BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – After a seven-day hiatus, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team returns to action against North Park University Wednesday night, Jan. 15, inside the Shirk Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will see the Titans celebrate the 50th anniversary of the final game in their long-time series with Illinois State.
Illinois Wesleyan welcomes North Park to Bloomington with hopes of improving upon its 9-5 record (3-2 CCIW). The Titans are coming off an 82-69 setback at No. 18 North Central, Jan. 8. North Park is in search of its first win of the decade, as the Vikings sit at 2-12 on the year and find themselves amid a four-game losing skid. The Vikings were overpowered at No. 11 Elmhurst, Jan. 11, falling 96-81 to drop to 0-5 in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play.
Fans can tune into the games via live stats or live stream, while Eric Stock and Joel Swanson will 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.
THE LAST GAME: Fifty years ago IWU's annual cross-town rivalry came to an end with a last second shot by team captain Tom Gramkow. His top-of-the-key jumper lifted Illinois Wesleyan past Illinois State 69-68 in the final game of the crosstown rivalry, Jan. 13, 1970. The Titans will celebrate the final game of the story rivalry at halftime of Wednesday night's game against North Park, as legendary coach Dennie Bridges and members of the 1969-70 squad will be honored.
The first 300 fans in attendance will receive a poster commemorating the historic game.
AGAINST NORTH PARK ALL-TIME: Illinois Wesleyan holds an 85-33 advantage in the 118-game history between IWU and North Park, dating back to the 1962-63 campaign. The Titans have won the past four meetings, most recently sweeping the season series a year ago. IWU blew past NPU 97-49 in the Windy City Jan. 2, 2019, before cruising to a 111-66 win at home, Feb. 13, 2019.
SCOUTING REPORT - NORTH PARK: North Park enters Wednesday's clash in search of its first conference win of the season and its first since a Dec. 20 win at Illinois College.
Karl Polk Jr. highlights a pair of double-digit scorers for the Vikings, as he averages 10.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Toby Marek is the team's top scorer at 11.9 points per game, and leads North Park in assists (47) and steals (16). Matt Szuba is the team's top three-point three, having gone 26-of-72 from the long line through 14 games. He also leads the team with 6.9 rebounds per contest.
As a team, North Park is averaging just 66.4 points per game. The Vikings are shooting 41.3 percent from the floor, but just 32.1 percent from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, NPU is giving up 77 points a game and has seen opponents shoot 47.9 percent.
NOE LIMIT: Sophomore Cory Noe turned in a career day at No. 18 North Central, Jan. 8, scoring a career-high 21 points off the bench. Noe went 5-for-9 from the floor and hit 4-of-5 three-pointers to lead the Titans. It marked the first time Noe has led the Titans in scoring in his career.
HONORING A HALL OF FAMER: IWU's game against Carroll, Feb. 1, will see the Titans celebrate Jack Sikma's induction into the Naismith Hall of Fame.
A 1977 IWU graduate, Sikma is the school's all-time leading scorer (2,272 points) and rebounder (1,405) and, in each of his last three seasons, the Titans won College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championships and advanced to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics tournament in Kansas City. He was also a two-time Academic All-American and was selected in 1999 to the CoSIDA Academic All-American Hall of Fame.
The No. 8 pick in the first round of the 1977 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, Sikma scored 17,287 points and got 10,816 rebounds in the NBA and was a key player on Seattle's 1979 NBA championship team. He holds Seattle's team records for rebounds (7,729) and free throws made (3,044).
NEW YEAR, NEW LOCATION: The New Year has brought about a change in location for the weekly coaches show. Fans can catch Illinois Wesleyan Head Basketball Coaches Ron Rose and Mia Smith every Thursday night at 7 p.m. hosted by Cheeks Bar and Grill located at 1206 Towanda Ave. in Bloomington, beginning Jan. 9. Those unable to attend the weekly show can listen in on 98.3 FM WEXG.
NO CUPCAKES: Seven of the nine members that make up the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin boast a win percentage of .600-or-better, while the league sits at 77-50 on the season (.606 win percentage).
BAIR'S BOARDS: Junior Charlie Bair has owned the glass this season, pulling down 9.6 rebounds per game. Bair ranks second in the conference and 46th nationally in rebounding average, while his 3.86 offensive boards per contest are 16th-most nationally and lead the CCIW. Additionally, Bair is one of three players in the conference with five-or-more double-doubles this season and his 135 rebounds are the most in the CCIW and 35th-most in all of NCAA Division III.
YEAR 111: Illinois Wesleyan has compiled a 1672-914 record in its history, good for a .649 winning percentage. Additionally, the Titans 1672 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 more than 100 conference wins than any other school in the CCIW.
HEAT CHECK: Sophomore Keondre Schumacher has been a great addition to the Titans backcourt this season and has been one of the more efficient shooters in the country. Schumacher is converting 47.4 percent of his three-pointers, the best mark in the conference. Nationally, the Bloomington native ranks 14th in three-point field goal percentage and 86th with 37 three-pointers made this season.
KEEPIN' IT CLEAN: The Titans are averaging just 12.6 turnovers per game, the best mark in the CCIW and the 67th-best nationally. IWU is forcing an average of 14.5 turnovers per game, the third-most in the league.
ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan hits the road for a clash at Carroll Saturday, Jan. 18. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. and will serve as the second leg of a doubleheader with the IWU women's basketball team.
