BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team welcomes Augustana College to the Shirk Center Saturday night, Feb. 8, for Senior Night in a pivotal College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin clash. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and will serve as the final leg of a doubleheader with the IWU women's basketball team.
IWU notched its third straight win with a tight 76-74 comeback triumph at Millikin, Feb. 5. With the win, the Titans maintained pace in the CCIW standings at 14-6 overall and 9-3 in league games. Winners of four straight, Augustana treks to Bloomington with a 15-6 overall mark and 9-3 CCIW record following a 79-68 win at Wheaton, Feb. 5.
Fans can tune into the game 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.
THANK YOU, SENIORS!: Illinois Wesleyan will recognize seniors Bernie Coderre and Alex O'Neill prior to the start of Saturday's game as part of Senior Night festivities. Coderre, an accounting major, and O'Neill, a computer science major, have been a part of IWU squads that have compiled a 51-23 record (.689 win percentage), made three straight CCIW Tournaments appearances, as well as an NCAA Tournament berth.
BUCKLE UP: The next six days will see the top four teams in the CCIW play one another. After IWU hosts Augustana Saturday, the Titans will take on Elmhurst Wednesday, Feb. 12. Meanwhile, Elmhurst and North Central will square off Saturday evening, before NCC takes on Augie Wednesday.
With just one game separating the first-place team and fourth-place teams, the next two games will be crucial in solidifying seeding for the conference tournament.
DOUBLE-DIGIT COMEBACK: For the third time this season, and the second time against Millikin, Illinois Wesleyan erased a double-digit deficit for a come-from-behind win. The Titans trailed by 13 at the half Wednesday night, Feb. 5, in Decatur, outscoring the Big Blue 43-28 in the second half to secure a 76-74 win.
IWU had previously comeback from 10 points down at Augustana, Dec. 15, before winning 74-67 in overtime. The Titans also overcame a 13-point deficit against MU Jan. 4, before eventually notching an 80-71 win over the Big Blue.
CATCHING FIRE: Illinois Wesleyan's offense has caught fire, as the Titans have boasted shooting percentages of 50.0 percent-or-better in each of their past three games. IWU finished with a season-high 56.0 field goal percentage in an upset win over 13th-ranked North Central, Jan. 29, and has followed with a 54.1 clip against Carroll and a 50.9 mark at Millikin.
Over the past three contests, the Titans are 89-for-166 from the floor, good for a 53.6 clip, and have seen their season shooting percentage climb from 45.0 to 46.2 percent.
LOOKING TO BREAK OUT THE BROOMS: After running out of Carver with a 74-67 win over Augustana, Dec. 15, Illinois Wesleyan will try to sweep the regular season series with Augustana for the first time since the 2012-13 season when the two square off inside the Shirk Center, Feb. 8.
IWU outlasted AC 63-60 at the Shirk Center, Jan. 9, 2013 and topped Augie 71-65 in Rock Island, Ill., Jan. 30, 2013. The teams then met in the semifinals of the CCIW Tournament, where the Titans fell 53-47.
AGAINST AUGIE ALL-TIME: Illinois Wesleyan and Augustana will square off on the hardwood for the 172nd time Saturday, Feb. 8, in a series that dates back to the 1914-15 season. IWU leads the all-time tally, 95-76, but Augie has won 10 of the last 13 meetings.
Most recently, Illinois Wesleyan knocked of No. 23 Augustana in overtime, Dec. 15. Grant Wolfe scored 14 points and Charlie Bair added 13, as IWU outscored AC 13-6 in extra time to take walk away victorious, 74-67.
SCOUTING REPORT - AUGUSTANA: Winners of four in-a-row, Augustana travels to the Shirk Center with hope of building on its 15-6 overall record and 9-3 CCIW mark.
Pierson Wofford leads Augustana with 16.9 points per game, the fourth-best mark in the CCIW, and 6.8 rebounds per contest. Austin Elledge (13.9 ppg) and Micah Martin (13.1 ppg) are also inside the CCIW's top-15 in scoring at 11th and 14th, respectively. Elledge is the team's top three-point shooter with 32 triples on the season, while Martin adds 6.5 rebounds and a 46 blocks.
Augustana enters the contest as the top defensive team in the conference, holding opponents to a league-low 41.0 field goal percentage. The Vikings are third in the league in scoring defense, as they give up 66.7 points per contest, and are second in the CCIW with 105 blocks. Offensively, Augustana is shooting 48.1 percent from the floor, 36.8 from three-point range, and 68.1 at the free throw line, while averaging 75.4 points per game.
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.
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 273-55 record on their home floor, good for a .834 win percentage.
FINDING HIS GROOVE: After missing the first month of the season due to injury, sophomore Matthew Leritz has found his groove as of late. The 6-foot-7 forward is averaging 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 block per game over the past four contests. He has also been rather efficient, converting 29-of-44 (65.9 percent) of his shot attempts and has gone 12-for-16 at the charity stripe.
YEAR 111: Illinois Wesleyan has compiled a 1677-915 record in its history, good for a .647 winning percentage. Additionally, the Titans 1677 wins are the fourth-most all-time in NCAA Division III. Meanwhile, IWU's 745 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.
CASHING IN: Illinois Wesleyan has been one of the best when it comes to cashing in at the free throw line this season. In fact, the Titans rank second in the conference and 74th nationally with a free throw percentage of 73.9. North Central leads the conference at 77.8 percent from the line.
KEEPIN' IT CLEAN: The Titans are averaging just 12.5 turnovers per game, the third-best mark in the CCIW and the 75th-best nationally. IWU is forcing an average of 15.05 turnovers per game, the second-most in the league, and hold the league's second-best turnover margin at +2.6 (59th nationally).
BAIR'S BOARDS: Junior Charlie Bair has owned the glass this season, pulling down 8.9 rebounds per game. Bair ranks top in the conference and 74th nationally in rebounding average, while his 3.55 offensive boards per contest are 26th-most nationally and lead the CCIW. Additionally, Bair is one of three players in the conference with six-or-more double-doubles this season and his 178 rebounds are the most in the CCIW and 65th-most in all of NCAA Division III.
ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan wraps up the home portion of the 2019-20 regular season Wednesday night, Feb. 12, when the Titans take on the Bluejays of Elmhurst College. The CCIW matchup is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
