BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Two of the top teams in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin will square off Wednesday night, Jan. 8, when the Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team travels to Gregory Arena to face off against North Central College at 7 p.m.
    Illinois Wesleyan knocked off Millikin 80-71, Jan. 4, to work itself into a tie for first-place in the conference and move to 9-4 on the year and 3-1 in CCIW play. North Central is also tied atop the conference standings at 3-1 and is 10-3 overall following a 74-71 OT win over Wheaton, Jan. 4.
    Fans can tune into the game via live stats or live stream. Links on how to follow along can be found on the men's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

RAISING HIS PLAY: Thrust into the starting lineup due to injury, freshman Luke Yoder has stepped up to the new challenge in a big way.   Yoder checks in at ninth in the league in scoring at 14.7 points per game in conference. IWU's leading scorer in CCIW play, Yoder is shooting 70 percent from beyond the arc, the best clip in the conference, and is tied for second in the league with 1.8 steals per contest.
    Over his three conference starts, the Bloomington, Ill. native is averaging 17.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.3 steals.

• CELEBRATE "THE GAME" - IWU will celebrate the 50th anniversary of "The Game", the last in IWU's series with Illinois State Wednesday, Jan. 15. The first 300 fans will receive a commemorative poster honoring the Titans' 69-68 last-second win over the Redbirds.
• INTO THE RAFTERS - IWU's game against Carroll, Feb. 1, will see the Titans recognize Jack Sikma's induction into the Naismith Hall of Fame. 

CLASHING WITH THE CARDS ALL-TIME: Wednesday night's showdown will serve as the 163rd all-time meeting between Illinois Wesleyan and North Central. IWU holds a 117-46 lead in the all-time series, but has won just three of the past 10 meetings.
    The two CCIW rivals split last season's meetings, with the road team coming out on top in each. Most recently, Illinois Wesleyan bested NCC 72-64 in Naperville. Brady Rose scored 16 points and Doug Wallen and Jason Gregoire added 14 and 10, respectively, to lead the Titans to a six-point road win.

SCOUTING REPORT - NORTH CENTRAL: North Central finds itself tied with Illinois Wesleyan and Wheaton atop of the CCIW standings at 3-1 in league play, 10-3 overall. The Cardinals won their sixth straight, Jan. 4, knocking off Wheaton 74-71 in overtime.
    Reigning CCIW Player of the Week Connor Raridon leads the Cardinals with 17.0 points per game, followed by Matt Cappelletti at 13.4 points per contest. The duo also lead NCC in rebounding with 7.7 and 7.4 rebounds per game, respectively.
    North Central averages 80.0 points per game, fourth-best in the conference, and is shooting 47.5 percent from the floor on the season. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are holding opponents to 68.4 points a game and winning the rebounding battle 37.5-33.1.

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 .667-or-better, while the league sits at 70-43 on the season (.619 win percentage). 

BAIR'S BOARDS: Junior Charlie Bair has owned the glass this season, pulling down 10.2 rebounds per game. Bair ranks second in the conference and 35th nationally in rebounding average, while his 4.15 offensive boards per contest are 13th-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 132 rebounds are the most in the CCIW and 14th-most in all of NCAA Division III.

YEAR 111: Illinois Wesleyan has compiled a 1672-913 record in its history, good for a .649 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.

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 48.6 percent of his three-pointers, the best mark in the conference. Nationally, the Bloomington native ranks 14th in three-point field goal percentage and 52nd with 35 three-pointers made this season.

KEEPIN' IT CLEAN: The Titans are averaging just 12.7 turnovers per game, the second-best mark in the CCIW and the 74th-best nationally. IWU is forcing an average of 14.69 turnovers per game, the third-most in the league.

ROAD RECORD: Illinois Wesleyan owns a 79-49 away from the Shirk Center over the past 10 seasons, good for a .622 win percentage on the road over that span. IWU is 4-1 away from home this season, with wins at Chicago, Lake Forest, Anderson, and Augustana.

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan returns to the Shirk Center Wednesday, Jan. 15, when the Titans host the Vikings of North Park University. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.