BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Illinois Wesleyan University's men's basketball team closes out a three-game homestand Wednesday night, Jan. 29, with a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin matchup with Carroll University. Tipoff between the third-ranked Titans and Pioneers is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Shirk Center.
    Illinois Wesleyan enters the week with a 16-2 overall record and finds itself in a three-way tie atop the league standings at 8-1. The Green and White most recently rolled past Wheaton College, 90-68, inside the Shirk Center, Jan. 25. Meanwhile, Carroll holds a 6-11 record and is amid a battle for a CCIW Tournament berth with a 2-6 conference mark. The Pioneers are one game out of a tie for sixth in the league standings, but have dropped their last two contests. Most recently, CU stumbled, 88-68, at Carthage College, Jan. 22.
    A live stream with Eric Stock and Joel Swanson on the call as well as live stats will be available. Links can be found on the men's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

HALFTIME HONORS: Illinois Wesleyan will recognize its 2024 NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championship qualifiers at halftime of Wednesday's game. IWU will applaud All-American performances from Imani Ogunribido, Carlyssa King, and Evan Lowder. Ogunribido qualified in triple jump, King in hammer, and Lowder earned his way in the 400m.

HELPING HANDS: Senior Hakim Williams dished out a career-high 10 assists in IWU's win over Wheaton, Jan. 25, as the floor general became the 13th Titan to dole out double-digit assists. It is the 33rd time in program history that a player has notched 10+ helpers and is tied for 16th-most in a game all-time. Williams' 10 assists are the most since Luke Yoder tallied 10 against Redlands Dec. 19, 2023.
    For his career, Williams has been credited with 193 assists. He ranks 29th on the all-time list and is seven away from becoming the 29th player in program history to register 200+ in their Titan career.

COME ONE, COME ALL: The Titans have long been known for their strong community support, as evident by the regular crowds that visit the Shirk Center to cheer on IWU basketball. In fact, Illinois Wesleyan is averaging a crowd of 1402 over eight home games, the third-highest average across Division III.

CLASHES WITH CARROLL: Illinois Wesleyan and Carroll have met on the hardwood a total of 92 times ahead of Wednesday's tilt, with the Titans holding a commanding 74-18 lead against the Pioneers all-time.
    IWU has won 12 straight against the Pioneers, the longest streak by either team in the series that dates back to 1955. 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.
    Earlier this season, the Titans secured their first conference win of the season with a 72-66 victory at CU's Van Male Fieldhouse. IWU, which led by three at halftime, trailed by six with 6:35 to play. The Green and White ended the game on a 17-5 run as Mason Funk put the Titans ahead for good with a layup off an assist from Marko Anderson with 1:25 to play. Three scored in double figures as the Titans escaped with the win. Nick Roper posted a team-high 14 points, while Hakim Williams and Harrison Wilmsen added 13 and 11 points, respectively.

HAPPY TO C-U: The senior duo of Harrison Wilmsen and Nick Roper has fared well against Carroll over the course of their careers. Over six games, Wilmsen and Roper are a combined 46-of-80 from the floor, a field goal percentage of 57.5, and have averaged 20.7 points per contest even with Roper missing two meetings due to injury.
    Individually, Roper holds career averages of 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. He has put up the numbers efficiently, shooting 55.2 percent from the field (21-of-38) and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Wilmsen has put up an average of 11.0 points and 5.7 rebounds with a field goal clip of 61.7 percent.

TAKE WHAT'S FREE: Illinois Wesleyan's aggressive offensive play and willingness to attack the rim has led to a lot of trips to the free throw line this season. In fact, IWU is averaging 25.4 free throws per contest, the 12th-most across Division III. More importantly however, the Titans are ninth nationally with 18.1 free throws made per contest.

IT'S FRIDMAN: Since assuming the starting point guard role, freshman Josh Fridman has come into his own, even taking his game to another level in CCIW play. Through nine conference games, the rookie is averaging 9.8 points per game. He is the team's fourth-leading scorer in league contests and is second on the team with 25 assists (2.8 per game) while holding an impressive 4.2 assist-to-turnover ration.
    Around the conference, Fridman leads the league in free throw percentage (96.9) and is tied for seventh in assists (2.6 apg).

TWO BIGS, BETTER THAN ONE: The five-man platoon of seniors Harrison Wilmsen and Marko Anderson  has been a crucial component to Illinois Wesleyan's success this season. Together, the duo is averaging 17.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game and poses a consistent challenge for the opposition. Anderson is IWU's top rebounder with 6.6 boards per game, including a team-high 51 offensive rebounds, to go along with 8.1 points per game. Wilmsen's numbers sit at 9.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

BENCH BOSS: In his 18th season leading his alma mater, Ron Rose has compiled a 341-160 overall record. His career mark includes 183 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.

HARD TO COME BY: Through 18 games this season, Illinois Wesleyan has established itself as one of the stingiest defenses in all of Division III. The Titans are ranked 16th nationally in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to 38.1 percent. IWU is allowing just 68.3 points per game, a mark which is slotted 79th-best across Division III.

6 FOOT 8 INCHES OF ROPE: Illinois Wesleyan senior Nick Roper took his play to another level in the Titans' triple overtime win over North Central, Jan. 11. Roper poured in a career-high 29 points over 48 minutes of play, while adding nine rebounds and three assists.
    In addition to a season-high, Roper posted the highest point total by a Titan since Matthew Leritz scored 31 against Wheaton Feb. 12, 2022. Since the calendar turned to 2025, Roper is averaging 20.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.0 steal per game. Roper ranks fourth in the CCIW in scoring at 18.7 points per game and also sits fourth in rebounding (6.8 rpg).

POLLING STATION:  Illinois Wesleyan is one of 28 programs that have appeared in at least 100 D3hoops.com Top-25 rankings. In fact, the Titans' 198 appearances in the weekly poll are eighth-most all-time as well as the most in the CCIW. The Titans are currently ranked No. 3 in the poll as of Jan. 27.

WHO NEEDS WINDEX?: There's no need to clean the glass when the Titans are taking the court, as IWU has established itself as one of the best rebounding teams in the country. The Green and White hold a +10.8 rebounding margin, ninth-best nationally, and have averaged 43.33 rebounds per game (14th nationally). Illinois Wesleyan is also ranked in the top-50 in offensive rebounding, averaging 13.89 boards on the offensive end per contest, a mark that Bob Spear would surely like to see higher, but one that ranks 34th across Division III.

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 314-68 record on their home floor (.822 win pct.).

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan hits the road for the first time in in more than two weeks as the Titans travel to R.A. Faganel Hall Saturday, Feb. 1, for a battle with the Bluejays of Elmhurst University. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. and will serve as the second leg of a doubleheader with the IWU women's basketball team.