All kinds of adjectives could describe the Wesleyan men’s basketball team this year: historic, dominant, extraordinary. But for the 2024–2025 Cardinals, one word says it all: unbeaten.

After coming up short with a first-round exit in the NESCAC Championships in 2023–24, the Cards were excited to start their new season with something to prove.

“After last year, we felt like we left a lot on the table,” captain and guard Nicky Johnson ’25 said. “We knew we had a lot of talent coming back, but none of that means anything if it’s not being focused in the right direction. But, judging from our spring, we knew people were really hungry to play, so I thought we’d be in a really good position to win a lot of games.”

With their top eight players returning, the Cards knew that roster continuity and team chemistry would play to their advantage. The regular season started out with two games against New Jersey Athletic Conference teams, first against Rutgers University-Newark on Nov. 16 and then Montclair State University four days later. 

Even while missing captain and guard Shane Regan ’25 due to injury, the Cards were easily able to handle the Scarlet Raiders. After being tied at 19 points apiece 10 minutes into the game, the Cards locked down on defense and kept a double-digit lead for the entire second half, winning the matchup 71–53 with guard Ben Lyttle ’27 leading the way with a career-high 26 points.

The Montclair State contest would prove to be a tougher test.

“Montclair State, they’re usually a really good team,” Johnson said. “We were expecting to be in a dog fight, and it was.”

The Red and Black started strong, holding the Red Hawks to under 40% from the field and forcing nine turnovers. While they entered halftime with a 46–30 lead, the Red Hawks fired back after the break. With 13 minutes left, the score was tied at 49, and continuing troubles for Wes saw them down 57–62 with four minutes remaining. Clutch baskets by Zach Wolinski ’28 led the Cards’ late comeback, as they secured the win, 70–67. Johnson led the way statistically with 17 points and 5 steals, while Wolinski scored 6 of his 11 points in the last five minutes.

“I think it’s good to be tested earlier in the year,” Johnson said. “We’re fortunate to play a team like that and play in a close game like that to kind of show like, ‘Hey, it’s not always going to be 70 and sunny.’ It’s not always going to be easy. And we gutted it out and showed right then and there that we’re a serious team.”

Coming off the two wins, the Red and Black came back to Middletown for their home opener against Anna Maria College on Friday, Nov. 22. The Cards cruised past the AMCATS 87–56, as 14 players scored in the full team win. The next day, the Albertus Magnus College Falcons came to Silloway Gymnasium to try their luck, but the Cards took another lopsided win, 81–63, led by a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double by Lyttle. 

Against Emmanuel College on Sunday, Nov. 26, the Cards led by six with 16 minutes left. With the Saints threatening, Wesleyan went on a 24–5 extended run to balloon their lead to 74–49. They ended up winning 82–59, sending the Saints marching back to Massachusetts.

Lyttle spoke about the team’s success during the homestand.

“What I remember about those games is really the practices,” Lyttle said. “Our second team and third team pushing our first team to be the best we could possibly be. When we went into those games, it was easy. We’re playing our defense. We’re sticking to our principles and kind of just let the defense strain into our offense.”

Next up was a game against Farmingdale State College. After the Cards suffered a tight loss to the Rams last year, there was no love lost.

“The Farmingdale State game was really important to us because they beat us last year and they also had a lot of guys come back,” Jackson Cormier ’26 said. “They played really physical. And so our mindset going into that game was just be way tougher than them and kind of out-physical them in every aspect of the game.”

Wes did just that, matching the Rams’ 28 points in the paint. But the difference came from outside shooting and defense. The Cards won the turnover battle 18–9 and Wolinski sank five of his eight three-point attempts en route to a career-high 19 points. Wes ended the homestand on a high note with a 77–62 revenge win over the Rams, improving their record to 6–0. 

Standing between the Cards and winter break was a three-game road trip with a Tuesday, Dec. 3 night game against Worcester State University and a Thursday night game against Lasell University two days later. Between the two matchups, the Cards outscored their opponents by 65 points, winning 78–49 against Worcester State and 93–57 at Lasell. The 93-point outburst was their largest offensive output of the year thus far, and it capped off a remarkable six-game stretch wherein the Cards outscored opponents by an average of 25 points per game.

