BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team will travel westbound on I-74 to Carver Arena for an exhibition contest against NCAA Division I Bradley University. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
With the game serving as an exhibition for both squads Wednesday night, the game will not be live streamed. Fans can tune into the game via live stats or audio broadcast. Links on how to follow along can be found on the men's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

TARGET ON THEIR BACK: For the second year in a row, the Titans were pegged as the preseason favorite to win the Conference College of Illinois and Wisconsin title. Garnering six first place votes and 61 points, the Titans topped a list including two other nationally ranked teams and one receiving votes (Elmhurst, Wheaton, and North Central). Last season, the Titans proved that preseason polls can come true, as IWU was favored to win the CCIW crown and came out on top with a 14-2 regular season conference record.

ONE REMAINS: Senior Cody Mitchell finds himself as the only returning starter for the Titans this season. Last season, Mitchell was IWU's fifth leading scorer with 8.2 points per game and ranked second on the team pulling down 6.7 rebounds per game. Mitchell burst onto the scene early last season, scoring a career-high 29 points in the Titans second game out against Hope, Nov. 12, 2021.

NEXT MAN UP: With four of five starters gone, there are some big shoes to fill in terms of scoring and rebounding for the Titans this season. IWU lost their top four scorers and 70.8 percent of its total scoring from last season. The Titans also lost 56.8 percent of their rebounding, including Matthew Leritz who averaged 9.5 rebounds per game last year.

IWU AGAINST DIVISION I: In regular season games, the Titans are 5-57 against Division I opponents all-time. The Titans have defeated Iona three times, Loyola-Chicago once, and also Arizona during the 1982-83 season. In recent years, the Titans have faced the University of Illinois-Chicago and the University of Illinois in the 2018-19 season and Southern Illinois University in the 2019-20 season for exhibition games.

BATTLING BRADLEY: Given the close proximity between Bloomington and Peoria, the Titans and Braves have matched up 73 times in the history of the institutions during the regular season. The Braves lead the series at 38-35. The most recent matchup was on December 1, 1993, where Bradley came out on top, 81-63.

GETTING TO 300: Ron Rose is looking to reach an impressive milestone this season - 300 career wins. In his 16-year career, Rose has accumulated a 294-136 record including five conference championships. Prior to the 2022-23 campaign, Rose's 294 career wins is second most in Illinois Wesleyan history, trailing only school record holder Dennie Bridges (667-319, 1965-2001).
Furthermore, Rose's 294-136 record at the helm of his alma mater gives him the 31st-best win percentage among active NCAA Division III bench bosses, as well as the top in the CCIW.

DOING HIS BEST ALLEN IVERSON: Switching from No. 5 on his jersey to No. 3, senior Lucas Heflen looks to tap into his inner Allen Iverson by stepping into the point guard role for the Titans this season. Heflen played valuable minutes for the Titans last season, averaging 19 minutes per game and appearing in all 30 games. Outside of IWU's starting point guard, Heflen boasted the second best assist-to-turnover ratio on the team dishing out 42 assists and losing the ball only 29 times.

SROKA STEPPING UP: With four of the top five scorers and rebounders from last season gone, Ryan Sroka looks to transition out of a sixth man role into a starting role this season. Last season, Sroka was sixth on the team in terms of minutes (19.3 per game), points per game (5.9), and rebounds per game (3.3). The 6-foot-5 junior scored a career-high 16 points in the Titans' 80-76 win over eventual national runner-up Elmhurst on Jan. 17, 2022.

HOMECOMING OF SORTS: When IWU travels to Peoria, Ill., it will be an unusual trip back home for freshman David Williams. A product of Peoria Notre Dame, Williams is in his first season as a Titan following a standout career at PND.

SECOND INSTALLMENT OF THE SIKMA HALL OF FAME INVITATIONAL: On the horizon for the Titans is the start of the regular season inside the Shirk Center for the Sikma Hall of Fame Classic. The Titans will take on Yeshiva Saturday, Nov. 12 at 8 pm. On Sunday, Nov. 13, IWU will then play either UW-Stevens Point or Webster at either 1 or 3 p.m. depending on the outcome of Saturday's game.


POLLING STATION: Illinois Wesleyan enters the season ranked No. 21 in the D3hoops Preseason Poll. The announcement marks the 186th time IWU has been nationally ranked by the publication, putting the Titans in rare company. In fact, IWU's 186 appearances in the poll are the most in the CCIW and eighth nationally.

ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS: Matthew Leritz became the program's 26th Academic All-America honoree at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season. His selection increased IWU's national lead on UCLA, Indiana, Kansas, and Duke who have 20 all-time men's basketball awardees each.
Furthermore, IWU's all-time Academic All-American list currently sits at 142, which ranks in the top-25 across NCAA Division I, II, and III, as well as inside the top-10 in Division III.

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 32 CCIW championships, made 26 tournament appearances, advanced to 18 "Sweet Sixteens," appeared in 12 "Elite Eights," and gone to six final fours.