BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The 16th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team lifts the lid on a highly anticipated 2025-26 slate as host to the fifth annual Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational Friday-Saturday, Nov. 14-15, inside the Shirk Center. The Titans will take on Illinois College Friday night, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m., while University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Maryville College (Tenn.) are set to square off in the 5 p.m. contest.
    The Titans head into the season following a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament Championship and run to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen. IWU posted a 24-6 overall record last year, including a 12-4 CCIW mark. Illinois College carries a 2-0 record in Bloomington after going undefeated at the Bill Merris Invitational, Nov. 7-8. The Blueboys most recently topped Simpson College, 83-71, Nov. 8. UW-Oshkosh kicked off the season with a tight 90-86 win against Saint John's University, Nov. 8, and will travel south with a 1-0 mark on the season. Rounding out the field, No. 21 Maryville (Tenn.) holds a 3-0 standing on the season. The Scots won a pair of games at Berry College's tournament, Nov. 7-8, and more recently won, 92-87, at The University of the South, Nov. 11.
    Fans can catch a live stream of the game on the CCIW Network with Eric Stock and Joel Swanson returning to the air waves as the voices of Titan basketball. Fans can also tune into an audio broadcast on 88.1 WESN, while live stats will also be provided. Links on can be found on the men's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

WE LOVE LID LIFTERS: Illinois Wesleyan has made a habit of starting off the season on the right foot in recent years, as evident by the Titans' nine-game win streak in season openers. Illinois Wesleyan defeated Cal Lutheran, 93-81, in the Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational to begin the 2024-25 campaign. IWU's last season-opening loss came in the 2015-16 season, where the Green and White were edged, 88-86, by Benedictine.

ROSTER REFRESH: The Green and White lost a significant class to graduation last spring as Hakim Williams, Trey Bazzell, Shane Miller, Nick Roper, Harrison Wilmsen, and Marko Anderson ended their IWU careers. Williams, Roper, and Wilmsen were All-CCIW picks for the Titans in 2024-25. Together the group combined to account for 1488 points or 61.7 percent of Illinois Wesleyan scoring a season ago as well as 54.8 percent of its rebounding (679 rebounds).
    In the season ahead, the Titans will turn to a talented group of seven newcomers that includes two junior transfers, a sophomore, and four freshmen. Brady Ruggles comes to IWU from Air Force Academy, while Casen Lawrence transferred in from Division II Truman State. Noah Cleveland joins the roster as a sophomore alongside freshmen Micah Meiss, Tucker Sennett, Bradley Biedke, and Luke Meyer.

SCHWEER IN SHIRK: A former Titan will return to Shirk Center this weekend as Steve Schweer leads Illinois College into a bout with his alma mater. Schweer is in his eighth season leading the Blueboys, where he has led IC to new heights. The Clarendon Hills, Ill. native had a four-year career at Illinois Wesleyan. He helped lead the Titans to two Sweet Sixteens and one Final Four.

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 317-68 record on their home floor (.823 win pct.).

SPEAR STEPS UP AS SPONSOR: The Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational, now in its fifth year, is in its second year with former Titan standout Bob Spear serving as sponsor. A 1977 graduate and three-time First Team Academic All-American, Spear scored 1035 points with a 49.9 field goal percentage over the course of his career. He grabbed 448 career rebounds.  To this day, Spear remains the program record holder in games played as the Quincy, Ill. native appeared in 115 games during his four-year career. He was a two-time Second Team All-CCIW honoree and helped lead the Titans to three NAIA Tournament appearances.


SIKMA HISTORY: This weekend will mark the fifth rendition of the Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational, which began in 2021 and has consistently treated the Bloomington-Normal community to top-tier #d3hoops matchups early in the season. Illinois Wesleyan has won the tournament twice, with the Titans claiming the inaugural event as well as the most recent. IWU edged out 17th-ranked UW-Oshkosh, 65-63, in 2021-22 and would go on to make a run into the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. UW-Stevens Point won the 2022 Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational, while Mary Hardin-Baylor topped the field in 2023. The Titans knocked off No. 24 Cal Lutheran (93-81) and No. 2 UW-Platteville (86-66) to hoist the title in 2024.

