BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The No. 7 Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team begins the NCAA Division III Tournament as hosts to Franklin College, Heidelberg University, and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse this weekend, March 4-5. The Titans will take on Franklin in the opening round at 6:45 p.m., while Heidelberg and UWL will tipoff at 4:15 p.m. inside the Shirk Center.
    Illinois Wesleyan earned an at-large berth in the national tournament. The Titans own a 21-5 record on the year and won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin title with a 14-2 mark. Meanwhile, Franklin strung together to qualify for the postseason by virtue of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference's automatic bid. The Grizzlies moved to 14-15 overall (7-11 HCAC) with a 91-84 win at Hanover, Feb. 26.
    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.
POSTSEASON PLAY AT SHIRK: The NCAA Tournament returns to the Shirk Center this weekend, March 4-5, for the first time since IWU's 2014 tournament run. The Titans hosted the first four rounds of the tournament that season, defeating Webster (71-70), St. Norbert (84-68), Calvin (78-64), and Dickinson (79-66) to advance to the Final Four.
MADE FOR MARCH: The Titans will make the program's 34th all-time postseason appearance, including the 26th in the NCAA Division III Tournament. IWU boasts a 54-25 record in the Division III tournament since first qualifying for it in 1984.
    Of the 64 teams in the field, no school has made more postseason appearances or won more NCAA Tournament games than IWU. Info courtesy @IWUhoopscom.
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STRONG ON BOTH SIDES: Illinois Wesleyan is one of 12 schools across Division III to have both its men's and women's basketball teams competing in the NCAA Tournament this season. In fact, IWU's combined history ranks the Titans among the top in Division III. In research compiled by former WashUÂ SID Chris Mitchell, the Titans enter the 2022 tourney with 73 combined wins - the fifth-most in Division III.
FACING FRANKLIN: Illinois Wesleyan and Franklin have a limited history, having played just three times. IWU holds a slim 2-1 lead in the all-time tally, which last saw the two square off in Bloomington Jan. 2, 2014. The Titans rolled the Grizzlies, 83-67, in the matchup behind
Andrew Ziemnik's 16-point, 12-rebound double-double.
Franklin won a clash in Indiana Dec. 30, 2012, by a 67-66 final score. Illinois Wesleyan took down Franklin in overtime March 7, 1998, as the Titans escaped the opening round of the NCAA Tournament with a high-scoring overtime win inside the Shirk Center.
CCIW ON THE NATIONAL STAGE: The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin has seen incredible success on the national stage, with six NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championships to its credit. North Park won five titles (1978, 1979, 1980, 1985, and 1987), while Illinois Wesleyan is the most recent team to accomplish the feat as IWU hoisted the trophy in 1997.
BATTLE TESTED: Of the tournament's 64 teams, the Green and White have played seven of them in UW-Oshkosh, Calvin, Elmhurst, WashU, Wheaton, Hope, and Yeshiva. The Titans went 6-3 against the group during the regular season.
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 290-58 record on their home floor, good for a .833 win percentage.
FACING THE BEST OF THE BEST: The No. 7 Titans have played one of the more difficult schedules in all of Division III this season. IWU has played six games against current top-25 opponents, including the current No. 3, No. 16, No. 18, and No. 19 ranked teams in the country in UW-Oshkosh, Elmhurst, Wheaton, and Yeshiva, respectively. The Titans are 4-2 against the current top-25 this year, as IWU's schedule is the 14th-toughest according to NCAA stats.
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 went for 15 points and nine rebounds in Illinois Wesleyan CCIW Tournament semifinal against North Central, Feb. 25. In fact, IWU boasts a 11-1 record when Mitchell scores 10-or-more points this season.
RANKINGS ON REPEAT: Illinois Wesleyan is one of 20 programs that have appeared in at least 100 D3Hoops.com Top-25 rankings. The Titans are currently ranked No. 7 in the poll.
TITANS HEADLINE CCIW POSTSEASON HONORS: Congratulations are in order for four Titans men's basketball players and head coach
Ron Rose, as
Matthew Leritz and
Peter Lambesis were named First Team All-CCIW and
Cory Noe and
Luke Yoder were listed as All-CCIW Second Team honorees. IWU's four all-conference selections are tied for the second-most in school history, as well as the most since 1998.
Additionally, Rose reeled in CCIW Coach of the Year honors for the fourth time in his career, which is tied for second-most all-time in the CCIW.
YOU DA REAL MVP: A unanimous First Team All-CCIW pick,
Matthew Leritz is the 15th Titan in program history to be voted the league's top player, while it marks the 18th time a Titan has earned the award. A dominant force for the Green and White this season, Leritz averaged 18.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists over IWU's 16-game conference slate. He shot 56.9 percent from the field, 42.4 percent from three-point range, and 73.7 percent at the free throw line against league competition.
    A three-time CCIW Player of the Week, Leritz has been recognized as part of D3hoops.com's Team of the Week three times and has been named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's Division III National Player of the Week once. The St. Louis, Mo. native scored double digit points in all 16 of IWU's conference games, including a career-high 31-point effort in a win over Wheaton, Feb. 12.
