@ Binghamton 62, UMBC 59

Who would've thought that the day after a game featuring Mike Gordon, Lazar Trifunovic and the heralded 'Transfer Trio' that I'd be writing about Giovanni Olomo?

Absolutely everybody has written off Olomo, and for fair reason -- hasn't played in weeks, hasn't reached 100 points for his career, has been a perennial disappointment and a foul machine.

Was yesterday's performance a breakout game for Giovanni Olomo?

If it was, I legitimately think the rest of the America East is in trouble.

Honestly, I thought Olomo was a candidate for America East Player of the Game (of course, Reggie Fuller certainly deserved it as well). He gathered six offensive rebounds and scored a stunning five points, including a three-point play that obviously energized all the Bearcats on the court and the bench.

When Olomo checked in, the Retrievers defensively left the middle wide open, and for good reason: Gio has never, ever been any sort of offensive threat. But Gio's persistent rebounding in the second half made UMBC pay bigtime - this was a game decided by a couple of possessions, and Giovanni Olomo made that difference.

But on to another unsung senior from yesterday's game: Richie Forbes.

Just 11 minutes from the Bearcats' outspoken back-up 2-man, and although they were 11 productive minutes, I'm more concerned about Forbes' future.

The team has already seen what happens when you mouth off about playing time to Kevin Broadus -- Devon McBride is no longer a Bearcat. And while I think that Richie Forbes will not reach that level, when the BU Zoo returns next week, one has to wonder which Richie Forbes will take the court: one who's upset about playing time and a new job as a role player, or the current Richie Forbes, who, it appears, is embracing any role as long as the team wins.

In his limited time, I think Forbes is actually playing almost as well as he ever has. Playing him in short spurts gives him a chance to go all-out on defense, as it's obvious he's trying to earn back his playing time. (Note: I realize he's also coming off of an injury, but if KB wanted him out there, he'd be out there.) Part of the reason the team is coming together so well is because Forbes is embracing his new role, and I truly believe one of the fulcrums of the team's immediate future is whether or not he can continue to enjoy winning without being a critical part of it.

- - - - -

I think it's important to keep yesterday's win in perspective. Absolutely, it was a great win, but it's still quite early in conference play, and the Bearcats will need to play as they did yesterday to continue their success in a league that's displaying more parity than I anticipated.

Binghamton 62, UMBC 59 is probably more significant to the Retrievers, to tell the truth. UMBC is a well-run program with an outstanding young coach, Randy Monroe, who will pull his team through this brief burst of adversity. But with losses now to Maine and Binghamton, there's legit proof now that UMBC is not unbeatable, not a step above everyone else in the conference.

- - - - -

There's no question in my mind that Kevin Broadus thinks that this is Lazar Trifunovic's team. Even on a day when Laz was just miserable, take my word for this, as SOON as Brian Hodges missed that free throw, Broadus grinned widely, as if he knew exactly where he wanted to go with the ball -- inside to Laz. Of course, it worked.

And I'll say this one more time, just for emphasis: If KB can get a similar performance out of Giovanni Olomo on a given day, the Bearcats will beat anybody in the conference. Not can, will.