BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The 10th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team will play host to North Park University Monday night, Feb. 7, in a game rescheduled from last week. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. inside the Shirk Center.
    Illinois Wesleyan is 16-4 on the year and currently sit alone on top of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin standings at 9-2 in league play. The Titans snapped a two-game skid with a 66-57 win over Carthage College Saturday, Feb. 5. Meanwhile, North Park is riding a four-game losing streak into Monday's matchup. The Vikings are 8-11 overall and 3-8 in the CCIW. NPU, which most recently fell to Augustana College, 91-60, Feb. 5, has lost eight straight CCIW contests.
    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.

HOME COOKING: One of the greatest athletic venues in NCAA Division III, the Shirk Center has been home to more than 600 Titan basketball games between both the men and women. The men hold a 288-57 record on their home floor, good for a .835 win percentage.

DUELS WITH THE VIKINGS: In a series dating back to the 1961-62 season, the Titans hold a 90-34 advantage over the Vikings. IWU has won nine of the past 10 matchups, including a 63-58 triumph at NPU Jan. 19. Four Titans scored in double figures, led by Cory Noe's 14 points. Peter Lambesis, Cody Mitchell, and Matthew Leritz tallied 10 points each, with Leritz finishing off a double-double with 10 boards.

THE DIFFERENCE A COURT MAKES: Illinois Wesleyan has seen its game at North Park come down to the wire over the past several years, but when the two meet at Shirk the outcome has been much more lopsided. The Titans, who last lost to the Vikings at home, 72-68, Dec. 7, 2016, have since won five in-a-row against NPU inside the Shirk Center. IWU has posted an average margin of victory of 28.8 points over the five-game span.
Most recently, the Titans took down the Vikings, 75-55, March 6, 2021 in the first round of the CCIW Tournament. Matthew Leritz dropped a game-high 23 points, while pulling in 16 rebounds. Peter Lambesis added 13 points, while Charlie Bair went for 11 points and four blocks. Luke Yoder added 11 points and six assists.

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. Most recently, Mitchell led the Green and White with a game-high 14 points in a win over Carthage, Feb. 5. In fact, IWU boasts a 9-0 record when Mitchell scores 10-or-more points this season.

MR. DO IT ALL: A consistent force for the Titans this season, senior Matthew Leritz put together another stat-stuffing game against Carthage, Feb. 5. Leritz went for 13 points, a game-high 14 rebounds, a career-high six assists, one steal, and one block in IWU's win. Leritz, who picked up his ninth double-double of the season, is the first Illinois Wesleyan player to go for 10+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 5+ assists since Jan. 14, 2017. Coincidentally, that occurrence also took place against Carthage as Alec Bausch recorded 13 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists in IWU's 77-74 win at the Shirk Center.


HE'S GOT YOUR BEST: Illinois Wesleyan's strong defensive play paved the way for the Green and White's 66-57 win over Carthage Saturday night, Feb. 5. 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 locked down Carthage's Fillip Bulatovic, the CCIW's sixth-ranked scorer.

FEBRUARY FUN: Illinois Wesleyan owns a 67-37 record in the month of February under the direction of head coach Ron Rose.

I FEEL THE NEED… THE NEED FOR THREES: Illinois Wesleyan's four losses this season have one thing in common: a below average three-point shooting performance. IWU, a historically successful three-point shooting team, has been off from deep in its four losses. In their four setbacks, the Titans have shot a combined 27.4 percent (20-of-73) from deep. Conversely, the Titans have shot a combined 36.2 percent (115-of-318) from downtown in their 15 wins.

KRYPTONITE?: The Titans' four losses have another commonality besides below average shooting from three point land: free throw attempts. In its four losses, opponents are averaging seven more free throw attempts than the Green and White. Furthermore, in each of those losses, opponents are also averaging 6.3 more points from the free throw line than the Titans.
In IWU's most recent loss, Concordia Chicago attempted 14 free throws, converting on 11, compared to the Titan's nine attempts and eight makes. Illinois Wesleyan is 10-0 this season when attempting more free throws than its opponent, compared to 5-4 when the opposition attempts more FTs.

RANKINGS ON REPEAT: Illinois Wesleyan is one of 20 programs that have appeared in at least 100 D3Hoops.com Top-25 rankings. In fact, the Titans 180 appearances in the weekly poll are ninth-most all-time. The Titans are currently ranked No. 10 in the poll.

THAT STARTING FIVE THOUGH: Illinois Wesleyan saw all five starters hit double-digit points in its win at Tarble Arena Monday night, Jan. 24. Matthew Leritz led all players with 28 points, while Cory Noe added 15 points. Cody Mitchell tallied 12, Luke Yoder 11, and Peter Lambesis 10 in the victory.
It is the second time this season each member of IWU's starting lineup has scored 10-or-more points, with the other occurrence coming at Yeshiva, Dec. 30.

FACING THE BEST OF THE BEST: The No. 10 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. 5 and No. 6 teams in the country, UW-Oshkosh and Yeshiva, respectively. The Titans are 3-3 against top-25 opponents this year, including wins against the current No. 5, No. 6, and No. 21 teams in the country. IWU's schedule is the 22nd-toughest according to NCAA stats.

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan makes the quick trip down US-51 for a battle with the Big Blue Wednesday night, Feb. 9. Tipoff between IWU and Millikin University is set for 7 p.m. at the Griswold Center in Decatur, Ill.