CCIW men’s basketball teams post strong performances as season progresses
League play in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) continued last week, with several men's basketball teams posting notable results and individual performances.
North Park junior guard Mike Vuckovic was named CCIW Student-Athlete of the Week and selected for the D3hoops.com Team of the Week after scoring 26 points in a 95-84 conference win over North Central. Vuckovic led all scorers as North Park overcame a double-digit second-half deficit to take first place in the CCIW standings. He made nine of fourteen field goal attempts, including five three-pointers, and played 37 minutes. According to the league, he is "the first player to earn the weekly honor from the league office multiple times in 2025-26."
The CCIW remains well represented nationally across NCAA Division III statistics. Illinois Wesleyan leads all Division III programs in blocked shots per game and ranks sixth in field-goal percentage defense. North Park is among national leaders in assists per game, scoring offense, and assist-to-turnover ratio. Wheaton stands out for its three-point shooting accuracy and overall field-goal percentage, while Millikin ranks highly in rebounding margin.
Several players are also among national statistical leaders: Carthage’s Ryan Johnson is eleventh nationally in rebounds per game and tied for eighth in double-doubles; Illinois Wesleyan’s Noah Cleveland follows closely behind him on rebounding and is fifteenth nationally for blocks per game; North Park’s Kolden Vanlandingham is eighth nationally in assists per game; Carroll’s Michael McNabb ranks thirty-first nationally in scoring; Wheaton’s Carson Grier is eleventh nationally for field-goal percentage.
Elmhurst won consecutive games to improve to a 7-2 record, including a narrow conference victory over Illinois Wesleyan and a program-record 137 points scored against Greenville. The Bluejays shot nearly 63 percent from the field against Greenville. Dominic Trelenberg led Elmhurst with 30 points against Greenville.
North Park extended its win streak to three games with both conference and non-conference victories last week. The team set a program record with 138 points and 39 assists against Greenville.
Millikin defeated Augustana 85-77 behind efficient shooting performances by Nate Straughter, Ian Winkler, and Lane Thomann—all scoring at least twenty points each.
Illinois Wesleyan lost narrowly at Elmhurst but continues to lead several defensive categories within the conference, including scoring defense, rebounding offense, blocked shots, and scoring margin.
Wheaton fell on the road at Carthage but maintains its position as leader of both field-goal percentage (.498) and three-point percentage (.405) within the CCIW.
Augustana lost to Millikin but leads the league in steals per game (10.1).
Carroll dropped a close non-conference contest at Wisconsin-Whitewater but remains second-best among CCIW teams for free-throw percentage (.733). Lamar Smith recorded a double-double during that loss.
Carthage earned a conference win over Wheaton thanks to strong shooting performances by AJ Johnson and Ryan Johnson—who continues to lead the league in rebounding average (11.3).
North Central split two recent games—a loss at North Park followed by a non-conference win over Hope College—and currently holds second place within CCIW's defensive rankings while leading all teams in free-throw percentage (.760). Alejandro Diaz led North Central's effort against Hope College.