BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play rolls on Saturday, Jan. 27, as the Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team hosts Augustana College inside the Shirk Center for a 7:15 p.m. tipoff. The game, which will serve as IWU's annual PinkZone contest, will follow the IWU women's basketball team's game against the Vikings.
    Illinois Wesleyan finds itself atop the conference standings with a 9-1 league mark as part of a 13-6 overall record. The Green and White most recently took down Wheaton College, 73-64, Wednesday, Jan. 24. Augie travels to Bloomington with a 6-13 overall record, and sits at 3-7 in league games. In their last game, Augustana led Elmhurst University by nine with 9:24 to play, but ran out of steam and ultimately suffered a 73-69 setback, Jan. 24.
    Live stats and a live stream of the game will be provided, while Eric Stock and Joel Swanson will also have the call on WESN. Links on how to follow Saturday's game can be found on the men's basketball schedule page of iwusports.com.

PINK ZONE PARTY: Illinois Wesleyan will host Augustana 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. This year's PinkZone apparel was designed by IWU women's volleyball student-athletes Annika Altekruse and Morgan Harrington.

AGAINST AUGIE ALL-TIME: Illinois Wesleyan and Augustana will square off on the hardwood for the 179th time Saturday, in a series that dates back to the 1914-15 season. IWU leads the all-time tally, 100-78. Augie has won 12 of the last 19 meetings, but the Titans have come out victorious in six of the last eight.
In Illinois Wesleyan's first game of the 2024 calendar year, the Titans topped Augie, 77-64, in Rock Island, Jan. 7. Seven players scored eight-or-more points for IWU in the win, with Ryan Sroka leading the way with 16. Luke Yoder and Harrison Wilmsen add 11 apiece.

DON'T HOLD IT AGAINST HIM: Illinois Wesleyan Athletic Director Mike Wagner, a 1992 Augie graduate, played football for the Vikings for four seasons. An Honorable Mention All-American by Dan Hansen's Football Gazette, Wagner was an All-CCIW linebacker for the Vikings. He led Augie to three NCAA Division III Playoff appearances during his playing career.

SHE LOOKS BETTER IN GREEN: Illinois Wesleyan men's basketball athletic trainer Rachel Dawson is in her first season with the Titans after a two-year run as an athletic trainer at Augustana. Dawson oversees the athletic training care for the Titan men's basketball and women's lacrosse programs.

THE ULTIMATE GLUE GUY: Junior guard Hakim Williams contributes in just about every way possible for the Titans, whether it be distributing the ball, scoring himself, or playing some of the best defense in the conference. Williams' all-around strong play has him scattered throughout the CCIW's top-25 in several statistical categories. In fact, he is the only player ranked in the CCIW's top-15 in both blocked shots and steals in league play. Williams is second in blocks with 10, and is third in steals with 16. Elsewhere, he is tied for 12th in assists (2.2 apg) and tied for 23rd in rebounding (4.3 rpg).

LET HIM WORK: Harrison Wilmsen put together a career-day to help IWU hold off Wheaton, Jan. 17. The St. Louis, Mo. native scored a career-high 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting with six rebounds and a pair of assists. Illinois Wesleyan holds a 7-1 record this season when Wilmsen scores 15+ points, while the Titans are 10-1 when he meets that mark over his career.
    The 6-foot-10 junior enters Saturday off a three-game stretch that saw him average 18.7 points per game on a 61.1 field goal percentage (22-of-36). He has hit 50 percent of his three-point attempts (4-for-8) over the stretch and has added 14 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Titans 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 304-66 record on their home floor, good for a .822 win percentage.

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 38.9, the 29-best in the country. The Green and White is giving up just 64.9 points per game (33rd 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 19 games, IWU holds a 10-1 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 6-3 in white, 5-2 in green, 1-0 in grey, and 1-1 in black.

NEW YEAR, NEW ME: Since the calendar flipped over to 2024, senior Ryan Sroka has found his footing. In six games in the new year, Sroka has drained 28-of-50 shots, good for a 56.0 percent clip. Surprisingly, in this stretch, Sroka is just 5-of-15 from three, making his efficient shooting from two-point range of 23-of-35 (65.7 percent) even more impressive. Additionally, Sroka has committed just five turnovers in the four-game span.

ON THE HORIZON: The Titans travel to Decatur, Ill. Wednesday, Jan. 31, for a midweek matchup against Millikin University. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside MU's Griswold Center.