BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The ninth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team dips back into College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play Saturday, Jan. 4, as the Titans travel to King Arena for a battle with Wheaton College. Tipoff is set for 7:15 p.m. and will serve as the second leg of a doubleheader with the IWU women's basketball team.
    Illinois Wesleyan holds a 10-2 overall record and sits at 2-1 in CCIW play. The Titans most recently split games at the Cru Classic, Dec. 29-30,  defeating LeTourneau University but falling to University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. Wheaton, which has lost five straight, is 3-8 on the year, and is in search of its first conference win of the season sitting at 0-2. The Thunder will return to action for the first time since a heartbreaking, 78-75, loss to North Park University, Dec. 14.
    A live stream and live stats will be available, while Eric Stock will have the call on WESN alongside Joel Swanson. Links on how to follow along can be found on the men's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

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 +9.4 rebounding margin, 26th-best nationally, and have averaged 29.67 rebounds per game (31st nationally). Illinois Wesleyan is also ranked in the top-100 in offensive rebounding, averaging 12.58 boards on the offensive end per contest, a mark that Bob Spear would surely like to see higher, but one that ranks 89th across Division III.
    The rebounding efforts took another step in IWU's win over LeTourneau, Dec. 29, as the Titans hauled in a season-high 56 rebounds against the Yellowjackets. IWU's carom total ranks fifth-most in program history and is the highest total in a game since hauling in 58 against Elmhurst Nov. 30, 2022. Individually, Mason Funk grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds against the Yellowjackets. It was the highest rebounding total by a Titan since Matthew Leritz hauled in a record-setting 25 against Yeshiva Dec. 30, 2021.

CARDIAC KIDS: The Titans completed their second double-digit comeback of the season in their win over LeTourneau, Dec. 29. IWU trailed by 10 with just under 13 minutes to play, but came back to earn an 85-67 victory. The first double digit comeback of the season came at Chicago, Nov. 27, where Illinois Wesleyan trailed by as many as 16. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, Illinois Wesleyan has posted 10 wins after trailing by 10-or-more points.

DOUBLE DOUBLE-DOUBLES: Two Titans notched double-doubles in Illinois Wesleyan's bout with Mary Hardin-Baylor, Dec. 30. Hakim Williams hauled in 11 points and a team-high 11 rebounds to register the third double-double of his career, while Marko Anderson's 12 points and 10 boards gave the Park Ridge, Ill. product the first double-double of his career.
The instance marked the first time multiple Titans have earned double-doubles in the same game since Nov. 30, 2022. Williams posted an 11-point, 11-rebound showing, while Ryan Sroka added an 11-point, 11-rebound effort of his own as IWU downed 11th-ranked Elmhurst, 68-54, on the road.

AGAINST THE THUNDER ALL-TIME: Illinois Wesleyan and Wheaton will battle for the 140th time Saturday night. IWU holds an 87-53 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 13 meetings.
    IWU swept last season's meetings, pulling off a tight 78-77 win at Wheaton, Jan. 17, 2024 before coming away with a 73-64 win inside the Shirk Center a week later, Jan. 24. A key piece to the Titans' success against the Thunder last season was the play of Harrison Wilmsen. The St. Louis, Mo. native averaged 18.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game against the Thunder a season ago. He converted 16-of-26 attempts from the field (61.5 percent) and 3-of-5 three-point tries (60.0 percent).

HARD TO COME BY: Through 12 games this season, Illinois Wesleyan has established itself as one of the stingiest defenses in all of Division III. The Titans are ranked 19th nationally in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to 37.8 percent. IWU is allowing just 67.4 points per game, a mark which is slotted 70th-best across Division III.

BENCH BOSS: In his 18th season leading his alma mater, Ron Rose has compiled a 335-160 overall record. His career mark includes 177 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.

FUNK IT UP: A sophomore studying pre-med, Mason Funk has had a clear head since wrapping up final exams last month. In four games since the fall semester concluded, Funk is averaging 15.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.0 blocks per contest. With two career-high 20-point performances coming during the span, Funk has connected on 23-of-44 shot attempts (52.3 percent) and 11-of-24 three-point tries (45.8 percent). Funk's back-to-back 20-point games garnered the local product CCIW Player of the Week status, Dec. 23.

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan completes a four-game roadtrip Wednesday, Jan. 8, with a showdown at North Park. Tipoff between the Titans and league-leading Vikings is set for 7 p.m. inside NPU Gymnasium.