BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The greatest non-conference rivalry in Division III men's basketball team will be renewed by way of a top-10 battle Thursday night, Dec. 19, as the ninth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball hosts No. 2 WashU inside the Shirk Center for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
    Illinois Wesleyan will head into the battle with an 8-1 record. The Titans most recently toppled Elmhurst University, 86-68, Dec. 15, to improve to 2-1 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. Meanwhile, WashU is out to a perfect 9-0 start to the season. The Bears will return to the hardwood for the first time since blowing by Fontbonne University, 107-57, Dec. 10. WashU is one of 13 undefeated teams remaining in Division III.
    A live stream and live stats will be available, while the veteran broadcast duo of Eric Stock and Joel Swanson on the call on WESN. Links on how to follow along can be found on the men's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.
THE GREATEST NON-CONFERENCE RIVALRY IN D3HOOPS: Thursday's tilt will serve as the 45th all-time meeting between Illinois Wesleyan and WashU in a series that first began in the 1933-34 season. Since winning the series' first game 33-32, IWU has built up a 24-20 lead in the all-time tally. The road team has won six of the past seven meetings, dating back to Dec. 17, 2016.
Last season, the Titans stunned the Bears, 76-50, in St. Louis in a pre-holiday bout, Nov. 22, 2023. Harrison Wilmsen, playing in his hometown, led the way with 17 points off the bench, while fellow St. Louis native Nick Roper added 12 points. Luke Yoder tallied 15 points.
    The win snapped IWU's three-game skid against WashU and marked Illinois Wesleyan's first win over the Bears since Nov. 20, 2018. Thursday night will see the Green and White look to defeat WashU inside the Shirk Center for the first time since Dec. 5, 2015. IWU outscored the Bears, 46-36, in the second half to come away with a 67-57 win. Brady Rose led the way with 15 points, while Joel Pennington added 14 points off the bench.
CONTRASTING STYLES: When Illinois Wesleyan and WashU duke it out on the hardwood Thursday night, Dec. 19, it will feature a battle of two teams with some considerable differences. The Titans, one of the top defensive teams across Division III, will be tasked with slowing one of the top offenses nationally. The Bears are slotted fifth across the country with a field goal percentage of 51.4 percent, ranking eighth with a scoring margin of +20.1, and hold the 22nd-best three-point field goal percentage (39.3) as the 61st-ranked scoring offense (83.1 ppg) in Division III. On the flip side, IWU ranks ninth nationally in field goal percentage defense (36.5), 51st in scoring defense at 66.2 points allowed per game, and have limited opponents to 34.8 percent from beyond the arc (117th nationally).
VETS LEADING THE WAY: Illinois Wesleyan has leaned on its veterans through the early part of the season, with five of IWU's top-six scorers being seniors. Nick Roper paces the Titans with 14.9 points per game, good for sixth-best in the conference. Hakim Williams is second with 9.9 points per game, while Harrison Wilmsen (8.8 ppg), Marko Anderson (7.9 ppg), and Trey Bazzell (7.9 ppg) round out the group in third and tied for fifth, respectively. Together, the five seniors have accounted for 444 points or 62.8 percent of Illinois Wesleyan's scoring this season.
FREE FRIDMAN: Emerging as a key contributor this season, freshman point guard Josh Fridman was elevated to the starting lineup in Illinois Wesleyan's conference clash with Elmhurst, Dec. 15. Making his first career start, Fridman played 23 minutes, accruing eight points with a career-best five assists, while adding two rebounds, two steals, and a block in IWU's win.
    Through three conference games, Fridman ranks seventh in the league with a field goal percentage of 57.1, with his 88.9 free throw percentage tied for seventh in the league. He is tied for fifth with 3.0 assists per game, while his 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio is slotted third-best.
NOT SOMETHING YOU SEE OFTEN: One of the best non-conference rivalries in #d3hoops, the Illinois Wesleyan-WashU games have been known to be tight battles down to the very end. Wednesday's 2023 pre-Thanksgiving blowout by the Titans was an anomaly of sorts, as IWU posted its largest margin of victory against the Bears in St. Louis since the 2005-06 season when IWU defeated WashU, 83-56, Dec. 10, 2005. The 27-point Titan win saw Keelan Amelianovich go for 23 points and seven rebounds, while Chris Jones put together a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double and Adam Dauksas dished out 12 assists for No. 1 ranked IWU.
    In the storied history between the Bears and Titans, the margin of defeat for either side has only been 20-or-more points seven times. IWU has won five of those contests, with WashU grabbing two wins by 20+ points.
BEAR(S) DOWN: The Bears' 50 points were WashU's fewest against Illinois Wesleyan since scoring 46 when the two teams battled during the 1951-52 campaign. Overall, it was just the fourth time IWU has held WashU to 50-or-fewer points. In addition to the Green and White's 54-46 during the 1951-52 season, IWU also topped WashU 33-32 in the initial meeting in 1934. WashU bested Illinois Wesleyan, 49-37, in 1944.
BENCH BOSS: In his 18th season leading his alma mater, Ron Rose has compiled a 332-159 overall record. His career mark includes 172 CCIW wins, the most of any active head coach in the conference.
The Titans won the 2013, 2014, 2022, and 2024 CCIW titles outright and shared the 2018 regular season championship with Augustana. Illinois Wesleyan claimed the 2021 CCIW Championship in a COVID-shortened season as well as the regular season title last season.
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 750 Titan basketball games between both the men and women. The men hold a 310-68 record on their home floor (.820 win pct.).
HAKIM WILL TAKE THAT: Senior Hakim Williams was credited with a career-high six steals against Carthage in IWU's league opener, Dec. 4. An elite defender, Williams' single-game total ranks second-most in the Illinois Wesleyan record book and is one off the record of seven set by Nathan Hubbard against BYU-Hawaii Jan. 2, 1999. Williams is one of just six Titans all-time to accrue six-or-more steals in a game, joining Eliud Gonzalez, Jason Jones, Peter Lambesis, and Jim Lehan. The Round Lake, Ill. native is the first to notch six thefts since Lambesis swiped six at Carroll Jan. 23, 2021.
    For the season, Williams leads the CCIW and ranks 48th nationally with 23 steals. His 2.56 thefts per game are second-most in the conference and good for 54th across Division III.
ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan will travel to Texas for a trip to take part in the Cru Classic hosted by University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Dec. 29-30. There, IWU will take on LeTourneau Sunday, Dec. 29, at 2 p.m. IWU will then square off against UMHB Monday, Dec. 30, at 4 p.m
