BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The 16th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team returns to the hardwood Friday, Feb. 28, as it kicks off College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament semifinal play inside Tarble Arena on the campus of Carthage College. The second-seeded Titans will square off with No. 4 seed Augustana College at 5 p.m. in the first semifinal bout of the night.
    Illinois Wesleyan enters tournament play with a 20-5 overall record. The Titans most recently dropped their regular season finale, 85-76, at Augustana, Feb. 22. Augie advanced to the semifinals with a 92-78 quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Elmhurst University, Feb. 25. With the win, the Vikings jumped to 17-9 on the season.
Carthage will clash with sixth-seeded North Central College in the 7:30 p.m. semifinal showdown Friday night. The Firebirds sit at 20-5 on the season. Carthage completed a 14-2 league record with an 84-77 win at Millikin University, Feb. 22. NCC outlasted third-seeded North Park University, 94-92, in Chicago Tuesday night, Feb. 25, to punch its way into the semis. The Cardinals carry a 15-11 overall record into Tarble Arena.
    Eric Stock and Joel Swanson will have the radio broadcast on WESN, while Carthage athletics will provide a live stream and live stats. Links on can be found on the men's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

IWU IN THE CCIW TOURNAMENT: Illinois Wesleyan has made 16 CCIW Tournament appearances since the league began holding a tournament in 2006. Over that time, the Titans have gone 12-15 in CCIW Tournament games.
    Not included in those totals is the 2020-21 season's league tournament, which featured all nine teams due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. IWU went 3-0 in the 2021 tournament, defeating North Park (75-55), Elmhurst (75-65), and Wheaton (71-58) en route to the CCIW Championship.

THE TWO SEED: Since 2006, the No. 2 seed in the CCIW Tournament has posted a 22-11 record and has won eight tournament titles. In fact, the second-seeded team in the field has won the league tournament and the CCIW's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons (North Park - 2023 & Elmhurst - 2024).

CCIW TOURNAMENT CLASHES WITH AUGIE: Since the CCIW Tournament was introduced in 2006, the Vikings and Titans have matched up seven times, including in the semifinals in 2020. Augie holds a 5-2 advantage over IWU in the tournament tilts.
    In the inaugural conference tournament, IWU bounced Augustana, 81-67, on the Vikings' home floor in the semifinals to advance to the title game. The two conference foes have met in the CCIW Tournament Championship three times (2008, 2011, 2015).
    Just five years ago, the Titans edged second-seeded Augie, 74-70, in the 2020 CCIW Tournament semis at North Central. Peter Lambesis erupted for 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting to lead the third-seeded Titans, while Cory Noe went for 17 points and Matthew Leritz added 11.

ALL EYES ON US: 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 averaged a crowd of 1409 over 11 home games, the second-highest average across Division III. Additionally, IWU is one of five Division III programs averaging 1000+ fans alongside Hope (1705 per game), Calvin (1341 per game), Trine (1225 per game)  & Mount Union (1021 per game).
    Additionally, IWU has brought out some of the best crowds for its opposition throughout the season. Of Illinois Wesleyan's 11 road games, eight of them featured crowds larger than average for its opponents. Additionally, Augustana (1668) and Carthage (1619) set season-highs in attendance when the Titans paid visits to Rock Island, Ill. and Kenosha, Wis., respectively.

TREYS FOR DAYS: Sophomore Jackson Niego shouldered much of the first-half scoring for IWU at Augie, Feb. 22, as the Western Springs, Ill. native put up 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc. Niego tied a career-high with 12 points, while also tying for the most three-pointers made by a Titan in a game this season. He joins Mason Funk (vs. WashU, Dec. 19, 2024), Josh Fridman (vs. WashU, Dec. 19, 2024), Nick Roper (vs. North Central Jan. 11, 2025) and Trey Bazzell (vs. Westminster, Nov. 22, 2024 & vs. North Park, Feb. 19, 2025).

AGAINST AUGIE ALL-TIME: Illinois Wesleyan and Augustana will square off on the hardwood for the 182nd time Friday and the second time in the past week, in a series that dates back to the 1914-15 season. IWU leads the all-time tally, 102-79. Augie has won 13 of the last 21 meetings, but the Titans have come out victorious in eight of the last 11.
    The two teams split the regular season series with each winning on their home floors. IWU rolled past Augie, 82-52, inside the Shirk Center, Jan. 22.  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. Augie most recently leveled the season series with an 85-76 win in Rock Island, Ill. this past Saturday, Feb. 22.

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. At Augie, 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.

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 215 helpers and ranks tied for 26th all-time in program history alongside Colin Bonnett. He is three assist behind Eluid Gonzalez, who dished out 218 between 2008 and 2012.

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 23.8 free throws per contest, the 21st-most across Division III. More importantly however, the Titans are 23rd nationally with 16.7 free throws made per contest. The scary part? Illinois Wesleyan has the opportunity to improve the second ranking, as the Titans are converting 70.4 percent of their free throws - a mark that sits seventh in the CCIW and 195th nationally. IWU is 11-1 when making 70-percent-or-better of its free throw tries this season and just 9-4 when shooting below 70 percent from the stripe.

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 +9.2 rebounding margin, 15th-best nationally, and have averaged 41.76 rebounds per game (22nd nationally). Illinois Wesleyan is also ranked in the top-75 in offensive rebounding, averaging 13.08 boards on the offensive end per contest, a mark that is 51st across Division III.

HARD TO COME BY: Illinois Wesleyan has established itself as one of the stingiest defenses in all of Division III this season. The Titans are ranked 28th nationally in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to 39.3 percent. IWU is allowing just 69.4 points per game, a mark which is slotted 99th-best across Division III. Futhermore, the Titans are 13-1 when limiting opponents to fewer than 70 points compared to 6-4 when the opposition scores 70-or-better.

BENCH BOSS: In his 18th season leading his alma mater, Ron Rose has compiled a 345-163 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.

ON THE HORIZON: With a win, the Titans would advance to the CCIW Tournament Championship for the second straight season. The title game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. inside Tarble Arena and will see the winner of the IWU-Augie game take on the winner of the No. 1 seed Carthage and No. 6 seed North Central semifinal.