (Dec. 18) in a daunting 15-game non-conference slate that also includes reigning Northeast Conference champion LIU, CBI participant Colgate and first-time Horizon League foe Youngstown State.

The Bearcats will open their season with three straight home games as part of the CNY Hoops Classic. Binghamton will host Cornell on November 6 at the Events Center. After home games against NJIT (Nov. 9) and Misericordia (Nov. 12), BU heads to Evanston, Ill. to face Big Ten member Northwestern for the first time. For the ninth straight year, BU will square off against Patriot League member Colgate (Nov. 19), which won 19 games en route to a CBI berth last season. After continuing series' against Sacred Heart (Nov. 24), Army (Nov. 28), Morgan State (Dec. 5) and Loyola (Dec. 8), the Bearcats will face new opponent Youngstown State in the Events Center on Dec. 15. 

The calendar year concludes with a difficult three-game set that begins with a second matchup against Notre Dame in the last five years. The Fighting Irish won 21 games last season, including eight in the rugged ACC, and advanced to the second round of the NIT. Previously, the Bearcats opened their 2014-15 season in South Bend. Three days later, BU heads to Brooklyn to face reigning NCAA participant LIU (Dec. 21).

On Dec. 29, the Bearcats return to Ann Arbor for the third time  and second in the last seven years when they will face a Michigan team that went 33-8 and reached the national championship game before falling to Villanova. The Wolverines have won back-to-back Big Ten tournament titles and have reached the Sweet 16 four times in the last six years. Binghamton last played at the Crisler Center in the 2012-13 season and also played Michigan tight in a 13-point loss to open the 2004-05 season. 

A Jan. 2 home date against Columbia concludes the non-conference slate.

In all, BU will face teams from eight Division I conferences and four teams who had 18 or more wins a year ago.    

The traditional 16-game America East double round-robin slate begins with a Jan. 5 home contest against New Hampshire. The conference schedule runs through March 5 with the top eight teams advancing to the postseason. The quarterfinals will take place on Saturday, March 9 with the top four seeds hosting their opponents. The semifinals will be played on Tuesday, March 9 and the America East championship game will be held on Saturday, March 16. 

The Bearcats return four starters and seven letterwinners from their 2017-18 squad. Dempsey has also brought in eight newcomers to bolster the program.

Courtesy: Binghamton University