NEW LONDON, Conn. – Eighth-seeded Connecticut College will travel to top-seeded Wesleyan University for the quarterfinals of the 2026 NESCAC Men's Basketball Championship on Saturday afternoon at Silloway Gymnasium.  

Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m. Admission is free.

Setting the Scene
The 2026 NESCAC Men's Basketball Championship tips off on Saturday with four quarterfinal games. The winners will advance to next weekend's semifinals and finals, which will be hosted by the highest remaining seed.

Quarterfinals - Saturday, Feb. 21 at higher seeds
No. 8 Conn College at No. 1 Wesleyan – 2:00 p.m.
No. 7 Colby at No. 2 Tufts – 2:00 p.m.
No. 6 Bowdoin at No. 3 Trinity – 2:00 p.m.
No. 5 Bates at No. 4 Amherst – 2:00 p.m.

Semifinals - Saturday, February 28 at highest remaining seed 
Lowest Remaining Seed vs. Highest Remaining Seed - 2:00/4:30 p.m.
Other Quarterfinal Winners - 2:00/4:30 p.m.

Finals - Sunday, March 1 at Semifinal host
Semifinal Winners - 12 p.m.

Scouting the #8 Connecticut College Camels
2025-26 Record: 16-8, 4-6 NESCAC
NESCAC Finals Appearances: 0
NESCAC Titles Won: 0

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 enter the tournament having lost the last two games of the regular season … a win over Wesleyan would mark Conn College's first NESCAC Tournament win since 2001 and second in program history … sophomore James LaFrance leads the team in scoring at 16.4 points per game and ranks fourth in the NESCAC in the category … LaFrance (62) and senior Elias Espinosa (58) rank fourth and fifth in the league, respectively, in three-point field goals … Espinosa netted his 1,000th career point earlier this season at Bowdoin.

Scouting the #1 Wesleyan University Cardinals
2025-26 Record: 19-5, 9-1 NESCAC
NESCAC Finals Appearances: 4 (last: 2025)
NESCAC Titles Won: 2 (last: 2022)

Wesleyan is the No. 1 seed for the third time in five seasons and third time in program history … the Cardinals are making their fifth consecutive appearance—and 18th overall—in the NESCAC postseason … Wesleyan won NESCAC titles in 2015 and 2022 … Zach Wolinski ranks third in the NESCAC in scoring at 18.2 points per game … Wesleyan's lone conference loss came at Conn by an 84-83 final on January 31 … the Cardinals enter the weekend ranked 15th in the D3hoops.com Top-25 Poll. 

All-Time Series
Saturday will be the 71st meeting between Conn College and Wesleyan since the series began in 1977. The Cardinals hold a 47-23 edge in the all-time series and have won 12 of the last 14 meetings. The Camels last won at Silloway Gym in 2009. 

Last Meeting (1/31/26)
Conn College hung on for an 84-83 victory over No. 19 Wesleyan University at Luce Field House on January 31. The Camels trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half before rallying back to hand the Cardinals their only league loss of the season. Elias Espinosa netted 12 of his team-high 20 points after the break to lead the comeback. Dylan Watson, who added 17 points, hit a free throw with 2.0 seconds to play to snap an 83-83 deadlock. Wesleyan took a timeout with 1.7 seconds remaining to set up the final play, but the ensuing halfcourt heave came up short.

Conn's NESCAC Championship History
The Camels are making their 11th appearance in the NESCAC Championship and have an all-time record of 1-10 in the tournament. The lone win came in 2001 at Wesleyan in the first round of the inaugural tournament. Conn is 1-1 all-time against Wesleyan in the NESCAC Championship, with the Cardinals taking the last meeting in 2002.

Five In a Row
Conn's fifth-straight appearance in the NESCAC Championship marks the longest streak in school history. Tim Sweeney is the third coach to lead the Camels to the postseason along with Tom Satran (four appearances) and Lynn Ramage (two appearances).

Senior Class
Today's match-up marks the 100th game for Conn's senior class of Elias Espinosa, RJ Casey, Martin Wilson and Quron Zene Jr. The group enters the weekend with a record of 61-38 over the past four years. The 61 wins are the most by a Camels senior class since 2002 (81).

Three-Point Factor
Conn ranked second in the NESCAC in both three-point field goals (238) and three-point field goal attempts (691) this season. The Camels, who average 9.9 triples per game, are 11-1 when making 10 or more in a game this year. Wesleyan ranked ninth in the league in three-point field goal defense (.334) during the regular season.

Espinosa for 3
Senior Elias Espinosa, who recorded his 1,000th career point earlier this season at Bowdoin, enters today's game with 1,138 career points and ranks 15th on Conn's all-time scoring list. He also ranks second in school history with 228 career three-pointers, netting 60 percent of his points from beyond the arc.

Double Trouble
Junior Dylan Watson ranks second in the NESCAC with seven double-doubles on the year, four of which came during conference play. He ranks third in the league in rebounding at 8.2 per game, and on the other end of the floor he's averaging a career-best 11.7 points per contest.

New to the Party
Junior Greg Cantwell and sophomore James LaFrance have both made big contributions in their first season with the Camels. Cantwell, who made previous stops at Bryant University and St. Anselm College, has played in every game and is averaging 11.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. A transfer from Eckerd College, LaFrance has also seen action in every game and leads Conn in scoring at 16.4 points per game.