BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A key College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin battle is set to take place inside the Shirk Center Wednesday night, Feb. 4, as the 16th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team squares off with Wheaton College. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
    Fresh off a weekend win, IWU enters the midweek matchup with a 16-4 record on the year. The Titans are 8-3 in conference play after a dominant win over North Central College, Jan. 31. On the flip side, Wheaton is looking to get back in the win column after absorbing a 90-84 loss at Carroll University, Jan. 31. The Thunder are 12-7 on the season and sit tied for third in the conference with a 6-4 CCIW standing.
    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.

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE NIGHT: The Green and White will tipoff against the Thunder at 7 p.m. inside the Shirk Center, Feb. 4, with Tropical Smoothie Cafe on site offering $5 smoothies. In addition, halftime will include an opportunity for one lucky fan to take home free smoothies for a year courtesy of Tropical Smoothie Cafe.

AGAINST THE THUNDER ALL-TIME: Illinois Wesleyan and Wheaton will battle for the 143rd time Wednesday night. IWU holds an 90-53 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1946-47 season. Despite the Titans' stronghold on the all-time series, the last 16 meetings have been split evenly, 8-8.
    The Green and White pulled away in the first half and never looked back in an 80-61 win at Wheaton, Jan. 17. Noah Cleveland popped off for 30 points and 13 rebounds, while Casen Lawrence totaled 22 points with six made three-pointers. The victory gave IWU its fifth straight against Wheaton, its longest win streak since taking five in-a-row from Jan. 7, 2015 to Jan. 7, 2017. With a win Wednesday, Illinois Wesleyan would secure its longest win streak against the Thunder since a 16-game run from 1985 to 1993.

ANOTHA ONE FOR NOAH: The CCIW tabbed Noah Cleveland the conference's player of the week for the fourth time this season, Feb. 2. Cleveland is the first Titan to receive the award four times in a season since the league began doling out the awards in 2000-01. He previously earned it Nov. 24, Dec. 22, and Jan. 19. Additionally, he is the first to be a four-time recipient since Elmhurst's Jake Rhode grabbed four honors in 2019-20.
    The rookie averaged 21.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 55.2 percent from the floor in two games, Jan. 28-31. Cleveland tacked on four steals, three assists, and three blocks.

FOOL ME ONCE, THERE WON'T BE TWICE: Illinois Wesleyan avenged an early season conference loss to North Central with its dismantling of the Cardinals, Jan. 31. After losing at NCC, 68-57, Dec. 6, IWU routed the Cardinals, 93-64.
    North Central was limited to a field goal percentage south of 35 percent in both games, but the outcome-altering change came on Illinois Wesleyan's offensive end. After shooting 34.5 percent (20-for-58) in the initial meeting and going 4-for-26 from distance (15.4 percent), the Titans torched the Cardinals in the rematch. The Green and White drained 56.7 percent of its shot attempts (34-for-60) and connected on 9-of-23 three-point tries (39.1 percent). Moreover, IWU exposed its strength in the paint putting up 20 more points in the paint (42 - 22) in the most recent bout.

SUFFOCATING DEFENSE: The Titans have made it hard on opponents to score this season as IWU is limiting opponents to 66.1 points per game, good for 27th-best across Division III. Illinois Wesleyan's stingy defense has come behind the most blocks per game (6.8) and the eighth-best field goal percentage defense (38.2) in the country.

IT'S A BLOCK PARTY: The Titans have not only been the best shot-blocking team in Division III with 136 blocks (6.8 bpg), but this year's squad is one of the greatest shot-altering squads in IWU history.  Through 20 games, this year's total ranks as the third-most in program history. Additionally, IWU's 136 rejections are the most since the 1990-91 squad.
    Individually, Mason Funk leads the CCIW and is 17th nationally with 43 blocks. Noah Cleveland has 39 to his name, second-most in the league and 23rd-most nationally. Brady Kuehl's 16 swats are seventh in the CCIW, with Nathan Boldt's 12 ranked 16th.

KEYS TO VICTORY: Through 20 games, IWU has established several keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 14-1 when scoring 60+ points, and also boasts a 5-0 mark when limiting opponents to no more than 59 points. Additionally, the Green and White is 11-1 when taking a lead into the half compared to 5-3 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 87 assists to 26 turnovers. His 3.35 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the CCIW and is ninth-best nationally.
    The junior put up a career-best 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting alongside six assists in IWU's win over North Central, Jan. 31.

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS: With 20 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 19.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 59.4 percent from the field on the year and has added 39 blocks with 34 steals and 32 assists.
    Nationally, he is fourth with 230 rebounds & third with 13 double-doubles. The rookie sits 11th in DIII in rebounds per game (11.5) and 23rd in blocks (39). He is a four-time CCIW Player of the Week, two-time D3hoops Team of the Week pick, & Bevo Francis Top-100 Watch List honoree.

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 325-70 record on their home floor (.824 win pct.).

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' 212 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.

BENCH BOSS: In his 20th season leading his alma mater, Ron Rose has compiled a 365-168 overall record. His career mark includes 196 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.

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan continues its run of home games with Senior Day against Elmhurst University Saturday, Feb. 7. Tipoff is set for 7:15 p.m. and will see IWU recognize seniors David Williams, Nick Tingley, Karlo Colak, and Nathan Boldt pregame.