BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - With the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Regular Season Championship secured, the sixth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team travels to Augustana College Saturday, Feb. 19, for the final game of the regular season. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will serve as the second part of a double dip with the IWU women's basketball team.
The Titans are 20-4 overall and 13-2 in the CCIW ahead of Saturday. IWU claimed the league title with a, 78-65, win over North Central College, Feb. 16. Augustana sits at 11-13 on the season, 6-9 in the conference, and is fighting for a spot in the CCIW Tournament. The Vikings most recently clobbered Carthage College, 87-66, Feb. 12.
Fans can tune into the game via live stats or live stream. Links on how to follow along can be found on the men's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.
TITANS TAKE IT OUTRIGHT: With Wednesday's win over North Central, the Titans clinched the CCIW Regular Season title outright for the first time since the 2013-14 season. IWU won the COVID-19 shortened season's CCIW Tournament last year.
Illinois Wesleyan's win also marked its 20th of the season, giving the Green and White its first 20+ win season since the 2014-15 campaign. The 2014-15 IWU men's basketball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
AGAINST AUGIE ALL-TIME: Illinois Wesleyan and Augustana will square off on the hardwood for the 175th time Saturday, in a series that dates back to the 1914-15 season. IWU leads the all-time tally, 97-77. Augie has won 11 of the last 15 meetings, but the Titans have come out victorious in three of the last four meetings.
Illinois Wesleyan prevailed in a shootout against Augie back in Bloomington, Jan. 15. Matthew Leritz went for 26 points, aided by four three-pointers, while Luke Yoder (15), Peter Lambesis (12), and Nick Roper (11) also finished in double figures.
DON'T HOLD IT AGAINST HIM: Illinois Wesleyan Athletic Director Mike Wagner, a 1992 Augie graduate, played football for the Vikings for four seasons. A Honorable Mention All-American by Dan Hansen's Football Gazette, Wagner was an All-CCIW linebacker for the Vikings. He led Augie to three NCAA Division III Playoff appearances during his playing career.
NCAA TOP-16 REVEAL: The NCAA's Division III Men's Basketball committee released its top-16 teams in a practice run for next month's NCAA Tournament Thursday night, Feb. 17. The Titans, the only CCIW school to make the top-16, checked in at No. 5. The rankings were completed following games played Sunday, Feb. 13 and provided the committee with a trial run ahead of the full field selection later this month.
MAJOR BAG ALERT: A big three games for Matthew Leritz last week, including a game-winning block and shot as time expired on Wednesday and a 31-point performance on Saturday, resulted in Leritz garnering multiple awards this week. Leritz was awarded his third CCIW Player of the Week honor as well as his third D3hoops.com Team of the Week selection this season. Additionally, Leritz was recognized as the U.S. Basketball Writers of America Division III National Player of the Week, making him the first player in program history and just the third player in conference history to garner the accolade.
Leritz was also named to the Bevo Francis Top-50 watchlist, an award that annually recognizes the top player across NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, USCAA Division I, USCAA Division II, NCCAA Division I, and NCCAA Division II. Considerations will be season statistics and individual achievements, awards, personal character and team achievements.
His busy week also included CoSIDA Academic All-District honors, an award he earned for the second straight season. Leritz will now advance to the Academic All-America ballot.
FEBRUARY FUN: Illinois Wesleyan owns a 71-37 record in the month of February under the direction of head coach Ron Rose.
FACING THE BEST OF THE BEST: The No. 6 Titans have played one of the more difficult schedules in all of Division III this season. IWU has faced five current top-25 opponents, including the current No. 3, No. 11, and No. 15 teams in the country, UW-Oshkosh, Wheaton, and Elmhurst, respectively. The Titans are 4-3 against top-25 opponents this year, including wins against the current No. 3, No. 11, No. 15, and No. 24 ranked teams in the country. IWU's schedule is the 16th-toughest according to NCAA stats.
Illinois Wesleyan is currently slotted No. 1 in the NCAA's Region 8 rankings released Tuesday, Feb. 15. Overall, the Titans are 7-3 against regionally ranked opponents this season.
THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE MAN-BUNNED MONSTER: Junior forward Cody Mitchell may not don the man bun any longer, but the St. Charles, Ill. native has been just as key for the Titans despite the hairstyle change. Mitchell led the Green and White with a team-high nine rebounds and 11 points in its win over Wheaton, Feb. 12. In fact, IWU boasts a 10-0 record when Mitchell scores 10-or-more points this season.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Although the Shirk Center is one of the best home court advantages across all of Division III, the Titans have impressed on the road as well. In the past 10 seasons, the Titans have a 75-46 record away from Shirk. In the past five seasons specifically, IWU boasts a 42-18 record on the road.
ELITE DEFENDER: A large part of IWU's lockdown defense this season has been the play of standout defender Peter Lambesis. The senior captain has been tasked with guarding some of Division III's top scorers this season. Most recently, Lambesis held Division III's fifth-ranked scorer Matt Helwig six points below his season average.
ON THE HORIZON: The Titans will host the semifinal and championship rounds of the CCIW Tournament, Feb. 25-26. The top-seeded Green and White will play in the 7 p.m. semifinal game Friday, Feb. 25, with the other semifinal set for 5 p.m.
