BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team welcomes Carthage College to the Shirk Center Saturday, Feb. 18, for a 4:15 p.m. College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin battle. The Titans will celebrate the careers of Lucas Heflen and Cody Mitchell prior to tipoff as part of Senior Day.
    The Titans are level on the season at 12-12 overall and have clinched the No. 6 seed in next week's CCIW Tournament with a 7-8 standing ahead of Saturday. Illinois Wesleyan dropped a tough 63-57 game at North Park, Feb. 15, as a second-half lead slipped away. Meanwhile, Carthage enters off a, 87-75, loss at North Central College, Feb. 15. The Firebirds fell to 16-8 on the season (8-7 CCIW) with the setback and currently finds themselves tied for third in the league standings.
    Fans can tune into the game via live stats, live stream, or radio broadcast. Links on how to follow along can be found on the men's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER: Together, seniors Cody Mitchell and Lucas Heflen have contributed to very successful Titan teams the past four years. They have been a part of two CCIW regular season titles, one CCIW tournament title, and an NCAA tournament run to the elite eight. The pair of St. Charles natives own a 63-28 overall record (37-16 CCIW) throughout their careers, which included a shortened, nine game season due to COVID-19.

CLASHES WITH CARTHAGE: Illinois Wesleyan and Carthage share a rivalry that dates back to the 1946-47 season. IWU owns a 107-28 lead in the 135-game history between the two conference foes, and has won eight of the past nine meetings.
Carthage scored a 69-48 win at Tarble Arena, Jan. 7, snapping IWU's eight-game win streak against the Firebirds. Illinois Wesleyan was unable to overcome a slow shooting night, despite a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double from Cody Mitchell.
The Titans have not been swept by the Firebirds in the regular season series since the 2001-02 season. CC won those games 72-49 and 76-56. The only other time Carthage swept the regular season series was back in 1978-79, when the Firebirds edged the Titans 83-77 and 63-56. Additionally, Carthage notched multiple wins over the Titans in 2009-10, but one came in the CCIW Tournament and the other came in the NCAA Tournament.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT - LUCAS HEFLEN: From limited underclassman minutes to valuable sixth man to go-to scorer, senior Lucas Heflen has blossomed in whatever role he has been given in his four-year career as a Titan. Heflen has appeared in 68 percent of games throughout his career, including every game the past two seasons. As a junior, Heflen averaged 19 minutes per game. He has nearly doubled that in his senior campaign, sitting third in the CCIW in minutes played at 35.5 per game.
Heflen is the Titans leading scorer this season, averaging 14.6 points per game. He achieved a career-high 28 points Dec. 10, 2022 against North Central. He has surpassed the 20-point mark in six games this season and has scored in double figures in 19 of 24 contests.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT - CODY MITCHELL: Despite switching up hairstyles throughout his four-year career, Cody Mitchell has remained a consistent presence for the Titans while steadily bolstering his offensive performance each season. The St. Charles, Ill. native has appeared in an impressive 93.4 percent of games in his career and has started in all but one contest in the past two seasons. Mitchell recorded a career-high 29 points at the beginning of last season, Nov. 12, 2021, against Hope College.
    This season, Mitchell is second on the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game and leads the team with 9.6 rebounds per contest, which ranks third in the CCIW.

NO NEED FOR WINDEX: Illinois Wesleyan has been dominant on the glass this season, out-rebounding its opponents 949 to 771. The strong effort on the glass has IWU holding a +7.4 rebounding margin on the season, the 29th-best in all of Division III. Senior Cody Mitchell leads the Green and White with 9.6 boards per contest. Ryan Sroka is second on the team with 5.4 rebounds per game.

MONSTER ON THE BOARDS: Illinois Wesleyan senior Cody Mitchell popped off for 24 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in a rout of Carroll, Feb. 4. Mitchell, who picked up his ninth double-double of the season, is ranked first in the CCIW and 43rd nationally in offensive rebounds per game (3.29). He is also third in the league in rebounds per game with an average of 9.6 for the season, while his 231 total boards are third-most (39th-most nationally).

MAKING THEM WORK: Illinois Wesleyan has one of the top-ranked defenses in the CCIW this season. In fact, IWU is holding opponents to a 40.6 field goal percentage, which is not only first in the conference, but is also 59th nationally. Furthermore, the Titans are giving up just 68.3 points per game, the second-best scoring defense in the conference (93rd nationally).

BALANCED BOX SCORE: Illinois Wesleyan has been at its best when the scoring has been balanced this season. In fact, IWU is 11-8 when three-or-more players score 10+ points, while the Titans are 1-4 when fewer than three players hit double figures.

#23 IN 2023: Illinois Wesleyan has seen senior Cody Mitchell heat up inside the arc since the calendar turned to 2023. In fact, Mitchell is 60-for-108 inside the arc since Jan. 3, good for a two-point field goal percentage of 55.6 percent. The senior co-captain is averaging 13.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest over the 14-game span. He is second on the team in scoring over that run, while he tops the team's rebounding efforts.
    Furthermore, Mitchell is shooting 58.1 percent (75-of-129) from two-point range in conference play compared to 26-for-58 (44.8 percent) in non-CCIW games.

IMPACT DOESN'T ALWAYS SHOW IN THE BOX SCORE: Illinois Wesleyan junior forward Evan Schneider has served in a variety of roles for the Titans this season. From starter, to first big off the bench, he has produced quality minutes for the Green and White. Schneider locked down Preseason All-American Daniel Carr in IWU's win over Augie, Jan. 14, holding Carr to nearly a quarter of his season scoring average. Carr, who entered the game averaging 17.5 points per game, scored just five points against the Titans.
    Additionally, Illinois Wesleyan holds a 6-0 record when Schneider corrals five-or-more rebounds.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Titans remain at home this Saturday to enjoy one of the greatest athletic venues in NCAA Division III. The Shirk Center has been home to more than 650 Titan basketball games between both the men and women. The men hold a 298-64 record on their home floor, good for a .823 win percentage.

ON THE HORIZON: The Titans will head to either Carthage or Elmhurst as the No. 6 seed to face the No. 3 seed in the CCIW Tournament Quarterfinals, Feb. 21. Seeding will be solidified after Saturday's regular season finales.