BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The final game of the regular season sees the No. 11 Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team travel to Augustana College this Saturday, Feb. 22, for a 4:15 p.m. tipoff.
Illinois Wesleyan travels to Rock Island with an overall standing of 20-4. The Titans own a 12-3 conference record and hold the No. 2 seed in next week's conference tournament. IWU most recently took down North Park University, 87-81, inside the Shirk Center, Feb. 19. Augustana, winners of five of its last six, enters Saturday with a 15-9 overall record. The Vikings are jockeying for CCIW Tournament seeding and a first-round home game at 8-7 in league play. Augie most recently ran post Wheaton College, 101-76, Feb. 19.
Eric Stock and Joel Swanson will have the radio broadcast on WESN, while a live stream and live stats will also be available. Links on can be found on the men's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.
AGAINST AUGIE ALL-TIME: Illinois Wesleyan and Augustana will square off on the hardwood for the 181st time Saturday, in a series that dates back to the 1914-15 season. IWU leads the all-time tally, 102-78. Augie has won 12 of the last 20 meetings, but the Titans have come out victorious in eight of the last 10.
The Titans used a gigantic second half to soar past the Vikings, 82-52, inside the Shirk Center, Jan. 22. Leading by six at the half, IWU outscored Augie, 53-29, over the second 20 minutes to run away with the win. Nick Roper went for 14 points and seven boards, both of which were team-highs, while Harrison Wilmsen (11), Hakim Williams (10), and Trey Bazzell (10) also scored in double figures.
DON'T HOLD IT AGAINST HIM: Illinois Wesleyan Athletic Director Mike Wagner, a 1992 Augie graduate, played football for the Vikings for four seasons. An Honorable Mention All-American by Dan Hansen's Football Gazette, Wagner was an All-CCIW linebacker for the Vikings. He led Augie to three NCAA Division III Playoff appearances during his playing career.
SHE LOOKS BETTER IN GREEN: Illinois Wesleyan men's basketball athletic trainer Rachel Dawson is in her second season with the Titans after a two-year run as an athletic trainer at Augustana. She will return to the Carver PE Center where she averaged 4.0 points and 1.0 rebound per game in noon ball against fellow Augie staffers. At IWU, Dawson oversees the athletic training care for the Titan men's basketball, cross country, and tennis programs.
20-WIN SEASON SECURED, NEXT: With its win over North Park, Feb. 19, Illinois Wesleyan secured its 20th win of the season. It is IWU's first 20-win campaign since 2021-22. Additionally, it is the eighth 20-win season under the direction of Ron Rose and the 25th in the program's history.
THE SEQUENCE THAT SHOOK D3HOOPS: For much of his Titan career, Nick Roper has been known for his gnarly dunks, but the senior's slams have really taken hold around #d3hoops this season. Roper added another to his highlight tape Wednesday night, Feb. 19, with a sequence that many teams dream of. After Hakim Williams swatted an NPU layup attempt off the backboard and corralled the rebound, Jackson Niego put the ball in the hands of Roper in the baseline corner. Taking his signature flight path, Roper drove baseline and threw down a one-handed slam.
TREYS FOR DAYS: Senior Trey Bazzell treated the Shirk Center to quite a first-half show against North Park, Feb. 19. The Fairbury, Ill. native scored 14 of his career-high 16 points in the first half, doing so behind four three-pointers as he finished 5-for-7 from the field overall. Bazzell's four three-pointers made are tied for the most by a Titan in a game this season. He joins Mason Funk (vs. WashU, Dec. 19, 2024), Josh Fridman (vs. WashU, Dec. 19, 2024) and Nick Roper (vs. North Central Jan. 11, 2025) to have accomplished the feat, but is the only Titan to have done it twice this season (vs. Westminster, Nov. 22, 2024).
CCIW TOURNAMENT PICTURE BECOMING CLEAR: Illinois Wesleyan will be the No. 2 seed in next week's CCIW Tournament, with the semifinal and championship games set to be played in Kenosha, Wis. on the campus of top-seeded Carthage, Feb. 28-March 1. IWU will play in the 5 p.m. game Friday, Feb. 28, with Carthage scheduled to play in the 7:30 p.m. bout.
With a win and a Carthage loss, IWU can secure a share of the CCIW Regular Season Championship Saturday, Feb. 22.
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 1409 over 11 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 210 helpers and ranks 29th all-time in program history. He is one assist 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 23.9 free throws per contest, the 20th-most across Division III. More importantly however, the Titans are 20th nationally with 16.9 free throws made per contest. The scary part? Illinois Wesleyan has the opportunity to improve the second ranking, as the Titans are converting 70.7 percent of their free throws - a mark that sits seventh in the CCIW and 177th nationally. IWU is 11-1 when making 70-percent-or-better of its free throw tries this 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 +9.8 rebounding margin, 11th-best nationally, and have averaged 42.17 rebounds per game (20th nationally). Illinois Wesleyan is also ranked in the top-50 in offensive rebounding, averaging 13.33 boards on the offensive end per contest, a mark that is 43rd across Division III.
HARD TO COME BY: Through 24 games this season, Illinois Wesleyan has established itself as one of the stingiest defenses in all of Division III. The Titans are ranked 22nd nationally in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to 39.0 percent. IWU is allowing just 68.8 points per game, a mark which is slotted 85th-best across Division III.
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.
BENCH BOSS: In his 18th season leading his alma mater, Ron Rose has compiled a 345-162 overall record. His career mark includes 187 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.
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 (.822 win pct.).
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).
FLEW BY THE BLUEJAYS: Illinois Wesleyan routed Elmhurst, 77-46, on the road, Feb. 1. The Titans blitzed the Bluejays, scoring the game's first 10 points, before carrying a hefty, 45-17, lead into halftime. It marked the first time IWU held an opponent below 20 points a half since taking a 40-19 lead into halftime at WashU, Nov. 22, 2023, while its the fewest the Green and White has allowed since holding Chicago to 15 points Dec. 1, 2021.
Additionally, the 31-point victory over EU was Illinois Wesleyan's largest margin of victory over the Bluejays since defeating Elmhurst, 88-57, in R.A. Faganel Hall Dec. 10, 2016. Twelve Titans scored in the win, with Brady Rose and Trevor Seibring scoring 15 points apiece.
ON THE HORIZON: The Titans begin the CCIW Tournament Friday, Feb. 28, after earning a bye into the semifinal round as the No. 2 seed in the six-team field. IWU will play in the 5 p.m. semifinal game Friday, Feb. 28, with No. 1 Carthage set to play at 7:30 p.m.
