BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team treks up the Windy City for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin bout with the Vikings of North Park University Saturday, Feb. 27. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. inside the NPU Gymnasium.
    Illinois Wesleyan locked up its fifth straight win with an 86-71 Senior Day victory against Millikin, Feb. 25. With the win, the Titans bumped their record to 5-0 on the season. North Park snapped its seven-game losing skid with a convincing 75-55 win at Carroll, Feb. 23, to improve to 2-10 overall.
    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.
SENIOR SEND OFF WAS A SUCCESS: The Titans honored their four-man senior class following a 15-point win over Millikin, Feb. 25. Fittingly, IWU was led by senior Charlie Bair's 24-points and 11 rebounds. Doug Wallen added 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while Colin Cheaney pulled down three rebounds and dished out an assist. Grant Wolfe, who saw his career cut short due to injuries, entered the game late and knocked down a free throw in the waning seconds.
AGAINST NORTH PARK ALL-TIME: Illinois Wesleyan holds an 88-33 advantage in the 120-game history between IWU and North Park, dating back to the 1962-63 campaign. The Titans have won the past seven meetings.
    Illinois Wesleyan toppled North Park, 81-56, when the two teams met inside the Shirk Center, Feb. 12. The win moved Head Coach Ron Rose into second on IWU's all-time wins list. Junior Matthew Leritz fueled the Titans in the win with a 22-point, 16-rebound double-double, while Doug Wallen and Cory Noe added 12 points apiece.
HOT SHOTS: The Titans lead the league in field goal percentage (.513) and three-point field goal percentage (.436), and rank ninth nationally.
    More impressively, four Titans top the league statistical leaders in field goal percentage. Doug Wallen leads the conference at .706, while Matthew Leritz (.652), and Keondre Schumacher (.576), and Cory Noe (.630) rank second, fifth, and sixth, respectively. Schumacher is converting a CCIW-best 65.4 percent of his threes, while Leritz (.643) is second and Noe is fourth (.526).
HOLDING STEADY AT NO. 2: In the fourth D3Hoops Poll of the season, the Titans maintained their No. 2 ranking. It is the highest rank for IWU since it entered at No. 2 in the 2013-14 preseason poll. Illinois Wesleyan and Wheaton (No. 4) represented the CCIW in the rankings.
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 167 appearances in the weekly poll are 10th-most all-time.
ON THE HORIZON: IWU returns home for a battle with fourth-ranked Wheaton Tuesday, March 2. Tipoff between the Titans and Thunder is set for 7 p.m. inside the Shirk Center.
