Wheeling, W. Va. - After picking up a win to open the 2026 portion of their schedule, the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (8-3, 4-1) opens the 2026 home schedule with a Wednesday night showdown. They welcome in Fairmont State in a battle of two top Mountain East Conference (MEC) teams with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 PM. The Cardinals currently hold a half game lead over the Falcons in the conference standings and look to further cement their place as a top team in the conference.
Last time out, the Cardinals opened the new year with a trip to Buckhannon, West Virginia where they battled West Virginia Wesleyan. The two teams battled back and forth through the first five minutes of play, but an 8-0 Cardinal swing following the first media timeout created separation. The Cardinals would continue building on that lead, shooting 45.71% (16-35) from the floor in the half, and went into the locker room leading 42-26. Wheeling continued to put the pressure on throughout the second half, leading by as much as 23 points with 5:47 to go. However, the Bobcats would not falter, battling back to cut Wheeling's lead to six with 39 seconds to play. The Cardinals would put their starters back in and sealed the deal from the free throw line as they walked away with the 78-70 win for their fourth conference win of the season.
Leading the way for Wheeling was junior forward Tee Harris Jr, who finished with 17 points while shooting 5-11 from the floor. While he was the team's leading scorer, his impact was felt across the court as he added seven rebounds, three assists, four blocks, and four steals in the winning effort. Throughout the season, Harris has helped lead the defensive effort, averaging 5.8 rebounds per game and leading the way with 23 blocks on the season. He currently leads the conference with 2.1 blocks per game, while sitting second in total blocks behind Fairmont State's Rene Diop. He also sits eighth overall in offensive rebounds (22), while sitting 12th in both defensive rebounds (42) and total rebounds (64). It was also the sixth time this season that Harris has reached double figures as he looks to keep impacting both sides of the ball.
Harris was one of four Cardinals to hit double figures on the day, including Ayden Goll, who finished with 13 points. It was Goll who helped seal the deal with two free throws under the 30 second mark, and he finished the effort going 7-10 from the charity stripe. He is the conference's second leading free throw shooter with a .908 (69-76) free throw percentage, while also sitting as the conference's fourth leading scorer with 18.5 points per game. Leading the Cardinal's rebounding effort was Curtis Harrison IV, who finished with nine rebounds while adding 13 points of his own. Six of those nine rebounds would be of the defensive variety, while he finished as the team's most efficient shooter going 5-7 (71.4%) from the floor.
Wednesday will mark the first time this season that the Cardinals have faced a ranked opponent as they open the 2026 home slate. Wheeling currently has a slight edge over the Falcons in the conference standings, holding a half game lead, and they are looking to continue their historic start to the season. Their 8-3 record is the best start for the program over the first 11 games since the team went 9-2 in their first 11 games during the 2017-2018 season. Their 4-1 MEC record ties that start for the 17-18 squad, that would go 10-1 before losing their second conference game. Wheeling currently holds onto the #3 spot in the conference standings, sitting a half game behind West Liberty for the lead. The Cardinals are 5-0 on their home floor this season and look to keep that undefeated streak going against a tough Fairmont State squad.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Falcons are meeting for the 57th time in program history on Wednesday, with Fairmont State leading the all-time series at 40-16. The Cardinals hold a 9-17 record on their home floor in the series and are looking for their first win over Fairmont State since the 2017-18 season, when they defeated them 88-82 on January 24th, 2018. The Falcons enter Wednesday as the top defensive team in the conference, allowing 73.0 PPG, and the Cardinals will look to break through.
The last meeting between the two teams came on February 12th, 2025, in a game that Fairmont State would win 71-64. Former Cardinal Sean Ealy led the effort, putting up 26 points while going 9-17 (52.9%) from the floor. Former Cardinal S.J. Hutchinson added 13 points in the effort, while Alex Smith led the defensive game with 15 rebounds and added four assists.
The Details
Tip-off for Wednesday's game is scheduled for 7:30 PM inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