Before break, 8–0 Wes would face their toughest opponent yet: no. 25 Williams. While the game did not officially count towards the NESCAC standings, it would be a litmus test to see how Wesleyan’s streaking squad could fare against conference competition.

Regan said his team headed to Williamstown, Mass. with something to prove. The Red and Black had not won a fall-semester game against Williams since 2017.

“Williams is always a test in the first semester, and we’ve been on the short end of that game for my first three years, so we knew that was a big game going in,” Regan said. 

In a slower-paced defensive battle, the Cards had the upper hand, holding Williams to 14 first-half points. Although the Ephs put up a fight in the second half, the Cards stayed ahead, keeping a double-digit lead for most of the second half and securing the important win 57–45 while holding the Ephs to 27% from the field. Cormier had his best game yet, with an efficient 15 points and seven rebounds.

“We took it to Williams pretty good, played really tough, out-rebounded them, and just outplayed them overall,” Regan said. “So that was a sign of the special team that we had.”

With nine wins under their belts, the Cards traded snow and sleet for sunshine and sand, as they headed south to Miami, Fla. for two games and some team bonding.

The Cards beat Wentworth Institute of Technology 83–62, following it up with an offensive showcase against Widener University (94–65). Regan put on a show in the first game with a 25/12/5 stat line, shooting 11 for 16 from the field. In the second game, Johnson and Lyttle were the standouts, with 23 points for the captain and an efficient 17 points and eight rebounds for the sophomore guard. 

After spending time with family and friends, the Cards were back in business on Monday, Dec. 30, handily beating Yeshiva University 72–55 before moving on to a pre-NESCAC season matchup with Amherst.

Cormier praised the team’s mentality and game plan.

“A theme that we take throughout the year is to be tougher and make them feel our presence,” Cormier said. “Win the rebounding margin, win the turnover margin, and make life difficult for them as a team. And I think that’s what we did really well in that first game.”

Cormier made his impact felt with a season-high 19 points on 8 for 11 shooting, as the Cards’ ball security and rebounding dominance led them to an 82–69 victory without ever trailing.

“[Amherst] beat us twice last year,” Johnson said. “So we remembered that. And we had a really great week of practice. That attention to detail and the discipline that we had carried over to the game. I think we translated it really well.”

Before the NESCAC season got underway, Wes defeated Bridgewater State University 90–46, in their largest win of the year. With the win, they advanced to 14–0 to start the season, setting a new program record previously held by—get out your history books—the 1911–12 Cards. 

But with less than a week to revel in the history, the Cards needed to buckle down for the NESCAC season. First up was a rematch with the Ephs on Friday, Jan. 10.

The Cards trailed by one or two scores for most of the first half. Down by one with a minute to go, forward Oscar Edelman ’28 hit threes on consecutive possessions to put Wes up five going into the break. In the second half, the Ephs came back, and while the two teams traded blows, the Cards found themselves down 59–61 with four minutes remaining.

Cormier highlighted the late-game performance.

“In that game, nobody panicked,” Cormier said, “There were no unforced errors, no bad turnovers, and down the stretch things started to click. The last four minutes in that game, we didn’t give up a point, and that was the biggest thing. We were able to stifle them.”

In the final four minutes of the game, the Cards scored nine unanswered points, including a clutch three from Cormier that put the game out of reach at 65–61 with 19 seconds to go. The Cards won 67–61, securing their first conference win and the first half of the Little Three title.

“This was our first NESCAC game, so it’s like a whole new season,” Johnson said. “Everything we had done before doesn’t matter. I remember [we] go up six, down four, up two, down one. We knew our shots weren’t falling like they usually do. But this is no place to crumble and freak out. We’re a veteran team. If we just do what we do and make plays down the stretch, we’ll be okay. And fortunately, that’s what happened. We had some guys really step up and make some big plays. But I think that’s a sign of a really mature and good team. We answered the bell when we were called.”

Lyttle spoke about the team’s composure during clutch games like the one against Williams.

