BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team flies out to California for a two-game trip against California Lutheran University and University of Redlands Monday-Tuesday, Dec. 18-19, at the Kingsmen Classic. Tipoff on Monday, Dec. 18 against Cal Lutheran is scheduled for 2 p.m. PT, with IWU facing Redlands Tuesday.
    The Titans most recently cruised to a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory Saturday, Dec. 9, against North Central College, 66-43. The Green and White sit at 7-3 on the season and 3-1 in CCIW play. Cal Lutheran is coming off of a narrow loss to conference foe Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 60-55. CLU sits at 4-3 on the season and an even 1-1 in SCIAC play.Redlands has seen a four-game win streak to start the season turn into a 4-2 standing after a pair of tight losses. The Bulldogs dropped a close one to nationally-ranked NYU, 82-79, Nov. 25, but most recently fell to Cal Lutheran, 74-65, Dec. 2. The Bulldogs will face Kalamazoo College Monday, Dec. 18, before tangling with the Titans, Dec. 19.
    A live stream along with live stats for the game will be available. Links can be found on the women's basketball schedule page of iwusports.com.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Illinois Wesleyan and Cal Lutheran will square off for the fourth time in history on Dec. 16, with the Titans holding a 2-1 all-time advantage over the Kingsmen. The Titans dropped their most recent matchup with CLU, 67-61, on Dec. 30, 2014 at the Cal Lutheran Holiday Classic.
In the second contest of the trip, the Titans will take on 17th-ranked Redlands, marking the first meeting ever between the two programs.

WHEN IN CALI…: The Titans last traveled to California during the 2018-19 season for the Cal Lutheran Holiday Classic. The Green and White faced Whitman College, dropping the contest 105-103, before falling to Wisconsin-Stevens Point on the following evening, 76-70. Overall, the Titans are an even 12-12 when playing in the state of California.

IT'S MILLER TIME: In his freshman and sophomore seasons, Springfield, Ill. native Shane Miller only appeared in a combined six games. In his junior year, he's already appeared in five and is playing significant minutes off the bench. Since there are no statistics to accurately measure toughness, energy, or overall intensity, what Miller brings to the floor for the Titans is often immeasurable. However, in his last three games, Miller is averaging 13 minutes per game. At North Central on Dec. 9, he recorded a career-high eight points while also improving his career bests in nearly every statistical category.

HOW DEEP IS THE OCEAN?: The answer to the question "How deep is the ocean?" may yield the same answer as "How deep is the Titan's bench?" In the IWU's first nine games, a total of eleven Titans are averaging over ten minutes per game. Additionally, the Green and White is outscoring their opponents 274-173 in bench points and five different IWU players have been the team's leading scorer this season.
    Specifically, juniors Shane Miller and Marko Anderson have been key players off the bench. In just 14.5 minutes per game, Anderson leads the Titans in rebounding. Freshmen Mason Funk and Jackson Niego have also progressively gained minutes as the season rolls on. Funk leads the team in blocks, while Niego has played key minutes in the point guard position.

SIX FEET, EIGHT INCHES OF ROPE: St. Louis native Nick Roper has burst onto the scene in his junior campaign and has been especially impressive in CCIW play. Plagued by injury last year, Roper has started all ten games for the Titans this season. Roper averages the third most minutes on the team overall, but has played the most minutes in conference play. In his last four contests, Roper leads the Titans with 14.5 points per game on 57.5 percent shooting from the floor and 50 percent from three. In a win over Carroll, Dec. 2, Roper recorded career highs with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

NO SOUP FOR YOU!: The Titans have been elite defensively through the team's first ten games of the season. Not only is Illinois Wesleyan one of the top defensive teams in the CCIW, IWU is among the top in Division III. IWU is holding opponents to a field goal percentage of 37.4 percent, the best mark in the CCIW and the 19th-best nationally. Additionally, IWU is giving up just 62.9 points per game, good for 31st in Division III.
    In their win on Saturday, Dec. 9 over North Central, the Titans gave up just 43 Cardinal points. It marked the least amount of points the Titans have allowed since the 2014-15 season, when the Titans defeated Nazareth College on Dec. 29, 2014 at the Cal Lutheran Holiday Classic, 84-41.

STRONG SECOND HALF: Illinois Wesleyan's success this season has come in large part to the Titans' ability to lock in over the final 20 minutes of play. That continued Saturday, Dec. 9, as IWU grabbed a 66-43 win at North Central. The Titans outscored the Cardinals 39-23 in the second half. IWU has been outscored in the second half once this season (at Elmhurst, 61-42).

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 4-2 in white, 2-1 in green, and 1-0 in black.

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan keeps rolling on its road trip with a pre-New Year bout at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Saturday, Dec. 30. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.