BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Regular season play winds down Saturday, Feb. 21, as the 13th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team heads to Rock Island, Ill. for a battle with Augustana College. The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin contest is scheduled to tip at 4 p.m. inside the Carver P.E. Center.
Illinois Wesleyan heads into the final game of the regular season with a 20-4 overall record. The Titans are on a five-game run that has boosted their league record to 12-3 ahead of Saturday. IWU most recently rode an early lead to a 76-71 win at North Park University, Feb. 18. Augustana brings a 10-14 record into Saturday's showdown, a ledger that includes a 5-10 CCIW standing. The Vikings are on a seven-game losing skid and have been eliminated from the postseason. Augie, which has seen an average margin of defeat of 7.1 points per game over the seven-game stretch, most recently came up short at North Central College, 83-76, Feb. 18.
Eric Stock and Joel Swanson will stream an audio only broadcast on the CCIW Network. Live stats will also be available. Links can be found on the men's basketball page of iwusports.com.
EARNED IT, DON'T WANT TO SHARE IT: The Titans clinched at least a share of the 2026 CCIW Regular Season Championship with their win at North Park, Feb. 18, along with Carthage's loss at Wheaton on the same night. The win secured the program's 34th regular season title and ensured that IWU is the host of next week's CCIW Tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Green and White has won the conference five times since 2018, with no other school having won the title more than twice during the run.
With a win Saturday, Illinois Wesleyan will earn the league championship outright.
200 ROSES: Illinois Wesleyan's win in the Windy City, Feb. 18, gave Ron Rose the 200th CCIW victory of his career. He is just the fourth coach in league history to eclipse 200 conference wins. Rose joins IWU's own and the CCIW all-time wins leader Dennie Bridges (421-129) as well as Carthage's Bosko Djurickovic (305-196), and Augustana's Grey Giovanine (214-88).
FLYING FUNK: Junior Mason Funk put together another exceptional effort to lead Illinois Wesleyan to a win at North Park, Feb. 18. Funk scored his second 30-point showing of the season as he racked up a game-high 33 points on 14-of-22 shooting. Funk tacked on eight boards, also a team-best, with five blocks and two steals. Funk's 33-point showing marked the fifth by a Titan this season as Noah Cleveland has surpassed the mark three times. Prior to this season IWU's last 30-point scorer was Matthew Leritz in 2022. Furthermore, this year's squad has had more 30-point games than the previous six seasons combined.
DISPLAYING DEPTH: The Titans have rallied behind a next-man-up mantra this year as several players have stepped up and into new roles throughout the year. Brady Kuehl proved to be the latest example as the junior was slotted into the starting lineup in place of Noah Cleveland, Feb. 18, at North Park. Making the first start of his career, Kuehl put up a career-best 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. He added four rebounds, a career-high three steals, and swatted two shots in the win.
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 14 of the last 23 meetings, but the Titans have come out victorious in 10 of the last 13.
The Green and White took the season's first meeting by a final tally of 88-79 inside the Shirk Center, Jan. 7. IWU used an 11-point halftime lead to hold off a second-half surge by the Vikings. Noah Cleveland and Karlo Colak posted double-doubles in the win, while Casen Lawrence also notched a 20-point game. Cleveland toppped the team with 25 point and 13 boards, followed closely by Colak's 23-point, 10-rebound showing. Lawrence chipped in 21 points with five made threes and a team-best six assists.
DON'T HOLD IT AGAINST THEM: 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.
Current Illinois Wesleyan Director of Swimming & Diving Dan Lloyd and assistant swimming coach Brooke Walker also came to IWU by way of Augie.
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 1.6 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.
IT'S A BLOCK PARTY: The Titans have not only been the best shot-blocking team in Division III with 164 blocks (6.8 bpg), but this year's squad is one of the greatest shot-altering squads in IWU history. Through 24 games, this year's total ranks as the second-most in program history. Additionally, IWU's 164 rejections are the most since the 1987-88 squad.
Individually, Mason Funk leads the CCIW and is 13th nationally with 60 blocks. Noah Cleveland has 43 to his name, second-most in the league and 32nd-most nationally.
KEYS TO VICTORY: Through 24 games, IWU has established several keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 17-1 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 14-1 when taking a lead into the half compared to 6-3 when trailing or tied at the break.
BENCH BOSS: In his 20th season leading his alma mater, Ron Rose has compiled a 369-168 overall record. His career mark includes 200 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 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 95 assists to 31 turnovers. His 3.06 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the CCIW and is 13th-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.
ON THE HORIZON: With the regular season complete, the Titans will turn their focus to the CCIW Tournament. IWU will receive a bye through the quarterfinals before returning to action as host of the semifinals and championship, Feb. 27-28. The Green and White will play at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, with their opponent dependent on the outcome of Tuesday's quarterfinal contests, Feb. 24.
