BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A three-game homestand continues Wednesday night, Jan. 7, as the 18th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team hosts Augustana College in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin action. The game will get underway at 7 p.m.
The Titans own a 10-3 overall record ahead of Wednesday night's clash. IWU moved to 2-2 in league play with a 72-68 win over Carroll University inside the Shirk Center, Jan. 3. The win marked the fourth straight for the Green and White. Augustana holds a 7-5 overall standing with a 2-1 CCIW record. The Vikings have won three of their last four, including wins over Calvin College and University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Dec. 19-20. Calvin was ranked eighth at the time but faltered to the Vikings, 64-60, while Augie downed No. 3 UWL, 82-75, the next day. More recently, AC edged out Millikin University, 77-76, Jan. 3.
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.
IN GOOD COMPANY: Noah Cleveland was named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week, Jan. 6, his second national honor of the season. In doing so, he is the first Titan to be a multi-recipient since Matthew Leritz was a three-time pick in 2022.
Overall, Cleveland is the ninth Titan to reel in national team status and marks IWU's 14th all-time selection. He joins Leritz and Korey Coon as Illinois Wesleyan's only student-athletes to garner the honor multiple times in a career.
Cleveland led Illinois Wesleyan to four straight wins over winter break. He averaged 21.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game over the four-game stint. The sophomore shot 59.3 percent from the field (32-of-54) and went 4-for-9 from three-point range.
HONORING THE CHAMPS: At halftime of Wednesday's bout, Illinois Wesleyan will recognize the 2025 IWU men's soccer team. This past fall, the Titans set a program record with 13 wins, winning their second all-time CCIW Tournament title, and advancing to the NCAA Tournament in a historic season.
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' 208 appearances in the weekly poll are tied for fifth-most all-time as well as the most in the CCIW. They are currently ranked No. 18 in the poll.
AGAINST AUGIE ALL-TIME: Illinois Wesleyan and Augustana will square off on the hardwood for the 182nd time, in a series that dates back to the 1914-15 season. IWU leads the all-time tally, 103-79. Augie has won 13 of the last 22 meetings, but the Titans have come out victorious in nine of the last 12.
Last season, the two split the regular season before clashing in the CCIW Tournament semis. After each team protected their home court, IWU ousted Augie, 70-65, on a neutral court in Kenosha, Wis. Feb. 28, 2025 to advance to the league's title game. Josh Fridman went for 21 points with five three-point makes to pace the Titans.
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 third season with the Titans after a two-year run as an athletic trainer at Augustana. At Augie, she averaged 6.7 points and 1.3 rebounds 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.
Current Illinois Wesleyan Director of Swimming & Diving Dan Lloyd also came to IWU by way of Augie, where he led the Vikings to several conference championships.
HOME SWEET HOME: The Titans enjoy one of the greatest athletic venues in NCAA Division III. The Shirk Center has been home to more than 750 Titan basketball games between both the men and women. The men hold a 321-69 record on their home floor (.824 win pct.).
BUCKET, DENIED!: The Titans have made it hard on opponents to score this season as IWU is limiting opponents to 66.1 points per game, good for 31st-best across Division III. Illinois Wesleyan's stingy defense has come behind the most blocks per game (6.7) and the 17th-best field goal percentage defense (38.4) in the country.
Individually, Noah Cleveland leads the CCIW and is 18th nationally with 27 blocks. Mason Funk is second in the league, 28th nationally, with 23 rejections, while Brady Kuehl's 12 swats are fifth-most in the CCIW (187th nationally).
KEYS TO VICTORY: Through 13 games, IWU has established several keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 9-0 when scoring 60+ points, and also boasts a 3-0 mark when limiting opponents to no more than 59 points. Additionally, the Green and White is 7-1 when taking a lead into the half compared to 3-2 when trailing or tied at the break.
LAWRENCE LOCKS IN: Over the last four 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 14-of-27 three-point attempts over the past four games. Lawrence, who is connecting on 51.9 percent of his three-balls since Dec. 18, is averaging 11.0 points per game over the stretch. A weapon from beyond the arc, he played a crucial role as IWU defeated Yeshiva, Dec. 29, as the Maccabees attempted to neutralize the Titans with a 2-3 zone. Lawrence went for a season-high 14 points, his highest output as a Titan so far, with four three-pointers and two game-winning free throws. He followed that up with four more triples in the Titans 72-68 win over Carroll, Jan. 3.
BENCH BOSS: In his 20th season leading his alma mater, Ron Rose has compiled a 359-167 overall record. His career mark includes 190 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.
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 32.0 minutes per game while putting up 5.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists over seven games.
Moreover, Niego has served as a steady hand all season long with 51 assists to 12 turnovers. His 4.25 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the CCIW and is third-best across Division III.
BIG MAN ON CAMPUS: With 13 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 18.2 points and 11.7 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 59.0 percent from the field on the year and has added a team-high 27 blocks with 21 steals and 19 assists.
Nationally, Cleveland is fourth nationally with 152 rebounds, while he is fifth with eight double-doubles. The sophomore rookie sits 10th nationally in rebounds per game (11.7), and 18th in blocks (27).
ON THE HORIZON: The final game of three straight inside the Shirk Center sees the Titans take on North Park University Saturday, Jan. 10. The game, which will serve as the team's annual GreenDot contest, will tipoff at 4:15 p.m. following the IWU women's basketball game against NPU.
Illinois Wesleyan athletics will recognize Imani Oguniribido at halftime of the game following her outdoor track and field triple jump national championship this past spring.
