Wheeling, W. Va. - After battling through their preseason schedule, that included three exhibition games including a match-up with WVU, the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (0-0, 0-0) is set to take the court for their season opener this weekend. They will head up Route 88 for the annual West Liberty tip-off Classic, where they will battle a pair of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opponents. They open up the weekend against CAL-U on Friday at 8 PM before wrapping up the weekend action with a Saturday afternoon contest against Clarion with tip-off at 4 PM.
The 2024-2025 season would see the Cardinals add on to their win total for the second straight season, finishing 11-18 overall and 6-14 in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play. The year started off at the WLU Tip-off Classic, and the Cardinals split their opening weekend of action. They would end up going 2-2 in their non-conference schedule, before rounding things out with a win over #10 CAL-U. In the conference landscape, the Cardinals would go 1-4 in the first five, and 1-9 through the first 10 games. They were on the outside looking in in terms of a MEC Tournament spot, but rallied back to win four straight to get themselves back in the tournament race. They would end up winning five of their final 10 games and earned the conference's #9 seed. They would battle #8 seeded Davis & Elkins in a back and forth affair, but in the end the Cardinals fell to the Senators 63-61 to bring their season to an end.
While the Cardinals lost their leading scorer from a season ago, they return their second leading producer on both sides of the ball in junior Tee Harris Jr. Harris finished second on the Cardinals in both points per game (10.2) and rebounds per game (6.2) as he made an impact on both ends of the floor. Harris was the most efficient shooter among eligible players last season, shooting 47.7% from the floor, while sitting second in field goals (116) and third in field goals attempted (243). He would also finish as the team leader in blocks for the season, picking up 37 blocks and adding 16 steals to his ledger. As he heads into the 2025-2026 season, he looks to continue to be a leader on the court and up his game on both sides of the ball.
The defensive effort was led by redshirt junior Alex Smith, who led the team with 258 rebounds while averaging 8.9 PPG. He would finish just three rebounds shy of the single-game rebound record, when he finished with 20 in the conference opener against Point Park. Smith was also the team's biggest pick-pocket, finishing with a team high 44 steals while sitting second on the team with 82 assists. He will once again captain the defensive side of the floor. Along with the returners, the Cardinals have brought in a group of 13 returners, adding depth across the court. Leading the group is junior transfer Kris English, who came from the same school as former Cardinals Sean Ealy and Marcus Johnson. English would help Parkland advance to the NJCAA D2 National Championship and looks to bring that same winning culture to Wheeling.
As the Cardinals play through their preseason schedule, Wheeling will get a heavy dose of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) teams in the early going. After playing CAL-U and Clarion in the opening weekend, the Cardinals will head to nearby Slippery Rock, PA. For a match-up with the Rock in the midweek. The non-conference schedule wraps up with their home opener against Winston-Salem State University on November 23rd at noon. Head Coach Chris Richardson has set up the schedule to test his team early on, getting them ready for the trials and tribulations that they will face throughout their MEC schedule. They look to play hard throughout the weekend as they set themselves up for an exciting run through the season.
The Match-ups
CAL-U: The Cardinals and Vulcans are meeting for the 12th time in program history, with CAL-U leading the series at 8-3. All three wins in the series have come on their home court, with the Cardinals going 0-6 when they either travel to CAL-U or play in a neutral site setting. They are averaging 69.82 points per game in the all-time series, and have scored 70+ points in each of the last three games. The last meeting between the two teams came on December 1st, 2024, in a game that the Cardinals won 89-83. Former Cardinal Sean Ealy led the scoring effort for the Cardinals, finishing with 30 points, while former Cardinal S.J. Hutchinson added 19 points off the bench.
Clarion: The Cardinals and Golden Eagles are meeting for the fourth time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 2-1. The Cardinals are 2-0 when playing either away or at a neutral site, compared to an 0-1 record when they host Clarion. It has been a high scoring series for the Cardinals, with the team averaging 85.67 points per game, and scoring 90 in each of the last two match-ups. The Cardinals and Golden Eagles last met on November 14th, 2025, in a game Wheeling won 90-78. Former Cardinal Justin Fritts led the way with 18 points, while former Cardinal Pat Moseh added 10 points and seven rebounds.
The Details
The Wheeling Men's Basketball team tips-off the season on Friday, November 14th, when they take on CAL-U at 8 PM. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
