McLean County Times

Less than a week after concluding the regular season, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team is set to face North Central College in the College Conference Tournament semifinal. The game will take place at the Shirk Center in Bloomington, Illinois, with tipoff scheduled for 7:15 p.m. The Titans, who are ranked 22nd nationally and hold a top seed, will meet the fourth-seeded Cardinals for the second time in six days.

Illinois Wesleyan finished their regular season with an 18-7 record and led the league with a 14-2 mark in conference play. They recently overcame a halftime deficit to defeat North Central 67-55 on February 17. North Central secured their spot in the semifinals by defeating Carroll University 58-54 on February 20, bringing their overall record to 10-16.

Live coverage of the game will be available through live stats and streaming services, while Eric Stock will provide commentary on WESN. Further details can be found on Illinois Wesleyan's sports website.

The Titans saw four players receive All-CCIW honors earlier this week. Nick Roper and Luke Yoder were named First Team All-CCIW, while Hakim Williams and Harrison Wilmsen earned Second Team status. This marks Yoder's first time receiving first-team recognition after being named to the second team last year.

Since its inception in 2006, Illinois Wesleyan has hosted the CCIW Tournament four times but has yet to win as a No.1 seed. Their only tournament victory came during the pandemic-altered 2020-21 season when no NCAA Tournament was held.

Historically, Illinois Wesleyan holds a significant lead over North Central with a series record of 124-49. In previous CCIW Tournament matchups between these teams since 2006, North Central leads with three wins out of four encounters.

Nick Roper and Harrison Wilmsen have been standout performers at home this season for Illinois Wesleyan, contributing significantly to their team's scoring efforts at Shirk Center.

Defensively strong throughout this season, IWU ranks among Division III's best by limiting opponents' field goal percentage and points per game.

The Titans' success has often hinged on minimizing turnovers; they boast a strong record when committing fewer than fifteen turnovers per game.