BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team travels to Van Male Fieldhouse Saturday, Jan. 18, for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin clash at Carroll University. Tipoff is scheduled for approximately 4 p.m. and will serve as the second leg of a doubleheader with the IWU women's basketball team.
Illinois Wesleyan is looking for its fourth CCIW win in five tries as the Titans used a 70-56 win over North Park, Jan. 15, to push their record to 10-5 overall and 4-2 in league play. Carroll, which will return to the court for the first time in a week, has lost four of its last five. The Pioneers are 9-6 on the season (2-4 CCIW) and have lost three straight conference contests dating back to Jan. 4.
Fans can tune into the games via live stats or live stream, while Eric Stock and Joel Swanson will have the call on IWUSports.com. Links on how to follow along can be found on the men's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.
TALE OF TWO HALVES: Illinois Wesleyan came out with a 70-56 win over North Park Wednesday night, Jan. 15, behind two very different halves of play.
After shooting a measly 27 percent from the floor over the first 20 minutes and allowing the Vikings to connect at a 46.4 clip, the Titans turned the tables in the second half. Coming out of the break trailing 32-26, IWU converted 17-of-27 shots (63.0 percent) over the final 20 minutes and held NPU to 10-of-34 from the floor, 1-of-15 from distance, to close out the game on a 17-4 run and come away victorious, 70-56.
THE BEST IN THE LEAGUE: Illinois Wesleyan and Carroll are the top two teams in the CCIW in terms of turnover margin. Carroll leads the league at +4.73, as the Pioneers turn the ball over just 13.1 times per contest and force 17.9 turnovers a game. On the flip side, IWU sits at +1.87 and averages a league-best 12.5 turnovers per game. Additionally, the Titans are forcing the third-most turnovers in the CCIW (14.4).
DEFENSIVE TEST: Illinois Wesleyan will go up against the top defense in the league when it travels to Carroll Saturday afternoon, Jan. 18. The Pioneers are holding opponents to a league-low 63.9 points per game and have seen opponents grab 31.3 rebounds per game, the best defensive rebounding mark in the conference.
CLASHING WITH CARROLL ALL-TIME: Saturday's showdown in Waukesha will pit the Titans and Pioneers against one another for the 83rd time. Illinois Wesleyan holds a 64-18 lead in the all-time series, including a 5-2 record under Ron Rose.
Last season the two teams split the regular season meetings, before IWU bounced Carrol from the CCIW Tournament in the first round, 82-73, in Bloomington. Brady Rose led all scorers with 24 points, while Doug Wallen tallied 17 points and eight rebounds in the win.
SCOUTING REPORT - CARROLL: Returning to action for the first time since a 63-55 setback at North Central, Jan. 11, Carroll enters Saturday with a 9-6 overall record. The Pioneers have lost three straight CCIW games and sit at 2-4 in league play, with their four losses decided by a combined 19 points.
The Pioneers use a balanced starting lineup that has all five starters averaging 9.8 points-or-more. Nick Penny leads the way at 13.7 points a contest, followed by Charlie Soule (12.3), Kale Maupin (10.7), Blake Williams (10.6), and Ryan Clarey (9.8). Soule is the team's top rebounder, hauling in 5.6 boards a game, while Clarey has dished out a team-high 65 assists and has notched a team-leading 28 steals.
As a team, Carroll is outscoring the opposition 72.9-63.9 and has shot 46.2 percent from the floor. Defensively, the Pioneers forced 17.9 turnovers a game and are averaging 20 points off turnovers per contest.
ROAD RECORD: Illinois Wesleyan owns a 79-50 away from the Shirk Center over the past 10 seasons, good for a .620 win percentage on the road over that span. IWU is 4-2 away from home this season, with wins at Chicago, Lake Forest, Anderson, and Augustana.
BAIR'S BOARDS: Junior Charlie Bair has owned the glass this season, pulling down 9.7 rebounds per game. Bair ranks second in the conference and 42nd nationally in rebounding average, while his 3.73 offensive boards per contest are 20th-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 146 rebounds are the most in the CCIW and 31st-most in all of NCAA Division III.
YEAR 111: Illinois Wesleyan has compiled a 1673-914 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 741 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 46.5 percent of his three-pointers, the best mark in the conference. Nationally, the Bloomington native ranks 16th in three-point field goal percentage and 79th with 40 three-pointers made this season.
KEEPIN' IT CLEAN: The Titans are averaging just 12.5 turnovers per game, the best mark in the CCIW and the 69th-best nationally. IWU is forcing an average of 14.4 turnovers per game, the third-most in the league.
ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan remains on the road with a trip up to Elmhurst, Ill. Wednesday, Jan. 22 for a clash with Elmhurst College. Tipoff between the Titans and Bluejays is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside R.A. Faganel Hall.
