BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team hits the road Wednesday, Jan. 17 for a weekday College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin matchup against Wheaton College. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside King Arena.
    The Titans enter the contest alone atop the CCIW standings. IWU is 10-6 on the season and 6-1 in the CCIW after a, 71-63, win over Carthage College, Jan. 13. Wheaton holds a 4-12 record with a 3-4 mark in league play. Wheaton most recently upset No. 15 Elmhurst inside King Arena, 75-69, on Saturday, Jan. 13 to give the Bluejays their second conference loss.
    A live stream and live stats of the game will be available through links on the men's basketball schedule page of iwusports.com, while Eric Stock will also have the call on WESN.
NEW YEAR, NEW ME: Since the calendar flipped over to 2024, senior Ryan Sroka has found his footing. In three games in the new year, Sroka has drained 16-of-26 shots, good for a 61.5 percent clip. Surprisingly, in this stretch, Sroka is just 2-of-9 from three, making his efficient shooting from two-point range of 14-of-19 (73.7 percent) even more impressive. Additionally, Sroka has committed just three turnovers in the three game span.
TREY FOR TREY: Junior Trey Bazzell has established himself as one of the top three-point threats in the CCIW, especially during conference play. In around 14 minutes per game, Bazzell is averaging 6.3 points during league games. More impressively, however, he has made 11-of-24 threes (45.8 percent) in six CCIW games. In three games in 2024, Trey is 8-of-13 (61.5 percent) from deep.
AGAINST THE THUNDER ALL-TIME: Illinois Wesleyan and Wheaton will battle for the 138th time Wednesday night. IWU holds a 85-53 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1946-47 season. Despite the Titans' stronghold on the all-time series, the Thunder have come out victorious in eight of the past 11 meetings.
    Last season, Wheaton swept the regular season series against Illinois Wesleyan. The Thunder stunned the Titans, 79-58, inside the Shirk Center, Dec. 17, 2023, before handing IWU a 72-71 setback, Jan. 21, in heartbreaking fashion at King Arena.
CHAOS IN KING ARENA: There are no easy arenas to win in on the road in CCIW play, but King Arena has proved to be one of the more difficult locations for the Titans over the years. Last season at King Arena, a shooting foul call prompted three free throws with less than a second on the clock. The No. 8 Thunder sank all three freebies, and ultimately sunk the Titans, 72-71. The ending was the latest in the heartbreaking losses suffered by the Titans at the Thunder's home arena over the year.
    The King Arena chaos has ensued this season, as the 3-12 Thunder picked up its fourth win against former conference leader and then-No. 15 team in the country, Elmhurst last Saturday, Jan. 13.
DIALED IN ON DEFENSE: The Titans have been one of the top defensive teams in all of Division III this season. In fact, IWU is limiting opponents to a field goal percentage of 38.4, the 23rd-best in the country. The Green and White is holding opponents to 28.6 percent from three-point range, 32nd-best nationally, and is giving up just 63.8 points per game (26th nationally).
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN W AND L: Illinois Wesleyan's record can be boiled down to its ability to take care of the ball. Through 16 games, IWU holds a 7-1 record when committing fewer than 15 turnovers. Conversely, when racking up 15-or-more miscues, Illinois Wesleyan is 3-5.
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 year stands at 5-3 in white, 3-2 in green, 1-0 in grey, and 1-1 in black.
ON THE HORIZON: The Titans head north for a matchup against Carroll University this weekend, Saturday, Jan. 20. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. and will serve as the second half of a doubleheader with the women's basketball team.
