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Bearcats to face top competition in 2003

VESTAL, N.Y. — Head coach Ed Stephenson has significantly upgraded his schedule for the 2003 season. Binghamton will play an 11-game slate beginning with a February 15 encounter with Villanova. The schedule is highlighted by a game against national power Hofstra, which was ranked as high as No. 6 in the STX/USILA Coaches' Poll last spring.

Other opponents include a Drexel team that went 9-5 in 2002, America East champion and NCAA tournament team Stony Brook, and a Hartford team that won nine games. The Bearcats will also face opponents from the Patriot League (Colgate, Lafayette) and Metro Atlantic Conference (Siena).

The five-game America East slate will include home dates with Quinnipiac, Albany, Vermont and Hartford. The top four teams will advance to the conference semifinals on April 30. The America East championship game will be played on May 3, with the winner advancing to the NCAA tournament.