BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Two Titans of Division III men's basketball are set to meet Saturday, Nov. 26 at the Kolf Sports Center on the campus of University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh as the Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team pays a visit to third-ranked UWO. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.
    Both teams will enter the contest after participating in the inaugural Small College Basketball Champions Classic, Nov. 18-19, in Aberdeen, S.D. Illinois Wesleyan looks to bounce back from an overtime loss to 13th-ranked University of St. Joseph (Conn.), Nov. 19. IWU enters Saturday even at 2-2 on the year. Meanwhile, UWO (4-2) welcomes the Green and White as winners of two in-a-row. After closing out the SCB Champions Classic with a six-point win over Nebraska Wesleyan University, Oshkosh returned home to defeat Edgewood College, Nov. 22.
    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.

TITANS VS. TITANS: Illinois Wesleyan and UW-Oshkosh will meet for just the second time ever Saturday, Nov. 26. IWU leads the series, 1-0, after holding off UWO, 65-63, in last season's Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational.
The Green and White led 37-29 at halftime, but UW-Oshkosh rallied back to tie the score at 56 with just under five minutes to play. UWO had a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but the three-point attempt was off and rebounded by Cory Noe to seal the IWU win.

IWU VS. THE WIAC: Illinois Wesleyan has a fairly limited history with the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, despite the league's proximity. IWU has squared off against six of the Madison-based conference's eight institutions and holds an overall record of 11-8 against the conference. The Green and White is 2-0 against UW-Platteville and 1-0 against UW-Oshkosh, UW-La Crosse, and UW-River Falls. IWU holds a 3-4 record against both UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater.

SENIORS SNAG SCB HONORS: The senior duo of Cody Mitchell and Lucas Heflen landed on the Small College Basketball Champions Classic All-Tournament team, Nov. 19. Mitchell averaged 19.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game over the two-game stretch, while Heflen added 19.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, and 2.5 assists per contest.

3-FOR-3: Better known for his shifty drives to the bucket, Lucas Heflen caught fire from beyond the arc in IWU's win over Nebraska Wesleyan, Nov. 18. Heflen finished the game 6-for-12 from three-point range as he hit several key triples down the stretch to lead IWU to victory. Heflen's six three-balls are the most by a Titan since Keondre Schumacher hit seven against North Central, Feb. 6, 2021.

NO BACK-TO-BACKS: After opening the season with two weekend tournaments in-a-row, IWU will take a break from back-to-back games Saturday, Nov. 26, when it travels to Oshkosh, Wis. After winning its opening game at both the Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational and the Small College Basketball Champions Classic, the Green and White went to fall in its second game of each tournament. Illinois Wesleyan is looking for its first Saturday victory of the season, as well as its first since defeating UW-La Crosse, 65-56, to advance to the Sweet Sixteen March 5, 2021.

COMMON BOND: Despite being just a few weeks into the 2022-23 season, UWO and IWU share two common opponents. Both teams defeated Nebraska Wesleyan last weekend, with Oshkosh pulling away from the Prairie Wolves, 63-57, and Illinois Wesleyan edging NWU, 73-67. Addtionally, both squads hold losses to 13th-ranked St. Joseph (IWU - 73-64; UWO 60-44).

NO NEED FOR WINDEX: Illinois Wesleyan has been dominant on the glass this season, out-rebounding its opponents 161 to 118. The strong effort on the glass has IWU holding a +10.8 rebounding margin on the season, the 16th-best in all of Division III. Senior Cody Mitchell leads the Green and White with 8.3 boards per contest, while Lucas Heflen and Nick Roper are good for 5.0 rebounds a game. Harrison Wilmsen, who has been limited in minutes, has grabbed 4.3 per contest and Ryan Sroka has added 4.0 rebounds a game.

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 296-138 record including five conference championships. Currently, Rose's 296 career wins is second most in Illinois Wesleyan history, trailing only school record holder Dennie Bridges (667-319, 1965-2001).
Furthermore, Rose's 296-138 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.

ON THE HORIZON: The Titans turn their focus to CCIW play following Saturday's showdown, as Illinois Wesleyan continues its lengthy roadtrip at Elmhurst University Wednesday, Nov. 30. IWU's CCIW opener is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside EU's R.A. Faganel Hall.