BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The No. 2 Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team looks to extend its six-game winning streak to seven in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin season opener against Carroll University Saturday, Dec. 4, at the Shirk Center. The matchup between the Titans and Pioneers, which tips off at 7 p.m., is the second game of a doubleheader with the Titan women's basketball team.
    The Titans (6-0) are fresh off of a 33-point victory against the University of Chicago inside the Shirk Center Wednesday night, Dec. 1. After a two-week hiatus, the Pioneers (3-3) look to bounce back from an 81-76 loss to Bethany Lutheran College on Saturday, Nov. 20.
    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.

WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS: In Wednesday night's win over the University of Chicago, the Titan's shot an impressive 11-of-22 from downtown. That was the most since the Titan's drained 16 threes in a win over North Central on Feb. 6, 2021. Ryan Sroka led the Titans on Wednesday night with a trio of triples, while Cody Mitchell, Cory Noe, and Luke Yoder sank two apiece from deep. Pryce Punkay off the bench gave the Titans their 11th triple in the final minutes.

DEFENSIVE LOCKDOWN: The Titans held the Maroon's to just 50 points on Wednesday night en route to an 83-50 victory. UC's 50 points are the fewest the Titan's defense has allowed since Feb. 1, 2020 against Carroll when IWU held the Pioneers to 44 points. Additionally, the 33 point win over Chicago was the greatest margin of victory since the rout of Carroll, when the Titans defeated the Pioneers 88-44, a margin of 44 points.

A FEW FIRSTS: In IWU's victory over the University of Chicago on Wednesday night, a few Titans scored their first career points. Sophomore Pryce Punkay, fresh off injury, sank a three and a pull-up jumper in the closing minutes, while freshman Harrison Wilmsen scored his first three points of the season on an and-one. Transfer junior Landon Wolfe pulled down four rebounds and had five points, the first points of his career as a Titan.

CLASHES WITH CARROLL: Illinois Wesleyan and Carroll have met on the hardwood a total of 85 times ahead of Saturday's league opener, with the Titans holding a 67-18 record against the Pioneers all-time. IWU has won the past five meetings by an average of 15.6 points per game. CU's last win over the Green and White came back in the 2018-19 campaign, when the Pios upended Illinois Wesleyan, 90-83, inside the Shirk Center Dec. 15, 2018.
    The Titans and Pioneers most recently met in last season's opener, where IWU was victorious on the road, 74-59. Peter Lambesis paced the Titans with 24 points and six steals, while Matthew Leritz added a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double.

BATTLE OF EXTREMES: Led by one of the most efficient backcourts in the country, the Titans are third in Division III and first in the CCIW, turning the ball over just nine times per game. Further, the Titans' assist-to-turnover ratio (1.44) ranks 20th in Division III and first in the conference.
    Carroll, famous for frequently mixing up their defenses, is forcing opponents to turn the ball over 19.83 times per game, which is first in the CCIW and 27th in all of Division III. Additionally, the Pioneers are first in the CCIW and 17th in Division III in steals per game, swiping the ball away 11.5 times per contest.

CCIW OPENERS: Illinois Wesleyan holds a 5-5 record in CCIW openers over the past 10 years. The Titans topped Carroll 74-59 on the road to kickoff league play last season, which was the first time the Titans and Pioneers had met in a conference play opener.

SORRY OPPONENTS, BUT IT DOESN'T GET EASIER…: The Titans' bench has proven to be a key asset so far this season. Sophomore Ryan Sroka, occasional starter or valuable sixth man, is shooting 44.8 percent from the field and averaging 20 minutes per game. Six-foot-seven freshman Nick Roper comes off the bench for crucial defensive minutes and averages almost three rebounds per game and a 55.6 shooting clip. Junior Lucas Heflen, an effective ball handler option for the Titans, averages 5.3 points per game and owns a 57.7 shooting clip per game.

ENTER, IF YOU DARE: The Titans will enter the gauntlet this Saturday night, better known as CCIW play. In the latest D3hoops.com poll, three CCIW teams were ranked in the top-10 in the country with Illinois Wesleyan at No. 2, Wheaton at No. 5, and Elmhurst at No. 7. North Central, (unranked) has the CCIW's leading scorer and the fourth leading scorer in the country, Matt Helwig, who is averaging 29 points per game. The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference also has three teams in the top-10 in the D3hoops.com poll, along with one team receiving votes.

REACHING 1700: As a program, IWU men's basketball is currently sitting at 1,695 wins. With five 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.

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 285-56 record on their home floor, good for a .836 win percentage.

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan takes a week off for finals before returning to action Saturday, Dec. 11, with a road game at fifth-ranked Wheaton College. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside King Arena.