BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team hosts the University of Chicago inside the Shirk Center for a non-conference tilt Saturday night, Nov. 25. Tipoff between the Titans and Maroons is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
    The Green and White rolls into Saturday's showdown with a 3-2 record following a convincing win at Washington University in St. Louis Wednesday, Nov. 22. Meanwhile, the Maroons travel down to Bloomington with a 3-1 record. UC saw its season-opening three-game win streak snapped Saturday, Nov. 18, with an 89-75 loss at Lake Forest College.
    Fans can tune into the game via live stats, live stream, or radio broadcast. Eric Stock will call the play-by-play alongside analysis from Joel Swanson on 88.1 FM WESN as well as the live stream. Links on how to follow along can be found on the men's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

PUT ON FOR THEIR CITY: Illinois Wesleyan put on quite a show for a Green and White favored crowd at the WashU Field House Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 22. The Titans saw St. Louis, Mo. natives Harrison Wilmsen, Nick Roper, and Evan Schneider combine for 34 of IWU's 76 points. Collectively, the trio went 14-of-23 from floor and 3-for-5 from three-point range in the win. Wilmsen led all scorers with 17 points. Roper scored a dozen and grabbed five rebounds, while Schneider added four points.

MATCHUPS WITH THE MAROONS: IWU has met up with Chicago annually since 1997, with the exception of the 2020-21 season, and holds a 22-8 edge in the all-time series. The Titans are currently on a six-game win streak against the Maroons, and have won 10 of the last 11 matchups. UC's last win over IWU came Dec. 14, 2015, where Chicago defeated Illinois Wesleyan, 74-57, in the Windy City.
    The Titans held off a Maroons comeback, 67-63, in overtime as IWU Head Coach Ron Rose picked up his 300th career win Dec. 20, 2022. Four players scored in double figures for the Green and White with Lucas Heflen leading the way with 16. Ryan Sroka added 15 points and tied for the team lead with eight rebounds, while Cody Mitchell (14) and Hakim Williams (10) also hit double-digit points.

BOUND TO BE A BATTLE: When the Titans and Maroons square off Saturday night, #d3hoops fans will see one of the top defensive teams in Division III go up against one of the best offensive threats in the country. IWU's defense has stifled the opposition this season, limiting opponents to 60.4 points (23rd nationally), on a 35.5 field goal percentage (13th-best) and a 26.5 clip from three-point range (46th-best). Meanwhile, the Maroons are shooting 51.8 percent from the floor this season, good for seventh in the country. Chicago is also putting up an average of 83.0 points per game this year, good for 60th-best in Division III.
Illinois Wesleyan will have its hands full with shutting down Bryce Hopkins and Eamonn Kenah. Hopkins is averaging 12.3 points per contest with a field goal percentage of 58.3, while Kenah is 30th in the country with a 50.0 percent conversion rate from beyond the arc and leading the team with 13.8 ppg.

NOT SOMETHING YOU SEE OFTEN: One of the best non-conference rivalries in #d3hoops, the Illinois Wesleyan-WashU games have been known to be tight battles down to the very end. Wednesday's pre-Thanksgiving blowout by the Titans was an anomaly of sorts, as IWU posted its largest margin of victory against the Bears in St. Louis since the 2005-06 season when IWU defeated WashU, 83-56, Dec. 10, 2005. The 27-point Titan win saw Keelan Amelianovich go for 23 points and seven rebounds, while Chris Jones put together a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double and Adam Dauksas dished out 12 assists for No. 1 ranked IWU.
    In the storied history between the Bears and Titans, the margin of defeat for either side has only been 20-or-more points seven times. IWU has won five of those contests, with WashU grabbing two wins by 20+ points.

BEAR(S) DOWN: The Bears' 50 points were WashU's fewest against Illinois Wesleyan since scoring 46 when the two teams battled during the 1951-52 campaign. Overall, it was just the fourth time IWU has held WashU to 50-or-fewer points. In addition to the Green and White's 54-46 during the 1951-52 season, IWU also topped WashU 33-32 in the initial meeting in 1934. WashU bested Illinois Wesleyan, 49-37, in 1944.

LOOKING THE BEAST IN THE EYE: Shying away from tough competition has never been the Ron Rose style, so it should come as no surprise that IWU holds the 26th-toughest strength of schedule according to the Massey ratings as of Nov. 23. IWU's ranking is the highest of any CCIW program, with North Park the closest at 36th.

PAYING OFF: The 2022-23 season saw Hakim Williams thrust into point guard duties for the Titans, leaving Williams to play out of his usual position for most of last season. The time as IWU's point guard is paying off for Williams, who has the Green and White's best assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.57. His mark, which is second-best in the conference, ranks 82nd nationally. The Round Lake, Ill. native is averaging 3.6 assists per game with 18 dimes to his credit this season, which is tied with Luke Yoder for the team lead.

MEN IN BLACK: Illinois Wesleyan sported its alternate uniforms in its win at WashU, Nov. 22, picking up the Titans first win in the black uniforms. The alternate was introduced last season. IWU's record by uniform this season stands at 1-2 in white, 1-0 in green, and 1-0 in black.

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan will turn its attention to CCIW play following Saturday night's bout, as the Titans travel to Elmhurst University Wednesday, Nov. 29. The league opener between the Titans and Bluejays is slated for a 7 p.m. tip.