BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The second-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team returns to action after an 11-day break for a non-conference clash with the University of Chicago Wednesday night, Dec. 1. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Shirk Center and will serve as the second leg of a doubleheader with the IWU women's basketball team.
    Illinois Wesleyan is unbeaten at 5-0 on the season after a successful trip to Michigan, Nov. 19-20. The Titans defeated Alma, 91-74, and Calvin, 81-72. Chicago sits at 4-2 on the season. The Maroons recently snapped a two-game losing skid with an thrilling 65-63 win over Illinois Tech, Nov. 27.
    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.

NEW NO. 2 IN THE NATION: IWU jumped two spots from No. 4 to No. 2 in the first D3hoops.com Top-25 Poll of the season. It is the 174th time IWU has appeared in D3hoops.com's Top-25, the ninth-most appearances across all of Division III. The Titans received three first-place votes and totaled 586 points, coming in just behind top-ranked Yeshiva who garnered 603 points. The Titans will face Yeshiva on Dec. 30 in a potential No.1 vs. No.2 matchup.

DOUBLE THE HONORS FOR A DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE: Senior Matthew Leritz reeled in two honors after his performances against Alma and Calvin, Nov. 19-20. He averaged 28 points and 7.5 rebounds in those two wins. He recorded his third double-double of the season with 28 points, 23 of which came in the second half, and 12 rebounds in a win at Calvin. Leritz was named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Player of the Week and earned a spot on the D3hoops.com Team of the Week, Nov. 23.

MATCHUPS WITH THE MAROONS: IWU has met up with Chicago annually since 1997, with the exception of the 2020-21 season, and holds a 20-8 edge in the all-time series. The Titans are currently on a four-game win streak against the Maroons, and have won eight of the last nine matchups. UC's last win over IWU came Dec. 14, 2015, where Chicago defeated Illinois Wesleyan, 74-57, in the Windy City.
The last time the Titans and Maroons met was Nov. 19, 2019, where IWU was victorious on the road, 78-74. Grant Wolfe paced IWU with 20 points, while  Peter Lambesis added 15 as four Titans finished in double figures.

RANKINGS ON REPEAT: Illinois Wesleyan is one of 20 programs that have appeared in at least 100 D3Hoops.com Top-25 rankings. In fact, the Titans 173 appearances in the weekly poll are ninth-most all-time.

REACHING 1700: As a program, IWU men's basketball is currently sitting at 1,694 wins. With eight more wins this season, the Titans will join an elite club as just two other current Division III men's basketball programs have reached the 1,700-win threshold. Wittenberg leads Division III in wins with 1,813, while Wooster is in second with 1,765 program wins.

CRASH THE BOARDS: In a win over Calvin on Saturday Nov. 20, IWU recorded 13 offensive rebounds as a team that converted into 14 second chance points. Matthew Leritz had three offensive boards, while Cody Mitchell recorded a game-high four. Calvin had five offensive rebounds as a team and scored four second chance points. The Titans won the game, 81-72.

HOME COOKING: 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 284-56 record on their home floor, good for a .835 win percentage.

HOLIDAY TRAVEL: Including wins at Alma and Calvin, Nov. 19-20, the Titans are 17-7 in the past five seasons in out of state, non-conference games. Over the holiday break, the Titans have taken trips to Texas, California, Georgia, and New York in the past five seasons for competitive, non-conference matchups. This upcoming holiday season is no different, as IWU will travel to New York City, N.Y. for matchups with Mt. St. Vincent and current No. 1 Yeshiva on Dec. 29 and 30, respectively.

ON THE HORIZON: The Titans will stay at home for a conference opener with Carroll, Dec. 4. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Shirk Center.

A DEMANDING DECEMBER SCHEDULE: In the weeks leading up to a potential No.1 versus No. 2 matchup with Yeshiva on Dec. 30, the Titans have no easy task in remaining undefeated. IWU will face conference foe No. 5 Wheaton on the road, Dec. 11. The Titans will then travel to North Central for a Dec. 15 date with the Cardinals and the CCIW's leading scorer, Matt Helwig, who is averaging 29 points per game. On Dec. 19, IWU travels to St. Louis, Mo. for a matchup with No. 20 WashU.