BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team stays home this weekend for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin duel against Carroll University, Saturday, Feb. 4. Tipoff of the annual PinkZone game is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. inside the Shirk Center and will serve as the back half of a triple feature with the IWU women's team. Prior to the women's game, the Green and White will host its annual alumni game with a 2 p.m. start time.
    The Titans (10-10, 5-6 CCIW) look to snap a two-game losing skid. IWU was most recently defeated, 74-64, in a midweek battle with Elmhurst University at home on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Carroll, who sits at 4-16 overall and 1-10 in league play, recently lost an overtime thriller at home on Feb. 1 at the hands of North Central College, 90-86.
    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.

PINK ZONE PARTY: Illinois Wesleyan will host Carroll Saturday as part of its annual PinkZone game. Clothing with this year's PinkZone logo will be sold throughout the day, as IWU raises money for the community cancer center.

CLASHES WITH CARROLL: Illinois Wesleyan and Carroll have met on the hardwood a total of 88 times ahead of Saturday's league tilt, with the Titans holding a commanding 70-18 lead against the Pioneers all-time. CU's last win over the Green and White came back in the 2018-19 campaign, when the Pios upended Illinois Wesleyan, 90-83, inside the Shirk Center Dec. 15, 2018.
    Most recently, the Titans traveled to the Van Male Fieldhouse and took down Carroll, 73-59, on Dec. 3, 2022. Sophomore Harrison Wilmsen recorded a gamehigh 18 points on a 7-of-11 shooting performance. Trey Bazzell sank four threes on his way to a career high 14 points. Lucas Heflen and Cody Mitchell recorded 13 and 12 points, respectively.

NO NEED FOR WINDEX: Illinois Wesleyan has been dominant on the glass this season, out-rebounding its opponents 781 to 540. The strong effort on the glass has IWU holding a +7.0 rebounding margin on the season, the 32nd-best in all of Division III. Senior Cody Mitchell leads the Green and White with 9.3 boards per contest. Ryan Sroka is second on the team with 5.3 rebounds per game.

BALANCED BOX SCORE: Illinois Wesleyan has been at its best when the scoring has been balanced this season. In fact, IWU is 9-6 when three-or-more players score 10+ points, while the Titans are 0-4 when fewer than three players hit double figures.

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE: In his final year as a Titan, senior Lucas Heflen is going out with a bang. After starting the season shaky from beyond the arc, #3 has found his rhythm as of late, averaging 19.3 points over the past 4 games. Heflen started to heat up during the Titan's Oregon swing, hitting a combined 10 threes in two wins. Over the past four games, Heflen has hit a combined 19 triples, good for a 54.3 percent clip from deep.

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 41.0 field goal percentage, which is not only second in the conference, but is also 77th nationally. Furthermore, the Titans are giving up just 68.7 points per game, the second-best scoring defense in the conference (101st nationally).

#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 46-for-77 inside the arc since Jan. 3, good for a twopoint field goal percentage of 59.7 percent. The senior co-captain is averaging 14.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest over the 10-game span, both of which top the team.
    Furthermore, Mitchell is shooting 62.2 percent (61-of-98) from two-point range in conference play compared to 26-for-58 (44.8 percent) in non-CCIW games.

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 297-64 record on their home floor, good for a .823 win percentage.

ON THE HORIZON: The Titans take the short trip down to Decatur, Ill. on Wednesday, Feb. 8 for a conference battle with Millikin University. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.