BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The No. 13 Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball takes the show on the road for the final week of the regular season beginning with a stop at North Park University Wednesday night, Feb. 18. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Carlson Gymnasium.
    Illinois Wesleyan returns to the hardwood after a week off from competition. The Titans eye their fifth straight victory as they travel to the Windy City sporting a 19-4 overall record. IWU is 11-3 in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play, tied for the league lead. North Park finds itself in the thick of jockeying for conference tournament seeding ahead of the final two games of the regular season. The Vikings enter 14-9 overall, but sit even at 7-7 in CCIW competition thanks to a three-game win streak.
    Eric Stock and Joel Swanson will call 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.

CONTRASTING STYLES: Wednesday 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 86.3 points per game, good for 25th-best across the country. The Vikings are connecting on 9.4 three-pointers per game, 52nd-most nationally. On the flipside, the Titans are limiting opponents to a conference-best 65.8 points per game (26th nationally) and a 38.7 field goal percentage (14th nationally).

DUELS WITH THE VIKINGS: In a series dating back to the 1961-62 season, the Titans hold a 96-36 advantage over the Vikings. IWU has won 15 of the past 18 matchups, including the last five meetings.
    Illinois Wesleyan won the initial bout back in Bloomington, Jan. 10, defeating NPU, 79-59.  The Titans soared out to a 48-28 halftime lead and never looked back. Mason Funk put together a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Noah Cleveland followed with 12 points and 10 boards. Casen Lawrence and Karlo Colak tacked on 15 points apiece.

PICTURE BECOMING CLEAR: With two games left in the regular season, Illinois Wesleyan's seeding in next week's conference tournament has yet to be determined. Through 14 games, IWU is tied with Carthage for the conference title at 11-3, while Elmhurst lurks behind in striking distance at 9-5.   As the standings sit now, Illinois Wesleyan would own the tiebreaker over Carthage by virtue of a 2-0 record against eight-ranked Millikin.

CHAOS ON KEDZIE: Carlson Gymnasium is known as one of the more difficult venues in the CCIW. On the road at the venue in the last 13 seasons, the Titans hold a slim 10-6 advantage over the Vikings. Nine of those 16 games were decided by 10 points-or-less and four were decided by two points-or-less.
    Specifically in the past seven seasons, the Titans have gone 6-3 on NPU's home court. Subtracting a 48-point blowout in the 2018-19 season and 11-point victories each of the last two seasons, the Titans other three victories have come courtesy of a five-point win in 2021-22, a two-point overtime thriller in the 2019-20 season, and a one-point victory in the 2017-18 season.

IT'S A BLOCK PARTY: The Titans have not only been the best shot-blocking team in Division III with 155 blocks (6.7 bpg), but this year's squad is one of the greatest shot-altering squads in IWU history.  Through 23 games, this year's total ranks as the second-most in program history. Additionally, IWU's 155 rejections are the most since the 1987-88 squad.
    Individually, Mason Funk leads the CCIW and is 14th nationally with 55 blocks. Noah Cleveland has 43 to his name, second-most in the league and 28th-most nationally.

KEYS TO VICTORY: Through 23 games, IWU has established several keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 16-1 when scoring 60+ points, and also boasts a 6-0 mark when limiting opponents to no more than 59 points. Additionally, the Green and White is 13-1 when taking a lead into the half compared to 6-3 when trailing or tied at the break.

JAXED UP: With Josh Fridman sidelined to injury, Jackson Niego 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 92 assists to 29 turnovers. His 3.17 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the CCIW and is sixth-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' 214 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.

BENCH BOSS: In his 20th season leading his alma mater, Ron Rose has compiled a 368-168 overall record. His career mark includes 199 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 23 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 11.3 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 59.9 percent from the field on the year and has added 43 blocks with 38 steals and 47 assists.
    Nationally, he is ninth with 261 rebounds & sixth with 14 double-doubles. The rookie sits eighth in DIII in rebounds per game (11.3) and 28th in blocks (43). He is a five-time CCIW Player of the Week, two-time D3hoops Team of the Week pick, & Bevo Francis Top-100 Watch List honoree.

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan's regular season comes to a close Saturday, Feb. 21, with a battle against the Vikings of Augustana College. Tipoff is on tap for 6 p.m. at the Carver P.E. Center.