BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A top-10 matchup awaits in Fort Wayne, Ind. as the No. 8 Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team meets up with No. 2 Emory University in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Division III Tournament Thursday, March 19. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET as part of full day of action at Allen County War Memorial Colliseum.
    The Titans advanced to their first Elite Eight since 2022 with an emphatic 83-77 win over No. 11 Endicott College Friday, March 13, inside a rowdy Shirk Center. The win boosted IWU's record to 26-4 on the season and snapped the Gulls' 22-game win streak. Emory also earned a win on its home floor to punch its ticket to Fort Wayne as the Eagles soared past Yeshiva University, 101-80, March 13. Emory brings an 11-game win streak to the Midwest and sits at 25-3 overall on the season.
    Eric Stock and Matt Sosler will call an audio only broadcast on the CCIW Network, while the game will broadcast on ESPN+. Live stats will also be available, while the postgame press conference will air on YouTube. Links can be found on the men's basketball page of iwusports.com.

COME ONE, COME ALL: No team had more fans in the stands for home games than Illinois Wesleyan across Division III this season. With on-campus games complete, IWU led the country with 22,714 total fans in attendance. The Titans' average of 1,336 per game was third-best nationally, while their 17 home games tied for the most in Division III.
Illinois Wesleyan ushered in 2000+ fans into the Shirk Center three times this season, including a season-high 2,210 for the CCIW Tournament Championship against Elmhurst, Feb. 28.

VOTE FOR MASON: The finalists for the 2026 Josten's Trophy were unveiled Thursday, March 12, with junior Mason Funk listed as one of the 11 in contention for the prestigious award. Funk, a pre-med major with a 3.95 grade point average, has put together an incredible season for the Titans. A First Team All-CCIW selection, fans can vote for Funk at iwusports.com/vote-mason with one vote permitted per individual.

THERE GOES ZERO: Sophomore Noah Cleveland has racked up awards prior to IWU's trip to Fort Wayne as the sophomore was named the NABC District 8 and D3hoops Region 8 Player of the Year. Cleveland was a first team all-region selection by both organizations, while he also reeled in D3hoops.com Region 8 Rookie of the Year status. The sophomore is the first player to be voted the D3hoops regional player and rookie of the year in the same season since the publication began awarding the rookie accolade in 2007.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Thursday's Elite Eight showdown between the Titans and Eagles will mark just the second contest between the two storied programs's all-time. Emory won the lone previous bout, 72-56, in Atlanta, Ga. as part of a winter tournament Dec. 28, 2017. Brady Rose scored 17 points and Jaylen Beasley added 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds, but 17 turnovers and slow shooting spurned the Titans.

ELITE AGAIN: Illinois Wesleyan is appearing in the Elite Eight for the first time since the 2022 season and the 12th time in program history. The Titans are 6-5 in the round of eight and is looking to make their first Final Four appearance since 2014.

POWERED BY DEFENSE: Illinois Wesleyan has been one of the top defensive teams in Division III this season as evident by its opponent field goal percentage of 38.3, good for fifth-best in the nation. That was no different in IWU's first two NCAA Tournament games, as the Titans held both Heidelberg and John Carroll to 60-or-fewer points.
    Most impressively, perhaps, was Illinois Wesleyan's defensive showing against in its past two NCAA Tournament games. John Carroll entered the Sweet Sixteen as the 10th-best scoring offense in Division III at 90.7 points per game. The Green and White limited JCU to 60 points, more than 30 below its average. In the next round, IWU held Endicott to 77 points, nearly 10 below its average. The Gulls traveled to Bloomington averaging 85.0 points per game, 27th-most nationally.

SHARP SHOOTER: In his first year donning the Green and White, junior Casen Lawrence has quietly established himself as one of the great three-point shooters IWU's storied program has seen. Lawrence has made 85 three-pointers on the season, the most in the CCIW and the 10th-most across all of Division III, while shooting 40.1 percent from beyond the arc. His clip is 36th nationally and tops the CCIW, while he sits 24th with 2.93 three-point makes per game.
    Furthermore, Lawrence's 85 three-pointers are tied for third-most in single season history alongside Brady Rose (2018-19). He is 12 behind Keelan Amelianovich's mark of 97 during the 2005-06 season. Jordan Zimmer holds the record with his 107 triples made during the 2011-12 campaign.

MADE FOR MARCH: The Titans will mark the program's 36th all-time postseason appearance, including the 28th in the NCAA Division III Tournament. IWU boasts a 62-27 record in the Division III tournament since first qualifying for it in 1984.
    Of the 64 teams in the field, no school has won more NCAA Tournament games than IWU. Info courtesy @BQuillmanQcast.

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 72 blocks this season - the second-most in single season program history. He is three off the record held by David Caldwell (1990-91). Meanwhile, his 51 steals are tied for third-most alongside Nathan Hubbard (1998-99). He trails the second-ranked total of 58 held by Brent Niebrugge (1997-98) by seven.
    For his career, Funk has rejected 124 shots. He stands 17 behind Caldwell's mark of 141.

KEYS TO VICTORY: Through 30 games, IWU has established several keys to victory. Illinois Wesleyan is 23-1 when scoring 60+ points, and also boasts a 9-0 mark when limiting opponents to no more than 59 points. Additionally, the Green and White is 18-1 when taking a lead into the half compared to 7-3 when trailing or tied at the break.

NIEGO, WE GO: Jackson Niego has emerged as one of the top orchestrators in Division III. Niego has served as a steady hand all season long with 110 assists to 37 turnovers. His 2.97 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the CCIW and is 13th-best nationally.

IT'S A BLOCK PARTY: The Titans have not only been the best shot-blocking team in Division III with 200 blocks (6.7 bpg), but this year's squad is one of the greatest shot-altering squads in IWU history.  Through 30 games, this year's total ranks as the most in program history, breaking the mark set by the 1987-88 squad.
Individually, Mason Funk leads the CCIW and is eighth nationally with 72 blocks. Noah Cleveland has 49 to his name, second-most in the league and 30th-most nationally.

BENCH BOSS: In his 20th season leading his alma mater, Ron Rose has compiled a 375-168 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.

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' 216 appearances in the weekly poll are fifth-most all-time as well as the most in the CCIW. They are currently ranked No. 8 in the poll.

STRONG ON BOTH SIDES: Illinois Wesleyan was one of 23 schools across Division III to have both its men's and women's basketball teams competing in the NCAA Tournament this season. In fact, IWU's combined history ranks the Titans among the top in Division III. In research compiled by former WashU SID Chris Mitchell, the Titans' 86 combined wins are the fifth-most in Division III.