BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The second-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team travels to North Central College this Wednesday, Feb. 5, for a midweek College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin matchup. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. inside Gregory Arena.
    The Titans dispatched Elmhurst Universty, 77-46, Feb. 1, to boost their record to 18-2 on the season. The win was key in the CCIW title race as IWU jumped to 10-1 in league play. North Central welcomes the Titans to town eyeing a bounce back from an 80-76 overtime loss at Augustana College, Feb. 1. The Cardinals sit at 11-9 overall and at 4-7 in the CCIW.
    A live stream and live stats will be provided by North Central, while Eric Stock will have the call on WESN. Links can be found on the men's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

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.

ROPER RAKES IN HONORS: Nick Roper turned in another outstanding week for Illinois Wesleyan, leading the Titans to a pair of wins, Jan. 29-Feb. 1, as he reeled in CCIW Player of the Week honors for the third time in his career. Earning his first weekly award of the year, Roper averaged 21 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game over the course of a week that featured wins against Carroll and Elmhurst. He was incredibly efficient from the field, shooting 68.4 percent (13-of-19) overall and posting a 5-of-7 showing from beyond the arc (71.4 percent).
    Roper joins Mason Funk and Hakim Williams as the third Titan to garner the honor this year.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Saturday's contest will serve as the 176th all-time meeting between the Titans and Cardinals. Illinois Wesleyan holds a 126-49 lead in the all-time series.
IWU has won four straight against NCC, including a 99-91 triple-overtime win inside the Shirk Center, Jan. 11. Nick Roper erupted for a career-high 29 points, while Marko Anderson added a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double. Hakim Williams talled 20 points, with Josh Fridman contributing 11. It was the program's first triple OT game since 1981.

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 201 helpers and ranks 29th all-time in program history. He is 10 assists behind Jason Jones mark of 211 dished out between 1987 and 1981.

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 1332 over nine home games, the second-highest average across Division III. Additionally, IWU is one of four Division III programs averaging 1000+ fans alongside Hope (1176 per game), Calvin (1208 per game), & Trine (1200 per game).

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 25.3 free throws per contest, the 13th-most across Division III. More importantly however, the Titans are 10th nationally with 17.9 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 173rd nationally. IWU is 9-1 when making 70-percent-or-better of its free throw tries this season.

IT'S FRIDMAN: Since assuming the starting point guard role, freshman Josh Fridman has come into his own, even taking his game to another level in CCIW play. Through 11 conference games, the rookie is averaging 8.9 points per game. He is the team's fifth-leading scorer in league contests and is second on the team with 31 assists (2.8 per game).
Around the conference, Fridman leads the league in free throw percentage (97.1) and is seventh in assists (2.8 apg).

TWO BIGS, BETTER THAN ONE: The five-man platoon of seniors Harrison Wilmsen and Marko Anderson  has been a crucial component to Illinois Wesleyan's success this season. Together, the duo is averaging 17.3 points and 12.0 rebounds per game and poses a consistent challenge for the opposition. Anderson is IWU's top rebounder with 6.8 boards per game, including a team-high 59 offensive rebounds, to go along with 7.8 points per game. Wilmsen's numbers sit at 9.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

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' 199 appearances in the weekly poll are eighth-most all-time as well as the most in the CCIW. The Titans are currently ranked No. 2 in the poll as of Jan. 27.

HARD TO COME BY: Through 20 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 37.9 percent. IWU is allowing just 67.7 points per game, a mark which is slotted 72nd-best across Division III.

BENCH BOSS: In his 18th season leading his alma mater, Ron Rose has compiled a 343-160 overall record. His career mark includes 185 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 +10.3 rebounding margin, ninth-best nationally, and have averaged 43.3 rebounds per game (14th nationally). Illinois Wesleyan is also ranked in the top-50 in offensive rebounding, averaging 13.85 boards on the offensive end per contest, a mark that Bob Spear would surely like to see higher, but one that ranks 35th across Division III.

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan wraps up a stretch of three games away from home this Saturday, Feb. 8, with a battle at Carthage College. Tipoff is set for 4:15 p.m. inside Tarble Arena and will serve as the second leg of a doubleheader with the IWU women's basketball team. The game, which will be aired on Marquee Sports Network, will only be viewable via the Marquee Sports Network app through a paid subscription, or in specific coverage areas. For those that do not get Marquee Sports Network in their cable or streaming packages, a radio broadcast will be available through WESN.