BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team puts its four-game win streak on the line when it hosts Wheaton College for its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin opener Wednesday night, Dec. 4, at the Shirk Center. Tipoff between the Titans and Thunder is scheduled for 7 p.m.
IWU picked up its fourth straight win with a 74-65 victory at Anderson, Nov. 27, to move to 5-1 on the season ahead of league play. Wheaton (4-2) makes the trip to Bloomington following a 68-66 overtime loss at Ripon, Nov. 30.
Fans can tune into the games via live stats or live stream, while Eric Stock and Joel Swanson 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.
TITAN COACHES SHOW IS BACK!: Fans can catch Illinois Wesleyan Head Basketball Coaches Ron Rose and Mia Smith on the weekly Titan Coaches Show every Thursday night at 7 p.m. hosted by Legends Sports Bar and Grill located at 712 S. Eldorado Rd. in Bloomington. Those unable to attend the weekly talk can listen in on 98.3 FM WEXG.
ANOTHER CALL FROM THE HALL: Former Illinois Wesleyan standout Chad Hutson will be inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame as member of the 2020 class.
Hutson donned the Green and White from 1991-95, leading IWU to three CCIW Championships. The Normal, Ill. native finished his career with 449 assists, a mark that ranks as the third-most in program history. Hutson is also slotted fourth in free throw percentage (83.5), 21st in free throws made (279), and 24th all-time with 84 three-pointers made.
IWU IN CCIW OPENERS: Illinois Wesleyan holds a 5-5 record in CCIW openers over the past 10 years. The Titans topped Carthage 75-67 to kickoff league play last season, snapping a four-game losing streak in conference openers.
IWU has opened the conference slate against Wheaton twice over the past 10 seasons, winning both meetings. The Titans outlast the Thunder, 83-80, Jan. 2, 2013, after holding off WC 87-77 in overtime, Jan. 4, 2012.
THE GAUNTLET: Illinois Wesleyan will enter the gauntlet Wednesday night, better known as College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play. Arguably the best men's basketball conference in all of NCAA Division III, the CCIW is home to four top-25 teams, the most of any league. D3Hoops.com has Elmhurst ranked 17th, North Central 19th, Carthage 21st, and Augustana 24th. Meanwhile, IWU is receiving votes in the poll.
SHOULD NOE BY NOW: Sophomore Cory Noe has been a consistent contributor for the Titans off the bench this season, averaging 7.2 points per game - the best of any non-starter.
Over the past two games though, the 6-foot-2 guard has been even better. Since IWU's win at Lake Forest, Nov. 23, Noe is averaging 12.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game.
LAMBESIS LOCKED IN: Sophomore Peter Lambesis has embraced his expanded role for the Titans this season. In 24 games as a freshman, Lambesis averaged 3.7 points and 1.8 rebounds per contest in just 11.6 minutes of work per game. This season, the Mt. Prospect, Ill. native is playing just a hair over 29 minutes a game and is making the most of his time on the floor. He ranks third on the team with 14.8 points per game and is also third on the team with 3.7 rebounds a game.
Most recently, Lambesis dropped a career-high 25 points and added eight rebounds in IWU's win over Anderson, Nov. 27.
TITANS AND THUNDER ALL-TIME: Illinois Wesleyan and Wheaton will battle for the 131st time Wednesday night. IWU holds a 82-48 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1946-47 season. Despite the Titans' stronghold on the all-time series, the Thunder have come out victorious in the past three meetings.
Illinois Wesleyan is in search of its first win over Wheaton since Dec. 6, 2017 when the Titans took down the Thunder 82-79 at King Arena. Brady Rose led IWU with 26 points, while Alex O'Neill fell just shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.
SCOUTING REPORT - WHEATON: The Thunder sit at 4-2 on the season ahead of Wednesday night's CCIW opener. Wheaton's two losses have come to Lake Forest and Ripon, while WC has topped Principia, UW-River Falls, Olivet, and Chicago.
Nyameye Adom, Tyson Cruickshank, and Anajuwon Spencer make up the three-headed monster that leads the Thunder. Adom averages a league-best 21.5 points per contest, while ranking second on the team with 6.0 rebounds per game and 21 assists. Cruickshank, who averages 17.7 points per game, and Spencer (12.2 ppg) are Wheaton's top three-ball threats. Cruickshank has hit a team-high 17 triples, while Spencer has connected on 12 three-pointers. In the post, Cade Alioth averages just shy of a double-double at 9.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest.
HEAT CHECK: Sophomore Keondre Schumacher has been a great addition to the Titans backcourt this season as IWU's leading scorer through six games. Perhaps more impressive though is his efficiency. Schumacher is converting 60.6 percent of his three-pointers, the best mark in the conference by a long shot. Nationally, the Bloomington native ranks seventh in three-point field goal percentage.
BAIR'S BOARDS: Junior Charlie Bair has owned the glass this season, pulling down 10.7 rebounds per game. Bair ranks second in the conference and 35th 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 three players in the conference with multiple double-doubles this season as he is tied with Carthage's Sean Johnson and Elmhurst's Lavon Thomas for the conference lead with two.
YEAR 111: Illinois Wesleyan has compiled a 1669-910 record in its history, good for a .648 winning percentage. Additionally, the Titans 1669 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.
SHIRK'S 25TH BIRTHDAY: The 2019-20 season marks the 25th anniversary of the Shirk Center. One of the greatest athletic venues in NCAA Division III, the Shirk Center has been home to more than 600 Titan basketball games between both the men and women. The men hold a 268-52 record on their home floor, good for a .838 win percentage.
CCIW PREDICTIONS: Illinois Wesleyan was predicted to finish third in the conference according to the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Coaches' Preseason Poll released by the league office, Oct. 30.
The Titans, who garnered 47 points, are behind preseason favorite North Central and Augustana. North Central received 63 points, including seven first-place votes, while Augie earned 56 points and two first-place votes. Carthage and Elmhurst were voted fourth and fifth, respectively, while Wheaton, Carroll, Millikin, and North Park rounded out the standings.
ON THE HORIZON: IWU remains at home Saturday, Dec. 7, when the Titans play host to the Red Men of Carthage College. The IWU-CC clash will be the bookend off a busy day inside the Shirk Center as the IWU track and field team's begin their season with the Titan Opener and the IWU women's hoops team takes on Carthage at 5 p.m. The men will tipoff at 7 p.m.
