BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The long awaited 2020-21 Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball season gets underway this weekend as the Titans travel to Van Male Field House to take on the Pioneers of Carroll University Saturday, Jan. 23. Tipoff from Waukesha, Wis. is scheduled for 2 p.m.
    Illinois Wesleyan finished third in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin a season ago, posting a 19-9 overall record (11-5 CCIW) along the way. The Titans, who saw the season come to a close in the CCIW Tournament Championship, return 13 of 16 letterwinners from last year's squad. On the flip side, Carroll went 12-13 (5-11 CCIW) in 2019-20 and finished seventh in the league standings. With just four upperclassmen on the roster, the Pioneers will feature plenty of new faces this season.
    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.

YEAR 112: Illinois Wesleyan has compiled a 1683-918 record in its history, good for a .647 winning percentage. Additionally, the Titans 1683 wins are the fourth-most all-time in NCAA Division III. Meanwhile, IWU's 751 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.

MEET THE CAPTAINS: Ahead of the start of the season, Ron Rose named seniors Doug Wallen and Charlie Bair as the captains of this year's Titan squad.

LID LIFTERS: The Titans have compiled a 70-41 in lid lifters all-time, including an impressive 12-2 mark under Ron Rose. In fact, IWU have won four straight season openers dating back to a two-point loss to Benedictine in 2015-16.

OPENING ON THE ROAD: For the first time since the 2014-15 campaign, Illinois Wesleyan will begin the season on the road when it travels to Carroll this weekend. The last occurrence, which took place Nov. 15, 2014, saw IWU fall to Benedictine, 61-60. 
    Dylan Overstreet led the Titans with 16 points, six rebounds,  and five assists. Bryce Dolan added 15 points off the bench, and Jordan Nelson rounded out with double-digit scorers with 11 points of his own.

CLASHING WITH CARROLL: Saturday's showdown on the hardwood will mark the 85th all-time meeting between IWU and CU. The Titans hold a commanding, 66-18, lead in the series and have won four straight against the Pioneers.
    Last season, IWU swept the season series. The Titans escaped Van Male Field House with a 71-67 victory, Jan. 18, 2020, before pummeling the Pioneers, 88-44, inside the Shirk Center, Feb. 1.

DOUBLED UP: IWU put on a show for Hall of Famer Jack Sikma the last time the Titans tangled with the Pioneers. Illinois Wesleyan ran away with an 88-44 victory in front of a standing-room only crowd inside the Shirk Center, Feb. 1. Luke Yoder net a game-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Matthew Leritz  and Colin Cheaney scored 12 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench. Led by the then-junior duo, IWU's bench outscored the CU, 45-44. A nine-point game at the break, Illinois Wesleyan toppled Carroll 52-17 in the second half en route to the historic victory.

WALLEN'S WORLD: Senior Doug Wallen has seemed to be the Titans catalyst against Carroll the past few seasons. Wallen, who holds career averages of 7.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, has taken his game to another level against the Pioneers. In his last five games against CU, the Champaign, Ill. native has boosted his averages to 12.6 points and 7.6 boards per game.

CLIMBING THE RANKS: In his fourteenth-year, head coach Ron Rose is on the inching closer to IWU legend Jack Horenberger on the all-time wins list. With a career record of 262-129, Rose needs just two wins to tie Horenberger (264-212) for second all-time.  Dennie Bridges owns the record, having compiled a 667-319 mark in his legendary career.

BY THE NUMBERS: IWU has seen plenty of success on the hardwood in its storied history, highlighted by the Titans' NCAA National Championship in 1997. Overall, IWU has won 30 CCIW championships, made 25 tournament appearances, advanced to 17 "Sweet Sixteens," appeared in 11 "Elite Eights," and gone to six final fours.

NOBODY HAS MORE: The Titans success on the court has been matched by their efforts in the classroom. IWU has seen 24 student-athletes named Academic All-Americans, the most of any school across all NCAA divisions.

WHAT A DECADE IT WAS: IWU compiled a 202-85 record, good for a .705 win percentage since the calendar turned to 2010. The Titans won four CCIW Championships, posted five 20-win seasons, and appeared in seven NCAA Tournaments, including two runs to the Final Four, over that span.

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan and Carroll will face off again Monday, Jan. 25, inside the Shirk Center. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. Following the rematch, the Titans will ready for a home-and-home with Elmhurst.

ALL-CCIW HONOREES: Illinois Wesleyan returns a trio of CCIW postseason honorees in Luke Yoder, Matthew Leritz, and Peter Lambesis. Yoder was voted the league's Freshman of the Year, while Leritz and Lambesis earned first team and second team honors, respectively.
    Yoder became the first Titan to be named the CCIW Freshman of the Year since the awards inception in 2013 after averaging 10.4 points per game. His scoring average was the best by a freshman in the league, while he was slotted second in free throw percentage (88.5).
    Leritz garnered First Team All-CCIW honors after averaging 10.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while working his way back from injury. In the final 13 games of the 2019-20 season, the St. Louis, Mo. native posted 10 double-digit performances, highlighted by four 20-point efforts.
    Lambesis, a second teamer, led IWU in scoring(12.7 ppg), assists (70), steals (38), and free throws made (72). Lambesis was the lone Titan to start all 28 games, while he averaged a team-best 31.7 minutes per contest.

NO SPECTATORS: Due to state and local restrictions, as well as campus visitor policies, no spectators will be permitted at any indoor CCIW sporting events at this time. All CCIW members are fully focused on maintaining the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and campus communities.