McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team has been ranked 16th in the preseason D3hoops.com Top-25 Poll, which was released on October 22. The Titans received 227 points in the initial ranking.

Trinity (Connecticut) leads the poll, securing 23 out of 25 first-place votes and a total of 623 points. Randolph-Macon is second with one first-place vote and 537 points. The rest of the top five includes Emory, Tufts, and Washington University in St. Louis (WashU). Redlands earned the only other first-place vote and is ranked sixth with 492 points.

Illinois Wesleyan is one of two College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin teams in the preseason rankings; Carthage is ranked eighth with 396 points. The Titans' schedule this season features games against several other ranked teams, including No. 5 WashU, No. 8 Carthage, and No. 11 Chicago. There is also a potential matchup against No. 21 Maryville (Tennessee) during the Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational on November 15.

In addition to these opponents, Illinois Wesleyan will face Yeshiva, Hamilton, and Wisconsin Lutheran—teams that are currently receiving votes but not ranked in the Top-25 poll. UW-Oshkosh, another participant in this year’s Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational, also received votes.

Illinois Wesleyan will begin its season by hosting the Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational from November 14-15 at home. The Titans will open against Illinois College at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 14, before facing either UW-Oshkosh or No. 21 Maryville (Tennessee).

According to D3hoops.com’s preseason poll for the upcoming season:

1. Trinity (Conn.) (23 first-place votes), record: 30-3

2. Randolph-Macon (1), record: 24-5

3. Emory, record: 23-6

4. Tufts, record: 22-6

5. Washington U., record: 23-7

...

16. Illinois Wesleyan, record: 24-6

Other teams receiving votes include Williams, St. Joseph's (Maine), Keene State, Stockton, Franklin & Marshall, Yeshiva, Hamilton, Denison, UW-Oshkosh among others.