BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A 204-mile trek to Van Male Fieldhouse marks the start of the second half of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin slate for the 13th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team Saturday, Jan. 21. IWU travels to Waukesha, Wis. for a 4:15 p.m. clash with Carroll University. The bout will come on the heels of a top-25 matchup between the No. 13 IWU women's basketball team and No. 20 CU.
    The Green and White enter the weekend off a gritty, 72-62, win over Millikin University, Jan. 21. The victory, IWU's eighth straight, boosted the Titans to 14-3 overall and 6-2 in the conference. Carroll brings an 8-9 standing into Saturday, but finds itself in the thick of the race for a spot in the CCIW Tournament at 3-5. The Pios have dropped their last two outings, most recently falling in a nailbiter. 82-78, at North Central College, Jan. 21.
    Eric Stock and Matt Sosler will brings fans an audio only broadcast, while Carroll will also stream the action on the CCIW Network. Live stats will also be available. Links can be found on the men's basketball page of iwusports.com.

FOUND A WAY: IWU had to overcome its lowest scoring half since the 2024 CCIW Tournament Championship game to upend Millikin, Jan. 21. The Green and White was limited to just 22 points in the first half against the Big Blue, shooting just 6-for-26 over the first 20 minutes. Illinois Wesleyan's first-half scoring performance was its lowest since posting a 22-point opening period against Elmhurst Feb. 24, 2024. EU edged out IWU, 68-64, in that contest to claim the CCIW Tournament title. Furthermore, twenty-two points also marks Illinois Wesleyan's lowest scoring half in a victory since the Titans topped Millikin, Feb. 1, 2017. The Titans outscored the Big Blue, 43-29, in the second half to secure a 65-53 victory on the road.

SUFFOCATING DEFENSE: The Titans have made it hard on opponents to score this season as IWU is limiting opponents to 65.9 points per game, good for 30th-best across Division III. Illinois Wesleyan's stingy defense has come behind the most blocks per game (6.8) and the 10th-best field goal percentage defense (38.2) in the country.

THAT DIDN'T TAKE LONG!: In Illinois Wesleyan's win over Augustana, Jan. 7, Nathan Boldt broke the program's modern day statistical record with five blocks. Thanks to social media and a tremendous alumni following, Boldt's five swats were believed to be the most since 12,764 days prior when David Caldwell notched eight rejections against Wheaton. Well, just two weeks since Boldt's performance, Mason Funk rejected five shots against Millikin, tying for the most blocks by a Titan in more than 25 years.

IT'S A BLOCK PARTY: The Titans have not only been the best shot-blocking team in Division III with 116 blocks (6.8 bpg), but this year's squad is one of the greatest shot-altering squads in IWU history.  Through 17 games, this year's total ranks as the fourth-most in program history. Additionally, IWU's 116 rejections are the most since the 1990-91 squad.
Individually, Noah Cleveland and Mason Funk lead the CCIW and are tied for 23rd nationally with 34 blocks. Brady Kuehl's 14 swats are fifth-most in the CCIW, with Nathan Boldt's 11 ranked 13th.

CLASHES WITH CARROLL: Illinois Wesleyan and Carroll have met on the hardwood a total of 94 times ahead of Saturday's tilt, with the Titans holding a commanding 76-18 lead against the Pioneers all-time.
    IWU has won 14 straight against the Pioneers, the longest streak by either team in the series that dates back to 1955. CU's last win over the Green and White came back in the 2018-19 campaign, when the Pios upended Illinois Wesleyan, 90-83, inside the Shirk Center, Dec. 15, 2018.
In their first game of 2026, the Titans used a strong second half to overcome the Pios. Mason Funk went for a game-high 25 points, while Noah Cleveland tacked on 17 points and eight boards. Casen Lawrence knocked down four three-pointers on his way to a 12-point outing.

THAT'S OUR CAPTAIN: Senior Karlo Colak has done a bit of everything for the Titans this season. The Glencoe, Ill. native is averaging 11.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game through 17 games. He is one of just four CCIW players averaging 10 points, five rebounds, and three assists joining Carroll's Lamar Smith (17.5p - 7.5r - 3.0a), North Park's Kolden Vanlandingham (15.9p - 6.7r - 5.5a), and North Central's Alejandro Diaz (13.5p - 5.5r - 4.4a). More impressively though, is that Colak has put up a stat-stuffing line while turning the ball over just 18 times. Meanwhile, the other four have 42-or-more turnovers on the year.

LAWRENCE LOCKS IN: Over the last eight 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 34-of-61 three-point attempts over the past eight games. Lawrence, who is connecting on 55.7 percent of his three-balls since Dec. 18, is averaging 14.2 points per game over the stretch. A weapon from beyond the arc, he has hit four-or-more three pointers in six of IWU's past seven games.

KEYS TO VICTORY: Through 17 games, IWU has established several keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 13-0 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 10-1 when taking a lead into the half compared to 4-2 when trailing or tied at the break.

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 stepped into the role and emerged as one of the top orchestrators in Division III. Niego has served as a steady hand all season long with 75 assists to 20 turnovers. His 3.75 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the CCIW and is fifth-best 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' 210 appearances in the weekly poll are fifth-most all-time as well as the most in the CCIW. They are currently ranked No. 13 in the poll.

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS: With 17 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 19.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 60.3 percent from the field on the year and has added a team-high 34 blocks with 27 steals and 27 assists.
    Nationally, Cleveland is third with 196 rebounds, while he is fifth with 11 double-doubles. The sophomore rookie sits 14th nationally in rebounds per game (11.5), and 23rd in blocks (34). He is a three-time CCIW Player of the Week and Bevo Francis Top-100 Watch List honoree.

BENCH BOSS: In his 20th season leading his alma mater, Ron Rose has compiled a 363-167 overall record. His career mark includes 194 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.

ON THE HORIZON: The Titans are back in action Wednesday, Jan. 28, as Carthage College pays a visit to the Shirk Center for a league battle. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and will see IWU football's first AP Division III All-American long snapper, Zach Hansen, recognized at halftime.