HARTFORD, Conn. - The seven-seed Wesleyan men's basketball team heads on the road to face two-seed Trinity on Saturday at 2 PM in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 NESCAC Tournament. The Cardinals (13-11, 4-6 NESCAC) are making their 16th all-time appearance in the NESCAC Tournament, looking for their third title, having won the NESCAC Championship in 2015 and 2022. They will do battle against in-state league foe, two-seed, and No. 5 nationally-ranked Trinity (23-1, 9-1 NESCAC) who is in the midst of one of the best seasons in team history.
Wesleyan heads into the postseason with the league's highest-scoring offense, averaging 80 points per game for the season and 75.9 in NESCAC-only play (both are the highest totals in the conference). The Cardinals have hit the 70-point mark 19 times in 24 games this season and have the NESCAC's leading scorer in
Shane Regan '25 who comes in averaging 19.3 points per game (20.2 PPG in league games). No team in the NESCAC has gone to the free throw line more than Wesleyan this season, as the Cardinals have attempted 449 free throws, hitting 304, in 24 games. Wesleyan also leads the NESCAC in assists (17.2) and steals (9.1) per game while
Nicky Johnson '25 averages the most assists per game (5.5) in the NESCAC and also ranks 14th nationally in that statistical category.
Close losses have plagued the Cardinals throughout the NESCAC slate this season, with Wesleyan suffering a pair of overtime losses while four of their six league defeats have been by seven points or less. One of those defeats came against the Bantams on January 20 in Middletown, as Wesleyan lost 79-77 in overtime to then-undefeated Trinity. Despite leading for more than 27 minutes in the contest, and by as many as 11 points in the first half, but the final 11:36 of regulation was a flurry as the lead either changed hands or was tied 17 times in that span. Wesleyan held the Bantams to just 34.7 percent shooting, their second-lowest percentage in any game this season, but Trinity took great care of the basketball, committing just four turnovers in 45 minutes of play, not allowing the dynamic Wesleyan offense to get out on the fast break.
SCOUTING THE BANTAMS
The superlatives for this Bantam squad is lengthy as Trinity is in the midst of a 23-1 season, ranking Top 5 nationally for a majority of the last two months. The Bantams are one of the elite defensive teams in the nation, ranking 1st nationally in scoring defense (55.1 points allowed per game) and scoring margin (+23 per game) while Trinity also ranked Top 10 nationally in rebound margin (+9.7), field goal percentage defense (36.3), three point percentage defense (28.6), and assist/turnover ratio (1.55). Wesleyan scored the most points of any Trinity opponent this season, going for 77 in that January 20 overtime contest.
The starting squad for the Bantams is a well-rounded unit, led by 6-foot-8 forward Ben Callahan-Gold who leads the NESCAC and ranks 8th nationally in three-pointers made (76) this season, while averaging a team-leading 16.8 points per game. The 2022-23 NESCAC Rookie of the Year Henry Vetter has put together another solid campaign in his sophomore year, averaging 13.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in a team-leading 28.3 minutes per game. Vetter boasts a stunning free throw percentage of 95, hitting 57-of-60 from the charity stripe in 2023-24. Rounding out the starting 5 is wing Jarrel Okorougo (10.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 52.7 FG%), forward Dana Smith (7.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.1 APG, 67 FG%), and combo guard Will Dorion (6.0 PPG, 2.5 APG, 46.2 3FG%).
Trinity's only defeat this season came in a 55-54 loss at Williams on February 2, as the Ephs' Nate Karren hit a go-ahead three-pointer with just two seconds remaining. The Bantams have made it to the NESCAC Championship game three times in team history, but none since 2008 when Trinity won their first and only league title.
