Wheeling, W. Va. - In their sixth year under Head Coach Chris Richardson, the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team reached new heights, posting their best record since the 2017-18 campaign, earning the #3 seed in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Men's Basketball Tournament. As they enter 2026-2027, the Cardinals bring back several of the leaders from last year's team, while supplementing with more size and veteran transfers to compliment the roster. The improvements look to help the Cardinals soar even higher this season, and chase down the program's first MEC Championship since the program took that title in 2017-18.
Last season's formula saw Richardson pile a heavy non-conference schedule to get Wheeling ready for conference play. The Cardinals handled the challenge, going 2-2 with wins over CAL-U and Winston-Salem State, and rod that momentum to a 3-1 start to MEC play at the Christmas break. As they came back from the winter break, the Cardinals would split the eight-game January MEC schedule, and entered February sitting at 7-5. It would be an 83-74 win against Davis & Elkins that opened the door at the beginning of February, and the Cardinals would ride that momentum to a 6-1 record over their final seven games. The run capped off with a 93-91 win against West Liberty on their home court, and Wheeling would secure the #3 seed in the MEC Men's Basketball Tournament. After receiving the first-round bye, the Cardinals would match-up with #6 seeded Concord, and ended up falling 96-71 to cut their season short.
Returning to lead the Cardinal offense is the reigning MEC Freshman of the Year and fourth leading scorer in the MEC Ayden Goll. In his redshirt freshman season, Goll would average 18.1 points per game, while leading the team with 129 assists and shooting 42.3% from the floor. When he got to the charity stripe, things would get even better for Goll, who held the conference's second-highest free throw shooting percentage at .889. The redshirt freshman would score in double figures in all but three games during the season, with his season-high being a 35-point effort against Concord on January 14th. Also returning at guard will be redshirt senior Alex Smith, who enters his fifth year in the Cardinal's program. He would headline a Cardinal defense that allowed just 82.7 PPG, leading the team with 52 steals while averaging 6.0 rebounds per game.
One of the staples of the Cardinal off-season was getting more size on the court, and a pair of transfers will take on that role under the net. Senior Moustapha Sanoh and sophomore Kwynsie Pittsnogle will split the duties at the big position, with both coming to Wheeling with their own pedigree. Sanoh comes to Wheeling after spending the last two seasons at Thomas Jefferson College, where he appeared in 48 games for the Rams, averaging 2.5 rebounds/game, while Pittsnogle played his freshman season at Lees McRae College. Also joining this year's group is Levon Jacobs, who made his impact felt in the exhibition against West Virginia. He was the Cardinal's leading scorer with 13 points in the game, and is very familiar with the conference after spending the 2025-26 season at the University of Charleston. With the Golden Eagles, Jacobs would appear in 13 games, averaging 3.2 points per game and 1.2 rebounds per game, and looks to play a bigger role with the Cardinals in 2026-27.
The Cardinals once again are loading up their non-conference schedule to start 2026-2027, with two of their first four opponents qualifying for the NCAA DII postseason a year ago. They start the schedule at home against Ashland on November 9, before heading to the West Liberty Tip-off Classic November 13 and 14. The non-conference slate wraps up with a home meeting with Findlay on November 19 and a road trip to Winston-Salem State November 24. Wheeling then heads into their 22-game MEC schedule, featuring first-time opponent Shawnee State and the remaining 10 teams around the conference. Wheeling will have 11 home games during the conference stretch, including three of their first five conference games coming at home. Wheeling will also be hosting their annual Education Day game on December 14 at WesBanco Arena against Franciscan University.
The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team opens the 2026-2027 season on Monday, November 9, when they host Ashland with tip-off at 7:30 PM.
