BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Returning to the hardwood for the first time in a week, the No. 15 Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team heads to King Arena for a clash with Wheaton College Saturday, Jan. 17. Tipoff is set for 7:15 p.m., following IWU women's basketball's tilt with the Thunder.
    The Titans travel to the suburbs with a 12-3 overall record. Winners of six straight, the Green and White hold a 4-2 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin standing. IWU most recently raced past North Park University, 79-59, inside the Shirk Center, Jan. 10. Wheaton, on a win streak of its own, holds a 10-5 mark on the season. The Thunder have won three straight and sit side-by-side with the Titans at 4-2 in the CCIW standings. Wheaton most recently polished off its fourth conference win of the year, Jan. 14, defeating Millikin University, 88-76, on the road.
    Eric Stock and Joel Swanson will call the action on the CCIW Network, which will also air in an audio only format on WESN, while live stats will also be available. Links can be found on the men's basketball page of iwusports.com.

NOAH NAMED TO BEVO TOP-100: Noah Cleveland is one of 15 underclassmen named to the Bevo Francis Top-100 Watch List, while he is one of 25 Division III student-athletes recognized Jan. 15. Additionally, he is one of four CCIW student-athletes included in the initial watch list.
    One of the top big men in Division III, Cleveland has had a sensational start to his collegiate career. Through 15 games, the sophomore rookie is averaging team-highs of 18.3 points and 11.7 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 59.4 percent from the field alongside 33 blocks, 24 steals, and 23 assists.
    Cleveland has twice been named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week and has reeled in a pair of CCIW Player of the Week awards.

AGAINST THE THUNDER ALL-TIME: Illinois Wesleyan and Wheaton will battle for the 142nd time Saturday night. IWU holds an 89-53 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1946-47 season. Despite the Titans' stronghold on the all-time series, the Thunder have come out victorious in eight of the past 15 meetings.
    IWU swept last season's series to extend its win streak against Wheaton to four in-a-row. Illinois Wesleyan escaped King Arena in overtime, 85-80, Jan. 4, 2025. Nick Roper went off for 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Josh Fridman posted 17 points, five boards, and five assists in the win. Three weeks later, the Titans silenced the Thunder, 90-68. Roper scored a game-high 23 points, while Mason Funk added 17. Harrison Wilmsen compiled 14 points with nine rebounds, while Hakim Williams tossed in six points, six rebounds, and 10 assists.

KING ARENA CHAOS: There are no easy arenas to win in on the road in CCIW play, but King Arena has proved to be one of the more difficult locations for the Titans over the years. Last season at King Arena, IWU went on an 11-2 run over the final four minutes of regulation to force overtime. In the extra period, the Titans scored the first seven points and never looked back to escape victorious, 85-80.
    Since the 2017-18 season, seven of the eight meetings between IWU and Wheaton have been decided by five points or fewer. The span has seen one overtime effort and three one-point margins.

CONTRASTING STYLES PART II: Saturday will see two very different style teams take the court as IWU and Wheaton square off. The Titans, known for their stymieing defense, will go up against one of Division III's most prolific scoring teams for the second straight game. Wheaton is averaging 82.1 points per game, good for 71st-best across the country. The Thunder are connecting on 39.6  of their three-point attempts, the third-highest clip in Division III, and are 10th in the country in overall field goal percentage (48.4). On the flipside, the Titans are limiting opponents to a conference-best 66.5 points per game and a 38.2 field goal percentage (ninth nationally).

POLLING STATION:  Illinois Wesleyan is one of nine programs that have appeared in at least 200 D3hoops.com Top-25 rankings. In fact, the Titans' 209 appearances in the weekly poll are fifth-most all-time as well as the most in the CCIW. They are currently ranked No. 15 in the poll.

JAXED UP: With Josh Fridman sidelined to injury, Jackson Niego was inserted into the starting lineup as Illinois Wesleyan's starting floor general. The junior has averaged 31.3 minutes per game while putting up 5.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists over seven games.
    Moreover, Niego has served as a steady hand all season long with 62 assists to 15 turnovers. His 4.13 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the CCIW and is third-best across Division III.

KEYS TO VICTORY: Through 15 games, IWU has established several keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 11-0 when scoring 60+ points, and also boasts a 4-0 mark when limiting opponents to no more than 59 points. Additionally, the Green and White is 9-1 when taking a lead into the half compared to 3-2 when trailing or tied at the break.

LAWRENCE LOCKS IN: Over the last six games, junior Casen Lawrence has served as quite the spark for the Green and White. The sharpshooter has seemingly found his groove from distance, knocking down 24-of-44 three-point attempts over the past six games. Lawrence, who is connecting on 54.5 percent of his three-balls since Dec. 18, is averaging 13.3 points per game over the stretch. A weapon from beyond the arc, he has hit four-or-more three pointers in four of IWU's past five games.

BUCKET, DENIED!: The Titans have made it hard on opponents to score this season as IWU is limiting opponents to 66.5 points per game, good for 34th-best across Division III. Illinois Wesleyan's stingy defense has come behind the most blocks per game (6.9) and the ninth-best field goal percentage defense (38.2) in the country.
    Individually, Noah Cleveland leads the CCIW and is 13th nationally with 33 blocks. Mason Funk is second in the league, 28th nationally, with 26 rejections, while Brady Kuehl's 13 swats are fifth-most in the CCIW.

BENCH BOSS: In his 20th season leading his alma mater, Ron Rose has compiled a 361-167 overall record. His career mark includes 192 CCIW wins, the most of any active CCIW head coach.
    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 2025 CCIW Tournament title.

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS: With 15 collegiate games under his belt, sophomore Noah Cleveland has established himself as one of the great bigs in NCAA Division III this season. The Normal, Ill. product leads the team in both scoring and rebounding with his averaged of 18.3 points and 11.7 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 59.4 percent from the field on the year and has added a team-high 33 blocks with 24 steals and 23 assists.
    Nationally, Cleveland is third with 175 rebounds, while he is third with 10 double-doubles. The sophomore rookie sits 12th nationally in rebounds per game (11.7), and 16th in blocks (33).

ON THE HORIZON: The Titans host CCIW foe Millikin University Wednesday, Jan. 21, for a 7 p.m. tipoff. At halftime, IWU athletics will recognize the women's volleyball team following its CCIW Championship  and Sweet Sixteen appearance this past fall.