Illinois Wesleyan rises to No.18 as CCIW men’s basketball sees tight early race
Illinois Wesleyan University has moved up to No. 18 in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, reflecting a strong start to the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) men's basketball season. The Titans began their conference schedule with an overtime victory at Carthage but suffered a loss at North Central, bringing their overall record to 6-2.
Wheaton College junior guard Soren Richardson was named CCIW Men’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week after averaging 25.5 points in his first two league games. Richardson scored 29 points in a loss at Augustana and followed with 22 points in a win over Elmhurst. Over those two contests, he shot 60 percent from the field and contributed rebounds, steals, and blocks.
Several teams are closely matched in early league standings, each displaying different strengths. Wheaton and Carroll have produced high offensive efficiency, while Illinois Wesleyan, Millikin, and North Central have emphasized defense and rebounding.
Elmhurst stands at 5-2 overall after losing by one point to Wheaton last weekend despite leading at halftime with strong three-point shooting. Dominic Trelenberg led Elmhurst with 27 points and continues as one of the conference's top perimeter shooters. Aidyn Boone leads on rebounds for Elmhurst while Sebastian Blachut provides assists.
North Park improved to 5-2 following a win over Millikin, utilizing turnovers and three-point shooting as key strategies. Senior guard Kolden Vanlandingham reached his 1,000th career point during that game.
Millikin remains focused on defense and rebounding with a current record of 7-2. Lane Thomann recorded another double-double against North Park, ranking among league leaders in both scoring and rebounding.
Wheaton leads the conference in scoring offense (85.6 ppg), field-goal percentage (.509), and three-point percentage (.424). Their recent narrow victory over Elmhurst featured decisive free-throw shooting by Kyan VanderWoude alongside contributions from Carson Grier.
Augustana won its only league game so far against Wheaton behind defensive pressure and efficient shooting from Dom Rhoden and Marieon Anderson.
Carroll has been effective offensively through Michael McNabb’s scoring leadership but fell to Carthage last Saturday.
Carthage is ranked fifth in scoring offense within the CCIW after defeating Carroll but narrowly losing to Wisconsin-Platteville this week. Ryan Johnson has posted consecutive double-doubles for Carthage while Riley Brooks added significant offensive output against Carroll.
North Central secured an upset win over Illinois Wesleyan behind strong defensive play and free-throw accuracy led by sophomore guard Tre Davis’ career-best performance.
As CCIW teams prepare for another full slate of games this Saturday, competition remains close with several programs separated by just one game early in conference play.