ABERDEEN, S.D. - The No. 21 Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team gets back into action this weekend at the Small College Basketball Champions Classic in Aberdeen, S.D. The Titans will take on Nebraska Wesleyan University Friday, Nov. 18 at 10 am. On Saturday, Nov. 19, the Titans will square off against the No. 13 team in the country, University of St. Joseph (Conn.).
    The No. 21 Titans are 1-1 overall and are coming off of a heartbreaking loss to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point their last time out on Nov. 13. The Titans were stunned as the Pointers scored six unanswered points to end the game, 71-67. Nebraska Wesleyan is 1-0 on the season and is coming off a win over Colorado College 86-67 on Saturday, Nov. 12. USJ sits at 2-0 on the year, having picked up wins over a pair of teams receiving votes in the D3hoops.com Top-25. The Bluejays bested Yeshiva, 69-60, in their opener, before taking down Babson, 77-56, Nov. 14.
    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.

SMALL COLLEGE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS CLASSIC: Small College Basketball is a renowned source for promoting divisions of college basketball that don't always receive national attention. The inaugural SCB Champions Classic features a field of 12 teams including four NCAA Division II teams, four NCAA Division III teams, and four NAIA teams. Northern State University, a division two program located in Aberdeen, S.D. will serve as host to the first annual championship.
On the Division III side of things, the Small College Basketball Champions Classic has attracted some of the top teams in the country in its first year. 2019 National Champion and No. 3 UW-Oshkosh, 2018 National Champion Nebraska Wesleyan, rising powerhouse and current No. 13 St. Joseph, and none other than Illinois Wesleyan will be the four teams competing.

WE'RE GOING ON A TRIP: The Titans will travel 11 and a half hours and 767 miles to Wachs Arena for the SCB Champions Classic, Nov. 18-19. To put that in perspective, Illinois Wesleyan travels a total of 1077 miles (one-way) for its entire CCIW slate.

PLAYING THE PRAIRIE WOLVES: Friday morning's matchup will mark the eighth time Nebraska Wesleyan and Illinois Wesleyan have met on the hardwood. The Titans lead the all-time series record 6-1. The two "Wesleyans" most recently met in the 2002-03 season as part of the DIII Shootout in Honolulu, Hawaii when IWU defeated the Prairie Wolves 68-56.
The most notable matchup came at the conclusion of the 1996-97 season when the Titans defeated the Prairie Wolves, 89-86, to hoist the NCAA DIII national championship trophy.

BATTLES WITH THE BLUEJAYS: The No. 21 Titans and No. 13 St. Joseph's (Conn.) will meet for the first time ever on Saturday, Nov. 19. The Bluejays have shown success in recent years, having a combined 54-7 record over the past three seasons. The Titans and Bluejays have one common opponent this season in Yeshiva. The Titans defeated Yeshiva 76-71 on Nov. 21, while three days prior St. Joseph beat the Macs 69-60.

SCARY HARRY: Despite playing on restricted minutes, Harrison Wilmsen seems to be skipping the sophomore slump. Wilmsen landed on the all-tournament team last weekend for his performance in the Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational. In the Titans' win over Yeshiva Saturday night, Wilmsen scored a career-high 19 points and  grabbed a career-best seven rebounds. He followed up that performance with another double-digit night, scoring 12 points against UW-Stevens Point.

FROM THE 314 TO THE 309: It's no secret that IWU's coaching staff has had great success in recruiting in recent years, especially in the St. Louis area. If 2022 graduate and All-American Matthew Leritz foreshadows the success that St. Louis natives can have at Illinois Wesleyan, there will be much success to be had for three current players on the IWU roster. Nick Roper, who is poised for a breakout sophomore campaign also hails from the Lou, along with sophomore Harrison Wilmsen and junior Evan Schneider, who look to add to the list of successful St. Louis big men.

HOW'S THE WEATHER UP THERE?: The Titans will have one of the taller teams in the CCIW and possibly across Division III this season. Senior point guard Lucas Heflen, who stands at six-foot-two, will be the shortest player in the Titans rotation. Six-foot-five guard Ryan Sroka and six-seven guard Nick Roper will serve as two of the taller wings in the league. In the post, the Titans will likely rotate five guys over six-foot-six including Cody Mitchell, Harrison Wilmsen, Evan Schneider, Marko Anderson, and six-foot-10 freshman Nathan Boldt.

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.

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 295-137 record including five conference championships. Currently, Rose's 295 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.