BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Four top-25 teams will converge in Bloomington this weekend, March 14-15, as the Shirk Center plays host to second weekend NCAA Tournament action. The fourth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team will square off against 11th-ranked University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh at 7:30 p.m. Friday night, March 14. No. 16 Ohio Wesleyan University and No. 7 Baldwin Wallace University will spar in the 5 p.m. bout.
    Illinois Wesleyan carries a 28-1 record into the weekend, making its way through the first two rounds with wins over Centre College and No. 13 Trine University, March 7-8. UW-Oshkosh heads into the weekend with a 25-4 record after winning its opening weekend pod. UWO defeated Calvin University and Bethel University in the first two rounds of the national tournament. Ohio Wesleyan, which stands at 25-3 overall, topped Immaculata University and Washington & Jefferson College over the weekend. Rounding out the pod is Baldwin Wallace, which brings a 28-1 record and 28-game win streak to Bloomington. The Yellowjackets secured its spot in the Sweet Sixteen with wins over La Roche College and Washington & Lee University.
    The games can also be viewed on the NCAA Championship Pass app or on NCAA.com. Live stats will also be available. Links can be found on the schedule page of IWUsports.com.

MARCH MADNESS MODE: Illinois Wesleyan is making its 16th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Since first making the tournament in 1995, IWU has compiled a 23-15 record in the tourney. The Titans played in the third-place game in 2011 and won the Division III National Championship in 2012.

HOW SWEET IT IS: IWU is the only DIII school to have its men's & women's basketball teams & women's volleyball teams advance to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament this year.

POLLING PLACE: Illinois Wesleyan held steady inside the top-five in both the D3hoops.com and WBCA Top-25 polls as of March 5. IWU ranks fourth in both the D3hoops.com and WBCA polls.

STRONG ON BOTH SIDES: Illinois Wesleyan was one of 15 schools across Division III to have both its men's and women's basketball teams competing in the NCAA Tournament this season and is one of two to see both competing in the second weekend (NYU). In fact, IWU's combined history ranks the Titans among the top in Division III. In research compiled by former WashU SID Chris Mitchell, the Titans enter the weekend with 82 combined wins - the fifth-most in Division III.

WELCOME TO THE SHIRK CENTER: This weekend will mark the first time the Titans have hosted the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament action since the 2009-10 season. Illinois Wesleyan dropped a heartbreaker, 77-76, to UW-Stevens Point, ending its season in the Sweet Sixteen.

TITANS VS TITANS: Illinois Wesleyan and UW-Oshkosh will meet on the hardwood for the third time Friday night, March 14, and the first since the 2002-03 season. UWO leads the all-time series, 2-0, having won both games decisively. UW-Oshkosh downed Illinois Wesleyan, 74-57, in the initial meeting in 2000, before tripping up IWU, 66-49, Nov. 23, 2002.
    With a win, the Green and White would advance to play either Ohio Wesleyan or Baldwin Wallace in Saturday's Elite Eight game. IWU has faced OWU just once previously, back during the 2009 NCAA Tournament. The Titans earned an 80-51 win inside the Shirk Center in the opening round of the national tournament. A matchup with Baldwin Wallace would mark the first-ever meeting between IWU and the Yellowjackets. Saturday's game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip.

IWU VS. THE FIELD: This year's 64-team field included four teams IWU faced during the nine-game non-conference season. The Titans were 4-0 against the field during the regular season, with wins over East Texas Baptist, DePauw, Calvin, and UW-Whitewater. Three of the four wins came on the road, while IWU knocked off DePauw on a neutral floor as part of the Midwest Challenge, Nov. 30.

POINT SCORERS: Illinois Wesleyan's high-pace play has resulted in the Titans piling up the points this season. In fact, IWU is 3rd nationally with 2313 points scored and is sixth with a scoring average of 79.8 points per game. The Green and White's high scoring has come alongside a field goal percentage of 44.3 percent - 18th-best nationally.

SHE'S A WINNER: Sophomore Sophia Feeney may have more wins under her belt this academic year (52) than any female student-athlete in IWU history. Feeney won the CCIW regular season and tournament titles in volleyball, where she was a Second Team All-CCIW setter, and helped guide the Green and White to a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Titans' finish tied for the best in program history as the team finished with a 24-10 record. Since then, Feeney has helped fuel the women's basketball program to a 28-1 record and a sweep of the league regular season and tournament championships.

