A year ago, the Bearcats headed to Albany to take on Hartford in the America East playoffs only to find themselves in an early hole, unable to recover in the 62-49 loss. This time around, the mental preparation is a little different.


"We came in there with a little cocky attitude and too much confidence but we're definitely preparing in a different mindset this time around," said Sophomore Point Guard Marlon Beck II. "We know Stony Brook. They have Jameel Warney, player of the year, Carson Purefoy, the entire team, so other than that we just have these two days to prepare and we're going to give it our best shot."


"It's important for our sophomores to talk to our freshman about, hey, we have to be ready for the jump, this is going to be played at a higher level, the game's going to be faster, guy's are going to be compet- everyone's going to be competing for their season," said Head Coach Tommy Dempsey. "The more that's on the line, the more urgency guys play with. Hartford played with more urgency than us last year, and we're out there and we're driven to not let that happen again."


The 6-seeded Bearcats travel to 3-seeded Stony Brook for a 7:00 tip off on Wednesday.