McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team is set to open its 2025-26 season by hosting the fifth annual Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational at the Shirk Center in Bloomington, Illinois. The tournament will take place Friday and Saturday, November 14-15.

Illinois Wesleyan, currently ranked 16th nationally, will face Illinois College on Friday night at 7 p.m. In the earlier game, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh will play Maryville College (Tenn.) at 5 p.m.

The Titans enter the season after winning the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament Championship and reaching the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen last year. They finished with a 24-6 overall record and a 12-4 mark in conference play. Illinois College arrives in Bloomington with a 2-0 record following victories at the Bill Merris Invitational. UW-Oshkosh started its season with a win over Saint John's University, while Maryville holds a 3-0 record after recent wins at Berry College's tournament and against The University of the South.

Fans can follow live coverage through streaming on the CCIW Network or listen to an audio broadcast on 88.1 WESN. Live statistics are also available via links on IWUsports.com.

Illinois Wesleyan has established a strong tradition in season openers, winning nine consecutive opening games. Their last loss in a season opener was during the 2015-16 campaign.

The team has experienced significant roster changes since last spring due to graduation. Departing players Hakim Williams, Trey Bazzell, Shane Miller, Nick Roper, Harrison Wilmsen, and Marko Anderson contributed heavily to last year's scoring and rebounding totals. This season's roster includes seven newcomers: two junior transfers—Brady Ruggles from Air Force Academy and Casen Lawrence from Truman State—alongside sophomore Noah Cleveland and freshmen Micah Meiss, Tucker Sennett, Bradley Biedke, and Luke Meyer.

Steve Schweer returns to Shirk Center as head coach of Illinois College for their matchup against his alma mater. Schweer played four years for Illinois Wesleyan before taking up coaching duties with Illinois College eight seasons ago.

The Shirk Center continues to serve as an important venue for Titan basketball; since opening it has hosted more than 750 games for both men's and women's teams combined. The men have compiled a home record of 317-68 (.823 win percentage).

Bob Spear sponsors this year's invitational for the second time. A former Titan standout who graduated in 1977, Spear remains program record holder in games played (115) and helped lead teams to three NAIA Tournament appearances during his career.

This weekend marks the fifth Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational since its inception in 2021. Illinois Wesleyan has won two previous editions—the inaugural event and last year's tournament—while other past winners include UW-Stevens Point (2022) and Mary Hardin-Baylor (2023).

Historically against this weekend’s field, IWU holds a combined record of 54-14—most notably leading their series with Illinois College at 52-12—and maintains even records against both Maryville and UW-Oshkosh.

Sophomore guard Josh Fridman received Preseason All-American honors from D3hoops.com after his rookie year performance as starting point guard for IWU. He averaged over nine points per game with notable shooting percentages from both field goal range (40.4%) and three-point distance (37.7%), while leading free throw accuracy at 88%.

Head coach Ron Rose enters his twentieth season leading his alma mater with an overall coaching record of 349-164—including four outright CCIW titles during his tenure.

Illinois Wesleyan is one of only nine programs nationwide that have appeared in more than 200 D3hoops.com Top-25 polls; their current total stands at seventh-most all-time among Division III schools.

In this year’s CCIW preseason poll announced October 23rd, IWU was picked to finish second behind Carthage by league coaches.

Nick Roper became IWU’s twenty-seventh Academic All-America honoree following last season—a figure that leads all NCAA men’s basketball programs nationally ahead of Duke University’s total selections.

Overall program achievements include one NCAA National Championship (1997), thirty-two CCIW championships, twenty-seven NCAA tournament appearances—with nineteen “Sweet Sixteens,” twelve “Elite Eights,” six Final Fours—and consistent academic recognition across divisions I–III.