BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team will open the 2026-27 season as the sixth-ranked team nationally, according to the D3hoops.com Preseason Top-25 released Thursday, Oct. 22. The Titans, who garnered 430 points, are one of two College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin programs included in the rankings.
Defending national champion, Mary Washington topped the poll with 21 first-place votes and 607 points. Christopher Newport pulled in two top-spot nods alongside 569 points in second. Hood (484), Emory (472), and Gustavus Adolphus (438) took third through fifth, respectively. Elmhurst, the CCIW Preseason favorite, is slotted 13th with 300 points. Wheaton was listed in the receiving votes category.
The Titans, who finished 26-5 a season ago, return several key pieces from a squad that advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022. Seniors Mason Funk (Normal, Ill.-University High), Casen Lawrence (St. Louis, Mo.-Westminster Christian), and Jackson Niego (Western Springs, Ill.-Lyons Township) were everyday starters for the Green and White, while junior Josh Fridman (Northbrook, Ill.-Glenbrook North) returns after an injury-shortened sophomore season. The quartet is joined by senior Brady Kuehl (St. Louis, Mo.-Parkway West) who appeared in every game in 2025-26, while stepping into the starting lineup for six games late in the year. In all, IWU welcomes back seven of its top-10 scorers from last season alongside a talented incoming class.
No stranger to tough competition, head coach Ron Rose and staff have put together another strong schedule. The Titans 2026-27 slate consists of five nationally ranked teams as well as seven more receiving votes.
The Green and White will open the year against Yeshiva Saturday, Nov. 14, as part of the Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational. The Maccabees are receiving votes in the poll. IWU could then face No. 12 Trinity (Texas) in a Sunday matchup depending on Saturday's outcomes, before taking on two more opponents receiving votes in Denison and St. Joseph's (Maine) as part of the Great Lakes Invitational.
Following a post-Thanksgiving trip to Central (Iowa), Illinois Wesleyan will open CCIW play with a 7 p.m. tipoff at No. 13 Elmhurst, Dec. 2. The month rolls on with holiday break games against No. 24 Chicago (Dec. 15), 10th-ranked WashU (Dec. 18), and fourth-ranked Emory (Dec. 30).
The Titans full schedule can be viewed here. Links to live stats and live streams for road games will be added as made available.
D3hoops.com men's Top 25, 2026-27 preseason
Entering the 2026-27 season:
Others receiving votes: Maine-Farmington 73; Montclair State 57; John Carroll 53; Olivet 53; UW-Whitewater 45; Washington & Jefferson 40; St. Joseph's (Maine) 37; Otterbein 25; Cortland 20; Rhodes 18; UW-Platteville 17; St. John's 16; Redlands 16; Mount Union 13; Grinnell 11; Denison 10; UW-Oshkosh 10; WPI 9; Catholic 7; Mary Hardin-Baylor 6; Stevens 6; Vassar 6; Hampden-Sydney 5; RPI 5; Union 5; Bates 4; Trine 4; Yeshiva 4; TCNJ 3; Wheaton (Ill.) 3; Wheaton (Mass.) 2.
The D3hoops.com Top 25 is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country, and is published weekly. Points are awarded on a 25-24-23-22-etc. basis.