TALE OF THE TAPE: IWU holds a combined 54-14 record against this weekend's field, with a majority of the history coming against Illinois College. The Titans lead the tally with the Blueboys, 52-12, and sit level at 1-1 all-time against both Maryville and UW-Oshkosh.
Friday will serve as IWU's first game against IC since Nov. 22, 2014. The Green and White rolled to an 89-64 win at Illinois College that season, extending IWU's win streak over IC to 21 games. Four Titans put up double-digits in points, with Bryce Dolan leading the way with 20 points. Dylan Overstreet flirted with a triple-double as he finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in the win.
    The Titans could matchup with Maryville for the first time since 2004, with both previous meetings coming in the NCAA Tournament. Illinois Wesleyan came out with a victory in the last clash, 82-73, to advance to the second round of the national tournament. On the flip side, UWO came out on top in the most recent meeting, toppling IWU, 66-47, Nov. 26, 2022, to avenge a 65-63 Illinois Wesleyan win in the 2021 Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational Championship.

PRESEASON PRAISE: One year removed from a breakout rookie season, sophomore guard Josh Fridman was listed as a Preseason All-American on the D3hoops.com Fifth Team. He was one of four CCIW student-athletes named to the preseason awards list.
Fridman is the sixth Titan to reel in the preseason honor since D3hoops began announcing them in 2010. He joins Nick Roper (third team - 2024), Luke Yoder (fifth team - 2023), Matthew Leritz (second team - 2021), Andrew Ziemnik (third team - 2013), and Doug Sexauer (third team - 2010), while he is the first underclassmen to land on the preseason All-American teams.
In his first season donning the Green and White, Fridman worked his way into the lineup as the team's starting point guard. He averaged 9.2 points per game and dished out 76 assists against just 41 turnovers. Fridman shot 40.4 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from three-point range. Fridman led the team with a free throw percentage of 88.0.

BENCH BOSS: In his 20th season leading his alma mater, Ron Rose has compiled a 349-164 overall record. His career mark includes 187 CCIW wins, the most of any active CCIW head coach.
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 2025 CCIW Tournament title.

POLLING STATION:  Illinois Wesleyan is one of nine programs that have appeared in at least 200 D3hoops.com Top-25 rankings. In fact, the Titans 204 appearances in the weekly poll are seventh-most all-time as well as the most in the CCIW. They are currently ranked No. 16 in the poll.

CCIW PRESEASON POLL: IWU was predicted to finish runner up in the CCIW as the league office announced its annual preseason poll, Oct. 23. The Green and White garnered one first-place votes and 57 points to place second behind Carthage. The Firebirds reeled in eight first-place votes to top the poll with 64 points.
Elmhurst rounded out the top-three with 41 points. Wheaton (37) and North Park (35) were slotted fourth and fifth, respectively. Augustana (33), North Central (31), and Millikin (16) were ranked sixth through eighth, respectively. Carroll wrapped up the poll with 10 points in ninth.

ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS: Nick Roper became the program's 27th Academic All-America honoree at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season. His selection increased IWU's national lead on Duke, Kansas, UCLA, and Indiana. Duke's 22 selections are second-most all-time, while Kansas is third at 21. UCLA, Indiana, & Stanford are tied with 20 each.
Furthermore, IWU's all-time Academic All-American list currently sits at 176, which ranks in the top-25 across NCAA Division I, II, and III, as well as inside the top-10 in Division III. Roper was one of a school record 16 Academic All-Americans for Titan athletics last academic year.

BY THE NUMBERS: IWU has seen plenty of success on the hardwood in its storied history, highlighted by the Titans' NCAA National Championship in 1997. Overall, IWU has won 32 CCIW championships, made 27 tournament appearances, advanced to 19 "Sweet Sixteens," appeared in 12 "Elite Eights," and gone to six final fours.

FROM US TO Q: Illinois Wesleyan will remain at home for a midweek clash with the University of Chicago Wednesday night, Nov. 19. The game, which is set for a 7 p.m. tipoff, will see four-year IWU letterwinner and two-time All-CCIW pick Nick Roper return to the Shirk Center as a graduate student for the Maroons. Coincidentally, the game will take place on Bob Quillman's birthday.