BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin men's basketball tournament converges at the Shirk Center Friday-Saturday, Feb. 27-28 as the 12th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team hosts the semifinal and championship games. The top-seeded Titans will take on fourth-seeded North Park University in the 7:30 p.m. matchup Friday, Feb. 27, while No. 2 Carthage and No. 3 Elmhurst will square off in the 5 p.m. bout.
Illinois Wesleyan enters the postseason with a 21-4 overall record. The Green and White return to action following a bye into the semis. IWU closed out the regular season with a 75-56 win at Augustana College, Feb. 21. North Park came out on top in a double-overtime thriller against fifth-seeded Wheaton College, 107-100, Feb. 24. The Vikings trailed by four with 4:10 left in regulation, but used free throws in the final minute to send the game to OT before closing the contest on an 11-5 run to advance to Bloomington.
Eric Stock and Joel Swanson will call the weekend's action on the CCIW Network, with new conference executive director Lexie Vernon set to join the duo for a halftime interview during the IWU-NPU game. Live stats will also be available. Links can be found on the men's basketball page of iwusports.com.
IWU IN THE CCIW TOURNAMENT: Illinois Wesleyan has made 17 CCIW Tournament appearances since the league began holding a tournament in 2006. Over that time, the Titans have gone 14-15 in CCIW Tournament games.
Not included in those totals is the 2020-21 season's league tournament, which featured all nine teams due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. IWU went 3-0 in the 2021 tournament, defeating North Park (75-55), Elmhurst (75-65), and Wheaton (71-58) en route to the CCIW Championship.
THE TOP SEED: Since 2006, the No. 1 seed in the CCIW Tournament has posted a 23-11 record and has won eight tournament titles. The top-seeded team in the field has not won the league tournament and the CCIW's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2018. In fact, the No. 2 seed has come out triumphant in each of the past three seasons (North Park - 2023, Elmhurst - 2024, Illinois Wesleyan - 2025). Prior to that, third-seeded Elmhurst claimed the 2022 title, while No. 2 seeds Illinois Wesleyan (2021), fourth-seeded Elmhurst (2020), and second-seeded North Central (2019) also won titles.
CCIW TOURNAMENT CLASHES WITH NPU: Since the CCIW Tournament was introduced in 2006, the Vikings and Titans have matched up just once. The lone meeting came in the 2021 CCIW Tournament that featured all nine league schools. IWU topped NPU, 75-55, inside the Shirk Center March 6, 2021. Matthew Leritz went off for a 23-point, 16-rebound double-double, with Peter Lambesis (13), Charlie Bair (11), and Luke Yoder (11) also hitting double-figures. Bair completed a double-double with 12 boards.
CLEVELAND COLLECTS: Sophomore rookie Noah Cleveland headlined the CCIW's annual awards released by the league office, Feb. 24. Cleveland became the first player in conference history to be voted the CCIW's Fred Young Most Outstanding Player and the Newcomer of the Year in the same season. A unanimous First Team All-CCIW pick, he is the first Titan to earn player of the year status since Matthew Leritz took home the honor in 2022 and the 19th overall. Cleveland is the third CCIW First-Year Student-Athlete of the Year winner in program history, joining Luke Yoder (2020) and Josh Fridman (2025).
ALL-CCIW TRIO: The Titans saw three named to the All-CCIW team, Feb. 24, with Noah Cleveland and Mason Funk garnering first team status. Karlo Colak snagged Second Team All-CCIW status as all three reeled in postseason awards for the first time in their careers.
Rounding out the all-conference honors, Ron Rose and his staff of Andy Etheridge, Liam Thompson, Logan Christensen, and Bobby Wheet were voted the CCIW Coaching Staff of the Year.
FUNK RISING THE CHARTS: Mason Funk, who would have been a lock for CCIW Defensive Player of the Year if the award existed, became the first player in conference history to lead the league in blocks and steals in the same season in more than 15 years. Funk's noteworthy defensive season does not stop there though, as the junior has posted 65 blocks this season - the second-most in single season program history. He is 10 off the record held by David Caldwell (1990-91). Meanwhile, his 45 steals are eighth-most and just two behind Bryan Crabtree's mark of 47 from the 1995-96 season.
For his career, Funk has rejected 117 shots. He stands 24 behind Caldwell's mark of 141.
IT'S A BLOCK PARTY: The Titans have not only been the best shot-blocking team in Division III with 171 blocks (6.8 bpg), but this year's squad is one of the greatest shot-altering squads in IWU history. Through 25 games, this year's total ranks as the second-most in program history. Additionally, IWU's 171 rejections are the most since the 1987-88 squad.
Individually, Mason Funk leads the CCIW and is 11th nationally with 65 blocks. Noah Cleveland has 43 to his name, second-most in the league and 37th-most nationally.
EARNED IT, DON'T WANT TO SHARE IT: The Titans clinched the 2026 CCIW Regular Season Championship outright with their win at Augustana, Feb. 21. The win secured the program's 34th regular season title 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.
KEYS TO VICTORY: Through 25 games, IWU has established several keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 18-1 when scoring 60+ points, and also boasts a 7-0 mark when limiting opponents to no more than 59 points. Additionally, the Green and White is 15-1 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 370-168 overall record. His career mark includes 201 CCIW wins, the most of any active CCIW head coach.
The Titans won the 2013, 2014, 2022, 2024, and 2026 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: Jackson Niego has emerged as one of the top orchestrators in Division III. Niego has served as a steady hand all season long with 96 assists to 31 turnovers. His 3.10 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the CCIW and is 11th-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' 215 appearances in the weekly poll are fifth-most all-time as well as the most in the CCIW. They are currently ranked No. 12 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 327-70 record on their home floor (.823 win pct.).
