BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A busy stretch of four games in seven days continues Monday, Jan. 17, as the Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team takes on Elmhurst University in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee. Tipoff between the third-ranked Titans and No. 13 Bluejays is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Shirk Center.
    Illinois Wesleyan escaped an upset bid by Augustana College, 83-78, Jan. 15, to improve to 11-2 on the season and 4-1 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. The Bluejays will return to the court for the first time since a 93-74 rout of Lake Forest College, Dec. 30. The win, which was Elmhurt's third straight, has EU sitting at 11-2 overall and 3-1 in the CCIW heading into Monday.
    A live stream of the game will be available, along with live stats. Links on how to follow along can be found on the men's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

BEVO FRANCIS WATCH LIST: Senior Matthew Leritz was named to the Bevo Francis Top-100 Watch List Saturday, Jan. 15, an award that recognizes the best player across NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, USCAA, and NCCAA. Leritz  is the first Titan to be named to the list since Brady Rose was honored in 2019. He was one of five CCIW student-athletes recognized by Small College Basketball.
The top-100 will be cut in half, with the top-50 released Feb. 15. The list will then be trimmed to 25 March 15, before finalists are announced April 2. The 2022 Bevo Francis Award recipeint will be named April 4.

FINDING HIS GROOVE: Freshman Nick Roper has seeminly found his grove since the calendar flipped to 2022. The Creve Coeur, Mo. native is averaging 10 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.0 block per game over the past two outings. Roper, who is coming off a career-high 11-point performance against Augie Jan. 15, has connected on eight of his last nine shots, including going 2-for-3 from deep, over the past two games.

BATTLES WITH THE BLUEJAYS: Illinois Wesleyan holds a 114-25 advantage in the 139 all-time meetings between the Titans and Bluejays, and have won nine of the past 11 contests between the two.
Most recently, IWU defeated Elmhurst, 75-65, in the CCIW Tournament seminfinals March 9, 2021. Luke Yoder hit four three-pointers en route to a team-high 23 points, while Matthew Leritz added a 10-point, 15-rebound double-double.

FAMILIAR FACE: When the Titans take on the Bluejays Monday afternoon, IWU fans may recognize a familiar face in Elmhurst bench boss John Baines. A 1998 Illinois Wesleyan graduate, he was a part of teams that compiled a 103-14 record, played in the NCAA Tournament four times, reached the Final Four twice, and won a national championship in 1997.

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 286-56 record on their home floor, good for a .836 win percentage.

SCHEDULE SHUFFLING: Illinois Wesleyan's game against Elmhurst, originally scheduled for Jan. 5, was postponed to Monday, Jan. 17 at 2 p.m. IWU will also now play Carthage Monday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. in Kenosha, Wis. The CCIW updated its COVID scheduling guidelines to require teams to have a minimum of eight medically-cleared student-athletes to play.
Additionally, IWU has added a game against Concordia Chicago for Saturday, Jan. 29. The game, which replaces the Titans' previously scheduled game at Mount St. Vincent, will tip at 7 p.m.

ROSE NAMED TO MOST IMPACTFUL COACHES LIST: Illinois Wesleyan Head Coach Ron Rose was named to the NCAA Division III Most Impactful Head Coaches list by Silver Waves Media, Dec. 30. Rose was one of three CCIW coaches recognized, joining Elmhurst's John Baines and Wheaton's Mike Schauer.

LAM-BEAST-IS: Illinois Wesleyan's Peter Lambesis has been tasked with guarding the top offensive player on the opposing team throughout the season. Most recently, Lambesis held Division III's leading scorer, Ryan Turrell nearly eight points below his average.

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 177 appearances in the weekly poll are ninth-most all-time. The Titans are currently ranked No. 3 in the poll.

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan heads to the Windy City for a 7 p.m. game at North Park University Wednesday night, Jan. 19.