BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Returning to action for the first time in a week, the 18th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team will travel to R.A. Faganel Hall Saturday, Dec. 13, for a bout with Elmhurst University. Tip time is set for 4:15 p.m. and will serve as the backend of a double feature with the IWU women's basketball team.
    Illinois Wesleyan carries a 6-2 record into the weekend, standing at 1-1 in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play. The Titans were most recently downed, 68-57, at the hands of North Central College, Dec. 6. Elmhurst enters at 5-2 on the year and is in search of its first CCIW win of the season at 0-1. The Bluejays were most recently dealt a heartbreaking, 82-81, loss by Wheaton College, Dec. 6.
    Fans can catch Eric Stock and Joel Swanson on the audio broadcast, while live stats and a live stream will also be provided. Links can be found on the men's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

JAXED UP: Jackson Niego has started each of the past two games at point guard for the Green and White. Since dipping into league play as IWU's starting floor general, Niego has led the team with an average of 35.5 minutes per game played. He has put up 8.0 points, 7.0 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per content over two games.
Moreover, Niego has served as a steady hand with 28 assists to 5 turnovers. His 5.60 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the CCIW and is sixth-best across Division III.

BATTLES WITH THE BLUEJAYS: Illinois Wesleyan holds a 119-29 advantage in the 148 all-time meetings between the Titans and Bluejays, and have won 14 of the past 20 contests between the two. However, Elmhurst has come out on top in four of the last seven meetings.
   Illinois Wesleyan swept last season's meetings, marking the first sweep in the series since  the 2018-19 campaign.  The Titans nabbed an 86-68 win at the Shirk Center Dec. 15, before  coming away with a 77-46 triumph at Elmhurst, Feb. 1. Hakim Williams led all scorers with 16 points, while Nick Roper (15) and Mason Funk (14) also tallied 10+ in the win.

FAMILIAR FACES: When the Titans take on the Bluejays Saturday, IWU fans may recognize a familiar face in Elmhurst bench boss John Baines. A 1998 Illinois Wesleyan graduate, he was a part of teams that compiled a 103-14 record, played in the NCAA Tournament four times, reached the Final Four twice, and won a Division III National Championship in 1997.
    Baines is not the only former Titan hooper on the Bluejay staff as Shane Miller is in his first season coaching with EU. Miller graduated from IWU in May after his career as a Titan.

BUCKET, DENIED!: The Titans have made it hard on opponents to score this season as IWU is limiting opponents to 65.0 points per game, good for 32nd-best across Division III. Illinois Wesleyan's stingy defense has come behind the most blocks per game (8.3) and the fourth-best field goal percentage defense (34.9) in the country.
    Individually, Noah Cleveland leads the CCIW and is 14th nationally with 21 blocks. Mason Funk is second in the league, 30th nationally, with 16 rejections, while Brady Kuehl's 11 swats are third-most in the CCIW (96th nationally).

BENCH BOSS: In his 20th season leading his alma mater, Ron Rose has compiled a 355-166 overall record. His career mark includes 188 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' 207 appearances in the weekly poll are sixth-most all-time as well as the most in the CCIW. They are currently ranked No. 18 in the poll.

ON THE HORIZON: The Titans road swing continues with a three-game non-conference stint to close out the calendar year. IWU heads to St. Louis for a 2 p.m. battle with the Bears of WashU Thursday, Dec. 18. The Green and White then travel to NYC for two games at Yeshiva, Dec. 29-31.