The Four Games That Defined Men’s Basketball’s Season

By: Jeff Harder and Mike Mavredakis

It’s difficult to track every superlative that the Wesleyan’s men’s basketball team notched during the last six months. The team registered a 24-0 record in the regular season, setting a program record and becoming the first NESCAC team to complete an undefeated regular season since the league became a formal playing conference and championships began in the 2000-01 season. The only blemishes on its overall record came from eventual NCAA champions Trinity College. Yet in advancing to the NCAA Final Four for the first time, this incarnation of Wesleyan’s men’s basketball has gone further than any of its predecessors.  

Just as importantly, the team—who, remarkably, went from 13-12 last season to 30-2 this year with nearly the same lineup—galvanized the wider Wesleyan community. Along with drawing raucous crowds and capacity attendance to Silloway Gymnasium, men’s basketball drew outsized enthusiasm from alumni. Greg St. Jean ’13, an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers, streamed a Cardinals’ game in the Lakers’ practice facility, head coach Joe Reilly said.  

“Our team really represents the values of the University, and I just don’t think that we could create what we’ve created at a lot of colleges and universities,” said Reilly, who’s led the team for 17 seasons. “The energy and synergy are unique and different here.”  

Now, with an historic season in the rear view, Reilly and other key Cardinals personnel weigh in on four games that defined a season that was unlike any other, offering insight into how players navigated crucial moments—and how a special team set a new bar for future generations. 

No. 25 Williams (Dec. 7), 57-45

Riding a hot start to the season, the Cardinals ventured up to Williamstown, Mass. for its first Little Three game of the year against No. 25 Williams. Wesleyan was not tired from all the action, though, as its defense held Williams to just 14 first-half points and 45 overall—the Ephs’ lowest home scoring performance in 44 years. Willams hit just 27.8 percent of its shots from the floor and 23.8 percent of its three-point attempts. Jackson Cormier ’26 led the way for the Cardinals with 15 points in addition to seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.  

MOMENT OF THE GAME: After the Ephs made some noise coming out of the second half, Shane Regan ’25 put a stop to their comeback with a layup that set up an 8-0 run. The scoring swing proved to be the final blow, as Wesleyan led by double-digits the rest of the way. 

HEAD COACH JOE REILLY: “We went up to Williamstown, which is traditionally a really difficult place for everybody to play. They have a pretty gaudy homecourt advantage and record, and they hit a desperation 3 at the buzzer to make it 14 points in the half. We held them to 11 points up until this final buzzer beater, and we played the best defense that I’ve seen. They were very good team so that was a moment that I was like, ‘OK, we’re really good.’ I saw the fire and the focus in the eyes of the players that you need to have to be able to go 24-0 in a season. That’s not happening by accident. You have to be really, really good.” 

Tufts (Jan. 31), 69-66

Playing in front of a ravenous home crowd pushing 2,000 in attendance, Wesleyan—despite holding Tufts to just four points down the stretch—faced a three-point deficit with 5:46 on the clock and continued to trail until the 1:40 mark, when Shane Regan ’25 isolated his defender and got a floater to fall. A key turnover forced by Jackson Cormier ’26 led to two Sam Pohlman ’26 free throws before a Tufts three-point attempt in the final seconds ringed off and out of the rim, securing the Cardinals’ come-from-behind win.  

MOMENT OF THE GAME: After the Cardinals went almost seven minutes without a basket, Fritz Hauser ‘26 hit a crucial three-pointer with 7:56 remaining to make it a one-point game. 

FRITZ HAUSER ’26, FORWARD: “Tufts was the first game back [after winter break], and the hype around campus was really big. There was a big emphasis on promoting the game to students and everyone really showed out. That atmosphere was insane. It really helped us on defense—the other team could not hear calls down the stretch and had to call timeouts to get calls through to the team. Having the fans as, like, a sixth defender was really cool.”

“We had a huge alumni crowd there, and being able to win that game in front of the alumni, some from the 2015 NESCAC Championship team, who built this program up years before us and celebrate them that day was really cool. Coach always says that we stand on the shoulders of those who come before us, and I feel like in those moments [it] really shows through when we have 50 alumni waiting to congratulate us after the game.” 

Hamilton (March 1), 82-77 (2OT)

After trailing by as many as nine points in the second half, the NESCAC semifinal match against four-seed Hamilton culminated with Wesleyan notching a rare double overtime victory. Key plays from Nicky Johnson ’25, Shane Regan ’25, Oscar Edelman ’28, and Jackson Cormier ’26 kept the team in contention through 40 nail-biting minutes of regulation, while clutch free throws and stiff defense earned the Cardinals a clamorous conclusion in Silloway Gymnasium and a championship match-up against Trinity less than 24 hours later.

MOMENT OF THE GAME: After winning the opening tip in second overtime, key shots by Nicky Johnson ’25 and Shane Regan ’25 put Wesleyan ahead 76-70 with 1:34 on the clock.

SHANE REGAN ’26, GUARD: “That was a special game. It speaks to [our] toughness: you’re playing 10 extra minutes of basketball, but we embrace the toughness and we embrace being uncomfortable. [In] NESCAC, throughout the season, you’re going to be uncomfortable, and when the going gets hard, that’s when we feel like we can thrive. We could have been up 10 and blown the lead, but we always have the momentum going into overtime.”

No. 8 Emory (March 15), 61-58 (OT)

After three double-digit wins in the earlier rounds of the NCAA tournament, Wesleyan matched up against No. 8 Emory and came away with an overtime victory after an all-out battle. The Cardinals defense shined once again, holding the Eagles to their lowest scoring game of the season. The teams traded scores on their first possessions of overtime before going nine straight possessions without another bucket. Nicky Johnson capped off his 24-point performance with two free throws with 1.6 seconds to go to take a three-point lead. The Cardinals secured the overtime win 61-58 after a final-second attempt from Emory clanked off the front rim.  

MOMENT OF THE GAME: Regan grabbed a key rebound on an overtime layup attempt from Emory’s Mario Awasum. Regan was then quickly fouled. Since Emory had not yet accumulated enough fouls to force free throws they had to waste more clock by fouling Johnson, which he converted to seal the game. 

NICKY JOHNSON ’25, GUARD: “The defensive effort that we made individually and then also collectively, I think people really hung tough in there even when the shots weren’t falling. We just stuck together.”

“Specific players definitely get a lot of shine, but it really is a team effort, and every single player in that gym has contributed to this. In practice, it’s really competitive; even the players who aren’t playing are really good players and adding so much value to the team. It really couldn’t be done without every single person sacrificing. It’s really cool to be a part of a team that’s this selfless and this connected. It’s just been a fun ride.”

Maxx McNall contributed to this story.