BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – After an eight-day break, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team returns to the court at No. 23 Augustana College Sunday, Dec. 15, in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be the second leg of a doubleheader with the IWU women's basketball team.
IWU picked up its first CCIW win of the year in emphatic fashion, knocking off No. 21 Carthage 95-91, Dec. 7. With the victory, the Titans moved to 6-2 overall and 1-1 in league play. Augustana improved to 6-2 on the season with a 105-63 win over MacMurray, Dec. 12, and sit at 1-0 in CCIW action following a 65-63 overtime win over Carroll, Dec. 7.
Fans can tune into the games via live stats or live stream, while Eric Stock will also have the call on 98.3 FM WEXG. Links on how to follow along can be found on the men's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.
YODER CHANNELS HIS INNER YODA: In his third career start, Luke Yoder put on a show for his hometown crowd as the freshman point guard pushed IWU past No. 21 Carthage, 95-91, Dec. 7. Yoder dropped a career-high 26 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including a pair of triples, and added a game-high four steals. Yoder's 26-point performance was the best by a freshman in at least 23 years.
KEEPIN' IT CLEAN: The Titans are averaging just 11.6 turnovers per game, the best mark in the CCIW and the 35th-best nationally. Illinois Wesleyan is also second in the league in turnover margin at +3.1, which ranks 58th-best in the country.
DON'T HOLD IT AGAINST HIM: Illinois Wesleyan Athletic Director Mike Wagner is the lone common link between IWU and Augustana. Wagner, a 1992 Augie graduate, played football for the Vikings. A Honorable Mention All-American by Dan Hansen's Football Gazette, Wagner was an All-CCIW linebacker. He led Augie to three NCAA Division III Playoff appearances during his playing career.
DOUBLE THE DOUBLE-DOUBLES: Doug Wallen and Charlie Bair posted double-doubles in IWU's win over Carthage, Dec. 7. Wallen scored 20 points and tied Bair for the team lead with 11 rebounds, while Bair also added 13 points. It marked the first time two Titans recorded a double-double in the same game since Feb. 14, 2007 when Zack Freeman (23 pts, 15 rebs) and Darius Gant (12 pts, 10 rebs) accomplished the feat. Additionally it is just the eighth time since the 1999-00 campaign.
THE GAUNTLET: Arguably the best men's basketball conference in all of NCAA Division III, the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin is home to three top-25 team. D3Hoops.com has Elmhurst ranked 12th, Carthage 22nd, and Augustana 23rd. Meanwhile, North Central, Wheaton, and IWU are receiving votes in the poll.
HEAT CHECK: Sophomore Keondre Schumacher has been a great addition to the Titans backcourt this season as IWU's leading scorer through eight games. Perhaps more impressive though is his efficiency. Schumacher is converting 54.8 percent of his three-pointers, the best mark in the conference. Nationally, the Bloomington native ranks 10th in three-point field goal percentage and 95th with 23 three-pointers made this season.
BAIR'S BOARDS: Junior Charlie Bair has owned the glass this season, pulling down 10.3 rebounds per game. Bair ranks second in the conference and 38th nationally in rebounding average, while his 4.5 offensive boards per contest are 10th-most nationally and lead the CCIW. Additionally, Bair is one of two players in the conference with three-or-more double-doubles this season.
YEAR 111: Illinois Wesleyan has compiled a 1670-911 record in its history, good for a .647 winning percentage. Additionally, the Titans 1670 wins are the fourth-most all-time in NCAA Division III. Meanwhile, IWU's 740 CCIW wins are by-far-and-above the most in the league. In fact, the Titans have 118 more conference wins than any other school in the CCIW.
ROAD RECORD: Illinois Wesleyan owns a 78-48 away from the Shirk Center over the past 10 seasons, good for a .617 win percentage on the road over that span. IWU is 3-0 away from home this season, with wins at Chicago, Lake Forest, and Anderson.
ON THE HORIZON: IWU continues its stretch against nationally ranked opponents Thursday, Dec. 19, when No. 10 WashU travels to the Shirk Center. The non-conference tilt is scheduled for 7 p.m.