CEMENTING HER LEGACY: Lauren Huber continues to climb the IWU career record lists, establishing herself as one of the program's all-time greats. She is the only player in program history with 1500+ points and 800+ rebounds during their IWU career, as is one of just three to post 1200+ points, 600+ rebounds, and 200+ assists joining Kristen Schroff (1415p-726r-328a) and Rebekah Ehresman (1236p-604r-376a).
    Huber broke the program's career scoring record at Augie, Feb. 22. The mark of 1632 career points by Traci Butler had stood since 1996. Huber has amassed 1696 points as of March 10.
    Additionally, Huber is 20 rebounds away from tying the school record held by Elaine Hill (901). She currently ranks third all-time with 881 career boards, trailing Hill and Christina Solari (884).

COMMA CLUB CLIMBERS: Senior Kate Palmer hit a free throw in overtime against Trinity (Texas) to push her career point total to 1000 through 98 career games. Palmer became the 26th member of the exclusive club. The Geneva, Ill. native currently ranks 15th on the program's all-time scoring list (1195 points), trailing LuAnn Opperman's14th-ranked point total of 1200.
    Senior Mallory Powers became the latest Titan to eclipse 1000 career points, doing so with her first three-pointer of this year's NCAA Tournament, March 7. She is the fourth player on IWU's roster to score 1000-or-more points during their career, joining Lauren Huber, Palmer, and Ava Bardic. Bardic's 1000 points have come during her time at Illinois-Springfield and IWU. For her career, Powers ranks 25th on Illinois Wesleyan's all-time scoring list (1019 points) as of March 10.

FEAR THE SECOND TEN LIVES ON: Illinois Wesleyan has commonly used the second quarter to distance itself from opponents. Through 29 games this year, IWU has outscored opponents 587-388, a difference of 199 points. The Titans have lost the quarter just twice over 29 games - 26-12, at Carroll, Dec. 7 and 24-9, at Trinity (Texas), Dec. 27. IWU & Carthage finished even, 15-15, Feb.  8.

THE 54TH YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, in its 54th year of women's basketball, has compiled a 758-507 overall record. IWU's .599 all-time win percentage includes a 362-204 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.

HOME COOKING: One of the greatest venues in NCAA Division III, the Shirk Center has been home to more than 750 Titan basketball games between the men and women. In its 30-year history, the women have won 273 of 357 of its home games, good for a .765 win percentage.
This season, IWU is 14-0 inside the friendly confines of the Shirk Center.

EXPERIENCE PAYING DIVIDENDS: Through 29 games, Illinois Wesleyan has shown immense poise by way of ball security. The Titans have dished out 463 assists to 430 turnovers, good for a 1.08 assist-to-turnover ratio. IWU's mark is ranked 34th nationally, while its 14.8 turnovers per game are slotted 80th-best and its 16.0 assists per game are 41st across Division III. The Titans rank 16th nationally with a +7.38 turnover margin.

DEAN OF THE CCIW: Veteran head coach Mia Smith earned her 500th career win as Illinois Wesleyan rolled past Edgewood, 88-57, in its home opener Saturday, Nov. 23. Smith, who has accrued all of her wins at the helm of the Titans, is just the second coach in CCIW history to win at least 500 games. She carries a career record of 525-208.  The current conference leader in wins among active head coaches, Smith's career win total ranks second in league laurels. Additionally, her win total is 21st-most across all of active Division III head coaches.
    Under the tutelage of Smith, IWU has won 11 CCIW Championships and made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances. The Titans won the 2012 NCAA Division III Championship following a fourth-place finish in 2011.

SHE'LL TAKE THAT X200: The Green and White's high-motor pressure, especially in its run-and-jump, has caused opponents fits this season. Leading the effort for the Titans has been junior Sawyer White, who has become equally well-known for her thieving abilities on the court as she is for a good celebration griddy on the bench. With four steals in Illinois Wesleyan's win over No. 18 Chicago, White hit 200 steals for her career, becoming just the fifth Titan in program history to do so. Her career total currently stands at 261 as of March 10 and ranks second-most all-time. Rebekah Ehresman holds the record with 296 accrued during her career from 2014 to 2018, while Sydney Shanks is third with 233. Hope Schulte (223) and Christina Solari (216) are the only other two Titans to surpass 200 steals in their careers.
    The Downers Grove, Ill. native, who set the program's single-season steals record a season ago, is 19th across Division III with 3.28 thefts per game, while her 95 steals are 10th-most.

ON THE HORIZON: The winner of Friday's game between IWU and UW-Oshkosh will meet the winner of the Baldwin Wallace-Ohio Wesleyan contest in the Elite Eight Saturday, March 15. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.