“The mentality to close out that game was, ‘We want to keep this streak going,’” Lyttle said. “Our saying is, ‘Let’s keep stacking the good plays.’ So when it comes into practice, we do this situation with four minutes [left], 55–55: What’s our money [play] call? We want to do something that’s gonna separate us from these other teams.”

The next day, against Middlebury, the Cards went on an absurd tear, proving they could handle themselves in blowouts as well as tight-game situations. The Red and Black led 26–4 after 12 minutes of play, maintaining a 15-point advantage throughout the game and winning, 89–63. Regan’s 21 points in 18 minutes and Johnson’s 12 points and seven assists punctuated the victory.

“We lost to Middlebury on their home court last year,” Lyttle said. “I felt that game was personal. As a whole unit, Shane [Regan] and Nicky [Johnson] got us locked in. Because we still got to win this, we’re still hungry, we went through last year. So that’s always the urgency that pumps us.”

After sweeping a home opener weekend, the Cards faced the challenge of a weekend on the road, taking on Hamilton on Friday, Jan. 17 before booking it to Amherst for a Saturday, Jan. 18 day game.

“Back-to-back away games are always hard,” Cormier said. “But we came with the right energy and from the jump proved that we were the better team and made sure that they knew that.”

The Cards struggled somewhat in the first half against the Continentals, ending the period tied at 32. But in the second half, the Red and Black took control. Using an early 14–1 run, the Cards took the lead 57–43 and kept their foot on the gas to take the game 73–57, improving to 3–0 in the conference and 17–0 overall. But with no time to rest, the Cards hopped back on the bus and went to Amherst, Mass. to take on the Mammoths for the second time.

With six minutes to go in the first half, the Cards and the Mammoths both had 29. But for the rest of the half, the defense was stifling. On the offensive end, a 15–0 run propelled the Cards into the second half up 44–29. Just as in the two games before, once the Cards took the lead, they never gave it up. Although the Mammoths began to threaten at the end, the Red and Black silenced them and took the game 72–60, sweeping the Little Three Championship for the first time since the 1990–91 season.

“We surprised a lot of people,” Regan said. “We definitely weren’t happy with the results last year, so for us to sweep them this year—it’s super cool. We have much bigger things we’re looking towards in the future, but definitely a good moment.”

Most recently, the Cards took on no. 14 Trinity on Saturday, Jan. 25, their highest-ranked opponent of the year so far.

“[Trinity plays] a lot like us,” Cormier said. “Fast, athletic, relentless on defense, which is always fun. Both of our games last year were very close, and when we played them in the playoffs it came down the last two minutes before they pulled away. But we knew we were right there and we just needed to get over the hump a little bit. We knew that this year was our chance to prove that.”

The game was back and forth for the first 30 minutes, without either team taking a decisive lead. With 10 minutes to go, the score was knotted at 48. But from then on, the Cards offense awoke, shooting 75% from the field over the last 10 minutes and holding off the Bantams to secure a 72–63 victory.

“Beating a ranked team on the road in a hostile environment is tough,” Regan said.“We did a good job executing our game plan and we had guys really step up, and that’s what you need to beat a team of Trinity’s caliber.”

At 19–0, the last undefeated team in Division III basketball, the Cards were awarded the no. 1 national ranking for the first time in program history.

“Going through my junior year and then being a senior and seeing these guys improve, it makes you appreciate the good times a lot more,” Johnson said. “I know what it’s like when we’re struggling, and it’s good to see guys stick with the process. It’s not over yet, and there’s a lot more to be done. But the season is just a testament of people staying on the journey and staying true to what they know and what they want to do. It’s just a good lesson to learn: You just gotta stick with it. You gotta stay on that path. And good things will come.”

This Friday, the Cards welcome no. 9 Tufts, their highest-ranked opponent of the year. Heading into the matchup, they’re undaunted.

“Being ranked number one is super cool, but at the same time, we’re not satisfied with where we are,” Regan said. “We know we have tons of more work to do. We’re really just embracing every moment with the team and just continuing to stack good days of preparation and good games. We’re super excited to see where the season takes us.”

Ethan Lee can be reached at ejlee@wesleyan.edu.