BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The 18th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team puts its five-game win streak on the line Saturday, Jan. 10, as North Park University visits the Shirk Center for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin showdown. Tipoff is slated for 4:15 p.m. and will be the second segment of a double feature with the IWU women's basketball team.
    The Titans led from wire-to-wire in an 88-79 win over Augustana College, Jan. 7. The win boosted IWU's record to 11-3 on the season and 3-2 in the CCIW gauntlet. Winners of back-to-back games, North Park strolls into Bloomington standing at 10-3 overall. The Vikings sit just ahead of the Titans in the league standings with a 3-1 CCIW mark. NPU, which enjoyed a bye during the midweek, outlasted North Central College, 92-87, in overtime 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.

THE VOICES BEHIND TITAN BASKETBALL: Prior to Saturday's game, Illinois Wesleyan will recognize the longtime broadcasting duo of Eric Stock and Joel Swanson. The two have called Titan basketball games across the radio and streaming alongside each other for nearly 20 years. Stock is in his 20th year as the voice of Titan men's basketball, while Swanson is in his 19th. One of the best tandems you'll find, Stock and Swanson have called various other sports including football during their time as part of IWU.

HONORING THE NATTY CHAMP: At halftime of Saturday's showdown with North Park, Illinois Wesleyan athletics will take time to recognize NCAA Division III Women's Outdoor Track and Field triple jump champion Imani Ogunribido. She won the title as a sophomore last spring, becoming IWU's 22nd individual national champion in school history. On her final jump of the competition, Ogunribido leaped 12.96m to break her own school record for the third time on the day and claim the title. Her jump ranks third all-time in Division III.

GET THAT OUTTA HERE: The Green and White rejected 11 shots in a win over Augie, Jan. 7, to establish a new modern statistical era record (since 2000), breaking IWU's nine in last year's CCIW Tournament semifinal win over Augie.
    Highlighting the effort, Nathan Boldt swatted an individual modern statistical era program record five in the win to pace IWU. It is believed to be the most since David Caldwell's eight rejections against Wheaton in 1991. Noah Cleveland and Mason Funk registered two apiece, while Karlo Colak and Brady Kuehl tallied one each.

TRIO OF 20-POINT SCORERS: In their midweek win over Augie, Jan. 7, the Titans saw three score 20+ points on the night for the first time in over 20 years. Noah Cleveland led the way with a 25 point, 13 rebound double-double, his ninth of the season. Karlo Colak also recorded a double-double, the first of his career, with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Casen Lawrence rounded out the 20+ scorers with an IWU career-high 21 on a 5-of-9 shooting performance from three.
    Furthermore, Cleveland and Colak are the first pair to record double-doubles in the same game since Hakim Williams and Marko Anderson against Mary Hardin-Baylor, Dec. 30, 2024.

CONTRASTING STYLES: Saturday will see two very different style teams take the court as IWU and NPU square off. The Titans, known for their stymieing defense, will go up against one of Division III's most prolific scoring teams in the Vikings. NPU is averaging 91.2 points per game, good for 13th-best across the country. The Vikings are connecting on 10.8 three-pointers per game, 23rd-most nationally. On the flip side, the Titans are limiting opponents to a conference-best 67.0 points per game and a 38.6 field goal percentage (17th nationally).

DUELS WITH THE VIKINGS: In a series dating back to the 1961-62 season, the Titans hold a 95-36 advantage over the Vikings. IWU has won 14 of the past 17 matchups, including the last four meetings with a sweep of last season's regular season clashes.
    Illinois Wesleyan won the initial meeting with NPU, 80-69, in Chicago, Jan. 8, 2025. Nick Roper and Josh Fridman led the way with 19 points apiece, while Hakim Williams (15) and Harrison Wilmsen (12) also finished in double figures. The Titans completed the sweep with an 87-81 win behind five double-digit scorers inside Shirk, Feb. 19. Wilmsen led the way with 17 points and seven boards, while Trey Bazzell tallied 16 points off the bench.

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.

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 322-69 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 67.0 points per game, good for 42nd-best across Division III. Illinois Wesleyan's stingy defense has come behind the most blocks per game (7.0) and the 17th-best field goal percentage defense (38.6) in the country.
    Individually, Noah Cleveland leads the CCIW and is 15th nationally with 29 blocks. Mason Funk is second in the league, 27th nationally, with 25 rejections, while Brady Kuehl's 13 swats are fifth-most in the CCIW (173rd nationally).

KEYS TO VICTORY: Through 14 games, IWU has established several keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 10-0 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 8-1 when taking a lead into the half compared to 3-2 when trailing or tied at the break.

LAWRENCE LOCKS IN: Over the last five 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 19-of-36 three-point attempts over the past five games. Lawrence, who is connecting on 52.8 percent of his three-balls since Dec. 18, is averaging 13.0 points per game over the stretch. A weapon from beyond the arc, he has hit four-or-more three pointers in three of IWU's past four games.

BENCH BOSS: In his 20th season leading his alma mater, Ron Rose has compiled a 360-167 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 31.7 minutes per game while putting up 6.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists over seven games.
    Moreover, Niego has served as a steady hand all season long with 56 assists to 13 turnovers. His 4.31 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the CCIW and is fourth-best across Division III.

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS: With 14 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 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 59.9 percent from the field on the year and has added a team-high 29 blocks with 21 steals and 19 assists.
    Nationally, Cleveland is third 165 with 152 rebounds, while he is fourth with nine double-doubles. The sophomore rookie sits 10th nationally in rebounds per game (11.8), and 15th in blocks (29).

ON THE HORIZON: The Titans hit the road following Saturday's bout as IWU's next contest will take place at Wheaton College Saturday, Jan. 17. The Green and White are back in action following a midweek bye for a 7:15 p.m. tip at Wheaton's King Arena.