McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team is set to face Carroll University at Van Male Fieldhouse in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Saturday, December 7. The game will begin at 4:15 p.m. and follows a match featuring the IWU women's team.

Illinois Wesleyan's Titans recently experienced a setback with a home loss to Carthage College, ending their six-game winning streak. They now hold a record of 6-1 overall and 0-1 in the CCIW standings. Meanwhile, Carroll University stands at 2-5 for the season and has also lost its league opener against North Park University.

Fans can access live streams and stats for the game, along with audio commentary from Eric Stock and Joel Swanson on WESN. Details are available on IWU's sports website.

Freshman Josh Fridman has been notable off the bench this season. In his first CCIW action, he scored 13 points without missing a shot and contributed two rebounds. For the season, he averages eight points per game.

Senior Hakim Williams achieved a career-high of six steals against Carthage, ranking him second in Illinois Wesleyan's records for single-game steals. He leads the conference with 19 steals this season.

The Titans' recent loss was their first after starting the season with six consecutive wins—their best start since the 2021-22 campaign.

Historically, Illinois Wesleyan has dominated matches against Carroll with a record of 73 wins to Carroll's 18 losses. The Titans have won their last eleven encounters with Carroll.

Seniors Harrison Wilmsen and Nick Roper have consistently performed well against Carroll throughout their careers. Wilmsen averages nearly twelve points per game against them while Roper scores an average of fourteen points per contest.

Coach Ron Rose is leading Illinois Wesleyan in his eighteenth season with an impressive overall record of 331-159, including four outright CCIW titles during his tenure.

Defensively strong this season, IWU limits opponents to just over sixty-four points per game and ranks among Division III’s top teams defensively nationwide.

In related news, Coach Ron Rose and his son Brady Rose were named to be inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame next year due to their contributions to basketball both as coach and player respectively at Illinois Wesleyan University.

In anticipation of upcoming games post-exams break, IWU will host Elmhurst University on December 15 at Shirk Center.