BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team heads down the St. Louis for a battle with fourth-ranked WashU Thursday, Dec. 18. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. inside WashU's Field House.
    Illinois Wesleyan looks to get off the schneid after dropping its last two contests. The Titans slipped to 6-3 on the season with a tough 67-66 setback at Elmhurst, Dec. 13. Meanwhile, the Bears boast an unblemished 8-0 standing on the season. WashU most recently grabbed an 87-74 road win at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Dec. 9.
    As a result of the University Athletic Association's agreement with FloSports Tuesday's game will be broadcast exclusively on the platform behind a paywall. The subscription service offers monthly and annual plans. The monthly option carries a $19.99 monthly price tag, while the annual plan is billed at $8.99 a month for a total of $107.88. Eric Stock will have a free audio only broadcast of the action that will simulcast to WESN and the CCIW Network, while live stats will also be available. Links can be found on the women's basketball page of iwusports.com.

THE GREATEST NON-CONFERENCE RIVALRY IN D3HOOPS: Thursday's tilt will serve as the 46th 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 25-20 lead in the all-time tally. The road team has won six of the past eight meetings, dating back to Dec. 17, 2016.
    Last season, Illinois Wesleyan raced past WashU, 84-68, as the Titan defense held the Bears in check. Mason Funk went for a game-high 20 points, while Josh Fridman (18) and Harrinson Wilmsen (10) also scored in doulbe digits. Mark Anderson chipped in nine points and a team-high seven rebounds off the bench. The win gave IWU its second straight victory over the Bears, marking the Green and White's first back-to-back wins over WashU since coming out ahead in 2015 and 2016.

CONTRASTING STYLES: When Illinois Wesleyan and WashU duke it out on the hardwood Thursday afternoon, Dec. 18, 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 52.3 percent, ranking 13th with a scoring margin of +17.1, and hold the 39th-best three-point field goal percentage (37.2) as the 48th-ranked scoring offense (85.4 ppg) in Division III. On the flip side, IWU ranks sixth nationally in field goal percentage defense (36.1), 24th in scoring defense at 65.2 points allowed per game, and have limited opponents to 29.0 percent from beyond the arc (63rd nationally).

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 31 assists to 6 turnovers. His 5.17 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the CCIW and is fifth-best across Division III.

BUCKET, DENIED!: The Titans have made it hard on opponents to score this season as IWU is limiting opponents to 65.2 points per game, good for 24th-best across Division III. Illinois Wesleyan's stingy defense has come behind the most blocks per game (7.6) and the sixth-best field goal percentage defense (36.1) in the country.
    Individually, Noah Cleveland leads the CCIW and is 14th nationally with 22 blocks. Mason Funk is second in the league, 37th nationally, with 17 rejections, while Brady Kuehl's 11 swats are fourth-most in the CCIW (126th nationally).

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS: With nine collegiate games under his belt, sophomore Noah Cleveland has established himself as one of the great bigs in NCAA Division III this season. The Normal, Ill. product leads the team in both scoring and rebounding with his averaged of 16.7 points and 11.3 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 58.9 percent from the field on the year and has added a team-high 22 blocks with 17 steals and 10 assists.
    Nationally, Cleveland is 11th with five double-doubles, while he is also top-10 in rebounds (12th - 11.3 rpg), blocks (14th - 22), and total rebounds (14th - 102).

KEYS TO VICTORY: Through nine games, IWU has established several keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 6-0 when scoring 60+ points, and also boasts a 2-0 mark when limiting opponents to no more than 59 points. Additionally, the Green and White is 5-1 when taking a lead into the half compared to 1-2 when trailing or tied at the break.

BENCH BOSS: In his 20th season leading his alma mater, Ron Rose has compiled a 355-167 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.

ON THE HORIZON: The Titans will jet to New York City ahead of the New Year for a pair of games at Yeshiva University, Dec. 29-31. The Green and White kicks off its trip with a 7:30 p.m. ET clash with Yeshiva Monday, Dec. 29. IWU will then play Hamilton College, Dec. 31, at YU's Max Stern Athletic Center.