BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team returns home from a month-long road trip this Saturday, Dec. 10 for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin battle with North Central College. The bout will serve as the back half of a doubleheader with the Titan women's team with tipoff scheduled for 7:15 p.m. inside the Shirk Center.
    In their last time out, the Titans improved their record to 4-3 on the season with a 73-59 victory over Carroll University on the road Saturday, Dec. 3. IWU is 2-0 in conference play. North Central holds a 4-4 record (1-1 CCIW) on the season. Most recently, the Cardinals dropped a mid-week non-conference matchup at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, 65-55, Tuesday night, Dec. 6.
    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.
TALE OF THE TAPE: Saturday's contest will serve as the 170th all-time meeting between the Titans and Cardinals. Illinois Wesleyan holds a 121-48 lead in the all-time series. In the 2021-22 season, the Titans and Cardinals squared off three times, with the Titans taking two out of the three games.
At the Shirk Center, the Titans played the Cardinals twice last season on Feb. 16, for the final home game of the regular season, and Feb. 25, in the CCIW tournament semifinal.
IWU dominated the first home meeting, while the Cardinals spoiled the top-seeded Titans hopes at a CCIW tournament championship nine days later.
TREY'S BY TREY: Sophomore Trey Bazzell introduced himself to the rotation in Saturday's win over Carroll, scoring the first points of his college career. Bazzell lived up to his namesake, going 4-of-6 from long range as he dropped 14 points in 16 minutes off the bench. The Fairbury, Ill. native was the Titan's second-leading scorer in the win.
WITH A WIN...: IWU's 2-0 start to conference play, in a full league slate, is the best since the 2012-13 season. The Titans look to go 3-0 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.
DON'T WORRY, IWU'S HOME: Twenty-seven days and five games have passed since IWU last played on its home court back on Nov. 13 in the Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational. The Titans come 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 294-60 record on their home floor, good for a .831 win percentage.
THORN IN THE SIDE: In his 16 years at the helm, head coach Ron Rose has a below .500 record against only two CCIW teams: Augustana and North Central. The Cardinals have taken 18 of 35 matchups since the 2006-07 season. The Titans have seen more success at home, holding a 10-7 record at the Shirk Center in the Rose era and have won four of the last five meetings overall.
NO NEED FOR WINDEX: Illinois Wesleyan has been dominant on the glass this season, out-rebounding its opponents 297 to 208. The strong effort on the glass has IWU holding a +12.6 rebounding margin on the season, the sixth-best in all of Division III. Senior Cody Mitchell leads the Green and White with 9.0 boards per contest. Ryan Sroka and Harrison Wilmsen's 5.0 rebounds per game are tied for second-best on the team, followed by Hakim Williams with 4.7. Nick Roper grabs 4.0 per game and Lucas Heflen adds 3.9 caroms per contest.
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 298-139 record including five conference championships. Currently, Rose's 298 career wins is second most in Illinois Wesleyan history, trailing only school record holder Dennie Bridges (667-319, 1965-2001).
Furthermore, Rose's 297-139 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: IWU continues its homestand Saturday, Dec. 17. The Titans will square off with the Wheaton inside the Shirk Center and the game will serve as the second half of a doubleheader with the Titans women's team. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:15 p.m.
