Men's Basketball

Wesleyan Grabs Top Seed in 2026 NESCAC Men's Basketball Championship

HADLEY, Mass. – Wesleyan suffered just one loss to post a 9-1 record in conference play to grab the No. 1 seed in the 2026 NESCAC Men’s Basketball Championship for the second consecutive year and third time in team history.
 
The 2026 tournament begins with quarterfinal action on Saturday, February 21, at the higher seeds. The four quarterfinal winners advance to the semifinal round on Saturday, February 28, at the highest remaining seed. The championship game is set for Sunday, March 1, at the site of the semifinal games.

HOW TO WATCH
All games will be webcast via the NESCAC Network for free and available at NESCAC.com on computers and mobile devices. The webcasts can also be seen on Roku, AppleTV, and Amazon Fire devices. Search for NESCAC Network and download the channel. Click here for more information.

CHAMPIONSHIP GEAR

CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY | Past Champions
Trinity is the defending NESCAC Champion after winning the conference crown for the second straight year in 2025. The Bantams have three NESCAC titles in program history and are one of seven teams to win a NESCAC Championship. Amherst leads the conference with eight NESCAC titles (last: 2019).

Tiebreakers
  • Tufts and Trinity finished with identical conference records of 8-2. In head-to-head competition, Tufts defeated Trinity to earn the No. 2 seed.
  • Bates and Bowdoin finished with identical conference records of 5-5. In head-to-head competition, Bates defeated Bowdoin to earn the No. 5 seed.
  • Colby and Connecticut College finished with identical conference records of 4-6. In head-to-head competition, Colby defeated Connecticut College to earn the No. 7 seed.
No. 1 Wesleyan Cardinals (19-5, 9-1 NESCAC) vs. No. 8 Conn. College (16-8, 4-6 NESCAC)
  • Wesleyan is the No. 1 seed for the fourth time in five seasons and the third time in program history.
  • The Cardinals, the 2025 NESCAC Runners-Up, won the second of their two titles in 2022.
  • Wesleyan is making its fifth straight appearance in the NESCAC Tournament.
  • The Cardinals, who are 11-0 at home this season, finished the regular season winning 10 of their last 11 games. Wesleyan is outscoring opponents by an average of 11.6 points per game and outrebounding opponents by a margin of 10.3 rebounds per game (1st in the NESCAC) while limiting opponents to 39.7 points per game.
  • Conn. College qualified for the NESCAC Championship for the fifth straight year and is the No. 8 seed for the first time since 2009.
  • The Camels, who are the third highest scoring team in the NESCAC at 79.8 points per game, are looking for their first NESCAC postseason win since the inaugural NESCAC Tournament in 2001.
  • Conn. College was the only team to hand the Cardinals a loss in conference play with an 84-83 victory on January 31. The NESCAC Tournament series stands even at 1-1. The last time the teams met in the 2002 quarterfinals, Wesleyan posted a 75-61 victory
No. 2 Tufts Jumbos (19-4, 8-2 NESCAC) vs. No. 7 Colby Mules (16-8, 4-6 NESCAC)
  • Tufts is the No. 2 seed, the highest seed achieved since 2022.
  • The Jumbos will host a quarterfinal for the third straight year and have reached five consecutive semifinals.
  • Tufts won its only NESCAC Championship in 2020.
  •  The Jumbos have the second-highest scoring margin in the NESCAC at 14.5 points per game and rank third in opponent field goal percentage (38.3%).
  • Colby is the No. 7 seed for the second consecutive season and is making its sixth tournament appearance in seven years.
  • The Mules share the ball well with 17.5 assists per game to lead the NESCAC.
  • Colby has played in two championship games since 2021.
  • Tufts defeated Colby, 88-66, in Waterville, Maine on January 10. The Jumbos own a 3-0 edge in the NESCAC Tournament series, which includes a double-overtime win, 102-94, in the 2020 championship game, the last meeting between the teams.
No. 3 Trinity Bantams (22-2, 8-2 NESCAC) vs. No. 6 Bowdoin Polar Bears (15-9, 5-5 NESCAC)
  • Trinity is the two-time defending NESCAC Champion and has qualified for the NESCAC Tournament for the 12th consecutive season.
  • The Bantams are the No. 3 seed for the first time in program history and will host a quarterfinal game for the third year in a row.
  • Trinity, which is 12-0 at home, has the highest-scoring offense in the NESCAC at 85.5 points per game and is limiting opponents to 58.3 points per game for the best scoring margin in the league (27.2 points per game).
  • Bowdoin is back in the NESCAC Tournament for the first time since 2022. The Polar Bears are the No. 6 seed for the first time since 2012.
  • The Polar Bears’ 15 wins are the most since the 2018-19 campaign.
  • The quarterfinal matchup with be the second time the teams face each other in a week. Trinity defeated Bowdoin, 82-54, in the final game of the regular season on February 14.
  • Trinity holds a 3-0 lead in the NESCAC Tournament series. The last meeting in the conference tournament was a triple-overtime affair, with the Bantams posting a 71-67 victory.
No. 4 Amherst (18-6, 7-3 NESCAC) vs. No. 5 Bates Bobcats (17-7, 5-5 NESCAC)
  • Amherst is the No. 4 seed for the first time since 2012 and is its 24th tournament appearance in 25 seasons, third consecutive.
  • Amherst last reached the semifinals in 2024. The Mammoths have won the title eight times (last: 2019), the most of any NESCAC team.
  • The Mammoths enter the tournament having won seven of their last eight contests.
  • Amherst leads the league in opponent field goal percentage (35.1%) and opponent scoring (58.0 ppg).
  • Bates is the No. 5 seed for the 2012 season. The Bobcats are back in the tournament for the first time since the 2022 campaign.
  • Bates’ 17 wins are the most since the 2014-15 season.
  • The Bobcats are averaging 10.1 made 3-point field goals per game and shooting 35.5 percent from long range to lead the conference in both categories.
  •  Bates’ last appearance in the semifinals came in 2012 as a No. 5 seed.
  • Amherst defeated Bates, 71-50, on January 9 in the second conference game of the season. The Mammoths have a 5-0 record against the Bobcats in the NESCAC Tournament. The teams last met in the 2012 semifinals with Amherst posting a 97-74 victory.