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GREENSBORO — The new kid on the block could have a few thousand instant fans on its side when it takes on one of college basketball's most storied programs.

It certainly won't hurt. But NCAA tournament newbie Binghamton isn't banking on much help when the 15th-seeded Bearcats (23-8) take on second-seeded Duke (28-6) in the first round of the East Regional late tonight at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Binghamton, a State University of New York school that made the jump from Division III to Division I just 10 years ago, makes its first appearance in the NCAA tournament against a Duke program on its 33rd trip.

"It's like a whole new experience for us," Binghamton big man Reggie Fuller said. "And right now we're just still gathering all the excitement."

Duke, meanwhile, is trying to make it feel like the first time.

"I've always felt I try to capture that same feeling each year that I'm in it," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "That feeling of I'm lucky to be here &ellipses; in the NCAA tournament. Because I think the guys who play for me, they deserve that (enthusiasm). Whereas when you're there for the first time, you don't have to work at it. You're just doing it."

Binghamton is doing it with a small lineup.

At 6-foot-6, Fuller (10.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg) is the Bearcats' tallest player and the lone forward in their four-guard offense. D.J. Rivera, a 6-4 junior shooting guard who transferred from Saint Joseph's, averages 20 points per game and is the team's top 3-point shooter.

Duke, by comparison, is huge. At 6-4, All-ACC forward Gerald Henderson is the shortest player in the Blue Devils' starting lineup.

"(Binghamton) has really good guard play, kind of just like our team," Henderson said. "So one of the biggest things is shutting down their guards and really defending them well."

Henderson (16.6 ppg), 6-8 forward Kyle Singler (16.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and 6-5 point guard Jon Scheyer (15.0 ppg, 2.8 apg) make up Duke's big three, the core of the team that scored 80.2 percent of the Blue Devils' points last week in Atlanta on the way to a championship in the ACC tournament.

Now they come to Greensboro, a short ride from Durham and a site Krzyzewski said he coveted. But the Blue Devils must share the building with North Carolina, the top seed in the South Regional which plays this afternoon, tipping off about seven hours before Duke plays in the nightcap around 9:40.

But most of the ticket books sold are good for all games. Odds are, more than a few Carolina fans will come out to root against Duke.

"We won't win or lose because of atmosphere," Krzyzewski said. "We'll win or lose because of how we play. So I just think it's an honor for us to be here. I mean, we've earned this. Obviously, Carolina's earned it."

And those instant fans? Binghamton coach Kevin Broadus discounts them.

"How's that going to help us when the fans don't play the game?" he said. "If we can get, say, if Carolina sent Ty Lawson over and we can take him on the floor, and Danny Green who I recruited at Georgetown (as an assistant coach), they give us a few of their players, that would help us.

"The crowd, truthfully I don't think can help or hurt us at this point," Broadus added. "The ballplayers have to play the game. It's our guys against their guys."

Four little guards and an undersized forward. Against the ACC champions.

Contact Jeff Mills at 373-7024 or jeff.mills@news-record.com