BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Another College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin bout awaits the Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team Saturday, Dec. 17, as 16th-ranked Wheaton College treks to the Shirk Center for a 4:15 p.m. tipoff. The clash between league heavyweights will follow the Titan-Thunder women's basketball game scheduled for 2 p.m.
    Illinois Wesleyan rolls into Saturday with a 3-0 record in league play and sits at 5-3 overall on the year. After winning a pair of CCIW road games to kickoff conference play, the Titans held off North Central College, 87-85, inside the Shirk Center, Dec. 10. Wheaton owns a 7-3 record, including a 1-1- league mark. The Thunder most recently saw a four-game win streak snapped in overtime against Elmhurst University, Dec. 10, by a score of 79-75.
    Fans can tune into the game via live stats, live stream, or radio broadcast. Links on how to follow along can be found on the men's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

AGAINST THE THUNDER ALL-TIME: Illinois Wesleyan and Wheaton will battle for the 136th time Saturday night. IWU holds a 85-51 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1946-47 season. Despite the Titans' stronghold on the all-time series, the Thunder have come out victorious in six of the past nine meetings.
    Illinois Wesleyan is riding a two-game win streak against Wheaton, including a 77-73 triumph in last season's Sweet Sixteen showdown at the Shirk Center March 11, 2022. Four Titans hit double-digit figures, with Matthew Leritz leading the way with 23 points, six rebounds, and three assists.

A MUCH DIFFERENT LOOK: When IWU and Wheaton play Saturday, the two teams will look much different than a season ago. In fact, a combined 78 percent of last year's scoring (334 of 429 points) from the three games one season ago will not take the court. Illinois Wesleyan has lost 82 percent of its scoring from last season's series, while Wheaton lost 73 percent.

20/20 VISION: Illinois Wesleyan's senior duo of Lucas Heflen and Cody Mitchell powered the Titans past the Cardinals, 87-85, Dec. 10. Heflen went off for a career-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including four three-pointers. Mitchell notched his third double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds. It marked the first time two Titans broke the 20-point mark in the same game since Jan. 17, 2022 when Matthew Leritz and Luke Yoder tallied 27 points apiece.

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 299-139 record including five conference championships. Currently, Rose's 299 career wins is second most in Illinois Wesleyan history, trailing only school record holder Dennie Bridges (667-319, 1965-2001).
Furthermore, Rose's 299-139 record at the helm of his alma mater gives him the 26th-best win percentage among active NCAA Division III bench bosses, as well as the top in the CCIW.

STEPPING IN, AND STEPPING UP: Since being thrust into a starters role just one minute into IWU's conference opener at Elmhurst, Nov. 30, Hakim Williams has taken his play to the next step. After coming off the bench for the Titans in their non-conference games, Williams averaged 2.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest over 18.6 minutes a game. Since stepping in at Elmhurst, the sophomore guard is putting up 9.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game over 26.8 minutes per contest. Not only is Williams filling up the box score a bit more, but he has also become more efficient in his play. He is shooting 47.8 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from three over three conference games, compared to clips of 22.2 and 10.0 in the five games prior.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Titans remain at home this Saturday to enjoy one of the greatest athletic venues in NCAA Division III. The Shirk Center has been home to more than 650 Titan basketball games between both the men and women. The men hold a 295-60 record on their home floor, good for a .831 win percentage.

WITH A WIN...: IWU's 3-0 start to conference play, in a full league slate, is the best since the 2012-13 season. The Titans look to go 4-0 in CCIW play for the first time since that same season. During 2012-13, the Titans went 13-1 in league play, with their only loss coming to North Central in the final regular season contest.

NO NEED FOR WINDEX: Illinois Wesleyan has been dominant on the glass this season, out-rebounding its opponents 339 to 244. The strong effort on the glass has IWU holding a +11.8 rebounding margin on the season, the seventh-best in all of Division III. Senior Cody Mitchell leads the Green and White with 9.4 boards per contest. Hakim Williams and Harrison Wilmsen's 4.8 rebounds per game are tied for second-best on the team, followed by Ryan Sroka with 4.6. Nick Roper grabs 4.0 per game and Lucas Heflen adds 3.5 caroms per contest.

ON THE HORIZON: A trip to the Windy City awaits the Titans this Tuesday, Dec. 20, as the Green and White head to the University of Chicago for a non-conference contest. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.