Official 2013 CCIW Men's Basketball Tournament Web Site

Three top 20 teams will be at the Shirk Center this weekend as, for the first time, Illinois Wesleyan will serve as hosts of the men's College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin postseason tournament.

TICKET INFO: Tickets will be available on game day on a first come, first serve basis and will be available for purchase starting at 4 p.m. on Friday and 6 p.m. on Saturday. Ticket prices are $6.00 for adults, $3.00 each for seniors, and students, children under 3 will be admitted free. Students with valid CCIW school ID shall be admitted free of charge. No CCIW parent passes or IWU season passes will be honored.

Second-seeded and No. 5-ranked North Central (22-3, 11-3 CCIW) will face third-seeded and No. 20-ranked Wheaton (20-5, 10-4 CCIW) in the first semifinal game at 5 p.m., followed by the top-seeded and No. 3-ranked Titans (21-4, 13-1 CCIW) facing fourth-seeded Augustana (18-7, 8-6 CCIW) in the second semifinal game at 7 p.m.

Friday's winners will face off in the tournament championship at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday with the winner earning the CCIW's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship.

The announcement for the NCAA Division III men's tournament field will be made on Monday, Feb. 25, at 11:30 a.m. on NCAA.com.

Illinois Wesleyan beat Augustana 63-60 at the Shirk Center on Jan. 9 and rallied from 16 points behind with 9:30 to play to top the Vikings, 71-65, in Rock Island on Jan. 30.

The Titans' bid to go through the CCIW season undefeated was dashed by an 87-83 overtime loss at North Central on Feb. 19. The loss also ended a 13-game winning streak, tied for fifth longest at the school.
The school record is 24, set in 1935-36, followed by 20 (1995-96), 16 (1996-97) and 14 (1969-70). The 1997-98 team also won 13 straight.

IWU was 13-0 in the CCIW for the first time the 1976-77 squad started with 14 wins (Carroll was in the league then and it was a 16-game schedule). That team ended 15-1. The 1969-70 team went 16-0 in the CCIW and trailed at the half in nine of those games. The 1964-65 team was 12-0.

Not since 1973 (Augustana, 16-0) has there been an undefeated CCIW champion. Since 1973, CCIW schools have won six NCAA D-III titles, finished second twice and third three times but no undefeated league champion. In the 39 years since Augie's 16-0 season, 14 champions had one loss (including IWU this season) and 15 champions had lost twice.

Illinois Wesleyan has a 4-5 record in five appearances in CCIW postseason play. In four of those five appearances, the Titans have played in the championship game but have never won the title. Go here for a listing of all games IWU has played in the CCIW postseason tourney.

In CCIW postseason games, IWU is 1-2 vs. Augustana, 1-1 against North Central and 2-1 against Wheaton.
The men's tourney has been at Augustana three times (2006, 2007, 2008), at North Central twice (2011, 2012), and at Wheaton (2009) and Carthage (2010) once.

Defending tournament champion North Central will make its third-straight trip to the conference's postseason event and sixth overall. The Cardinals also won the inaugural tournament in 2006.

Wheaton has qualified for the conference tournament in each of the last seven years including a tournament title in 2009. The only time the Thunder did not appear was in 2006.

Augustana is the only CCIW team to have qualified in all nine conference tournaments including three titles (2007, 2008, 2011). The Vikings hosted the tournament from 2006-08.