Illinois Wesleyan ranked tenth nationally as CCIW men’s basketball season sees strong starts
The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) men's basketball season has started with strong performances and close games among its member schools. Illinois Wesleyan University is currently ranked 10th in the latest D3hoops.com national poll, earning 375 points despite a recent loss to Wisconsin-Stout.
Carthage, Elmhurst, and North Park also received votes in the national poll but remain unranked. Carthage collected 35 points, Elmhurst nine, and North Park three.
North Park's Kolden Vanlandingham was recognized for his individual performance last week. He scored 39 points and had 10 assists in a triple-overtime win against Wisconsin-Stevens Point. This effort earned him both CCIW Men’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week honors and a spot on the D3hoops.com Team of the Week. Vanlandingham played 53 minutes, making 14 out of 23 shots from the field and five out of ten from three-point range. He also recorded three rebounds and two steals.
Elmhurst remains undefeated in conference play with a 5-1 overall record. The team secured narrow road victories at Illinois College and DePauw before suffering its first loss at Wisconsin-Whitewater. Elmhurst ranks third in blocked shots per game (3.33) and fourth in three-point percentage (.376). Dominic Trelenberg leads the team with an average of 16.6 points per game, while Vinnie Adjahoungbeta contributes eight rebounds per contest.
Illinois Wesleyan holds a 6-1 record after starting conference play with an overtime win at Carthage. The Titans lead several statistical categories within the CCIW: scoring margin (+13.5), rebounding offense (42.5 RPG), blocked shots (8.1 BPG), and field goal percentage defense (.356). Noah Cleveland leads the league in rebounds (12 per game) and blocks (2.57 per game), while Mason Funk recently scored a career-high 35 points against Carthage.
Millikin University boasts the best win percentage in the league at 7-1 following wins over North Central and Webster University. Millikin leads in scoring defense (62.2 PPG), rebounding margin (+8.6), and offensive rebounding percentage (.376). Lane Thomann averages 19.3 points per game for Millikin.
North Park stands at 4-2 overall after beginning conference play with a close loss to Carroll University but achieved two notable non-conference wins recently, including their triple-overtime victory over Wisconsin-Stevens Point led by Vanlandingham’s standout performance.
Carroll improved to a 4-3 record after opening CCIW play with an overtime win against North Park and defeating MSOE on Nov. 25. Michael McNabb is currently averaging nearly 24 points per game for Carroll.
Augustana College broke a losing streak by winning its conference opener against Wheaton College last week, relying on strong defensive metrics such as leading the league in steals (10.7 SPG).
Wheaton College holds a record of five wins and three losses after splitting its last four games, leading all CCIW teams offensively with averages of more than 86 points per game as well as top marks for field goal (.511) and three-point shooting percentages (.435).
Carthage is currently even at three wins and three losses following competitive games against nationally ranked opponents; they excel particularly in rebounding statistics within the conference.
North Central College has focused on defense early this season while developing their offense; they are second-best defensively within CCIW statistics so far this year.