BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The No. 11 Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team will square off with North Park University Wednesday night, Feb. 19, inside the Shirk Center in the Titans' final home game of the regular season. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
    Illinois Wesleyan moved to 19-4 overall and 11-3 in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play with a 96-60 thumping of Millikin University, Feb. 15. Meanwhile, North Park looks to get off a four-game losing skid when it visits the Shirk Center Wednesday night. The Vikings are 14-10 overall and 9-6 in league play. NPU enters the week off a 97-83 loss to Elmhurst University, Feb. 15.
    The game will be live streamed with Eric Stock and Joel Swanson on the call, while a radio broadcast and live stats will also be available. Links on can be found on the basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

FUNKS' FINDINGS: With six steals in Illinois Wesleyan's win over Millikin, Feb. 15, Mason Funk became the seventh Titan in program history to accrue six-or-more thefts in a game. He joins teammate Hakim Williams, who accomplished the feat with six steals against Carthage, Dec. 4, as well as Nathan Hubbard, Eliud Gonzalez, Jason Jones, Peter Lambesis, and Jim Lehan. Hubbard holds the single-game record with seven steals against BYU-Hawaii Jan. 2, 1999, while the others are tied for second with six each.
    Funk and Williams are the only teammates to notch six-or-more steals in the same season in program history.

WE'LL TAKE THAT: Illinois Wesleyan forced Millikin into 20 turnovers, Feb. 15, tying for the second-most committed by the Big Blue this season. Additionally, it marked the first time IWU has forced 20+ turnovers since Westminster turned the ball over 22 times Nov. 22, 2024. In all, it is the third time the Titans have forced 20+ turnovers this season (UW-Stout - 21 - Nov. 16, 2024).

DUELS WITH THE VIKINGS: In a series dating back to the 1961-62 season, the Titans hold a 94-36 advantage over the Vikings. IWU has won 13 of the past 16 matchups, including the last three meetings.
    Illinois Wesleyan won the initial meeting with NPU, 80-69, in Chicago, Jan. 8. Nick Roper and Josh Fridman led the way with 19 points apiece, while Hakim Williams (15) and Harrison Wilmsen (12) also finished in double figures.

WITH A WIN...: Illinois Wesleyan looks to secure its first 20-win season since the 2021-22 campaign that saw the Titans advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. It would be the eighth 20-win season under the direction of Ron Rose and the 25th in the program's history.

CCIW TOURNAMENT PICTURE BECOMING CLEAR: Illinois Wesleyan has already locked up a top-two seed and first round bye for next week's CCIW Tournament, but the Titans still have a shot at the No. 1 seed with some help. Sitting one game behind Carthage's 12-2 league record, Illinois Wesleyan (11-3) needs to win its final two games and would require the Firebirds to drop both of their remaining contests in order to claim the regular season title outright.
If IWU and Carthage finish with matching league records, the two will share the regular season championship. The Firebirds would get the No. 1 seed and CCIW Tournament hosting duties as a result of holding the head-to-head tiebreaker via a regular season sweep, and the Titans would be the No. 2 seed.

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 1462 over 10 home games, the second-highest average across Division III. Additionally, IWU is one of four Division III programs averaging 1000+ fans alongside Hope (1670 per game), Trine (1225 per game)  & Calvin (1192 per game).

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.
    With four assists in a win at Elmhurst, Feb. 1, Williams surpassed 200 for his career. He is the 29th player in program history with 200+ assists. For his career, Williams has been credited with 208 helpers and ranks 29th all-time in program history. He is three assists behind Jason Jones mark of 211 dished out between 1987 and 1991.

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 24.2 free throws per contest, the 19th-most across Division III. More importantly however, the Titans are 22nd nationally with 17.1 free throws made per contest. The scary part? Illinois Wesleyan has the opportunity to improve the second ranking, as the Titans are converting 70.6 percent of their free throws - a mark that sits seventh in the CCIW and 184th nationally. IWU is 10-1 when making 70-percent-or-better of its free throw tries this season.

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' 201 appearances in the weekly poll are eighth-most all-time as well as the most in the CCIW. The Titans are currently ranked No. 11 in the poll as of Feb. 17.

HARD TO COME BY: Through 23 games this season, Illinois Wesleyan has established itself as one of the stingiest defenses in all of Division III. The Titans are ranked 13th nationally in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to 38.4 percent. IWU is allowing just 68.3 points per game, a mark which is slotted 76th-best 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 316-68 record on their home floor (.822 win pct.).

BENCH BOSS: In his 18th season leading his alma mater, Ron Rose has compiled a 344-162 overall record. His career mark includes 186 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.

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 +10.0 rebounding margin, 11th-best nationally, and have averaged 42.57 rebounds per game (18th nationally). Illinois Wesleyan is also ranked in the top-50 in offensive rebounding, averaging 13.35 boards on the offensive end per contest, a mark that is 46th across Division III.

ON THE HORIZON: The Titans will close out the regular season this Saturday, Feb. 22, at Augustana College. Tipoff is set for 4:15 p.m. and will be the second leg of a doubleheader with the IWU women's basketball team.