Andy Etheridge Assistant Men's Basketball Coach | Illinois Wesleyan Titans Website
Andy Etheridge Assistant Men's Basketball Coach | Illinois Wesleyan Titans Website
The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team will face Augustana College in their final regular-season game on Saturday, February 22, at the Carver PE Center in Rock Island, Illinois. The Titans enter the matchup with a 20-4 overall record and hold a 12-3 standing in conference play. This places them as the No. 2 seed for the upcoming conference tournament. Their recent victory was against North Park University with a score of 87-81.
Augustana, currently holding a 15-9 overall record and an 8-7 league record, is seeking favorable seeding in the CCIW Tournament. They recently defeated Wheaton College by a margin of 101-76.
The historical rivalry between Illinois Wesleyan and Augustana dates back to the 1914-15 season, with IWU leading the series 102-78. In their last encounter on January 22, Illinois Wesleyan secured a significant win over Augustana with an 82-52 victory.
Illinois Wesleyan Athletic Director Mike Wagner is an alumnus of Augustana College, where he played football and achieved several accolades during his college career.
Rachel Dawson, the athletic trainer for Illinois Wesleyan's men's basketball team, previously worked at Augustana and returns to familiar grounds for this match.
The Titans have already clinched their first 20-win season since the 2021-22 campaign under head coach Ron Rose's guidance. They are positioned to share the CCIW Regular Season Championship with a win against Augustana coupled with a Carthage loss.
Support from fans has been robust this season, averaging crowds of over 1,400 per home game at Shirk Center.
Hakim Williams recently achieved a personal milestone by reaching over 200 career assists while Mason Funk became one of only seven players in program history to achieve six or more steals in a single game.
As they prepare for the CCIW Tournament set to begin on February 28 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Illinois Wesleyan aims to build on their defensive prowess and strong rebounding capabilities that have ranked them highly within Division III statistics this season.
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