NAPERVILLE — The early portion of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) men’s basketball season featured several notable performances across the league, highlighted by Illinois Wesleyan’s appearance at No. 10 in the latest D3hoops.com national poll and a series of competitive non-conference results. 
 
Multiple CCIW programs received national consideration in the voting, while league play opened with closely contested matchups and several teams extending strong starts into December.
 
North Park’s Kolden Vanlandingham delivered one of the week’s top individual efforts with a 39-point, 10-assist outing that earned both CCIW and D3hoops.com weekly honors. Elmhurst, Millikin and Illinois Wesleyan continued to post consistent early-season results, and a number of teams produced key road wins and late-game surges as the conference schedule began to take shape.
 
Titans Stand 10th Nationally in New D3hoops.com Men's Poll
Illinois Wesleyan is 10th in the new D3hoops.com national poll released Monday. IWU was the recipient of 375 points in the poll. The Titans, down four spots from last week, dropped a 66-58 decision to Wisconsin-Stout on Saturday in Bloomington.
 
Preseason CCIW favorite Carthage was among unranked teams receiving votes with 35 points. Elmhurst tallied nine points and North Park logged three points.
 
Triple-OT Performance Lifts NPU's Vanlandingham to CCIW, D3hoops.com Weekly Nod
North Park guard Kolden Vanlandingham has been tabbed College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Men’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week after netting 39 points in the Vikings’ 115-114 triple-overtime win over Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Saturday in Chicago. Vanlandingham was also a member of the D3hoops.com Team of the Week, announced Monday.
 
Vanlandingham, a 6-foot-2 senior from Richmond, Ind., played 53 minutes and helped guide NPU to a comeback victory that moved the Vikings to 4-1 on the season. He finished with a career-high 39 points, including 24 after halftime, as North Park rallied from a 17-point first-half deficit. He shot 14-for-23 from the field and 5-for-10 from three-point range, setting a new career mark for made field goals.
 
Vanlandingham also recorded a career-high 10 assists along with three rebounds and two steals. In the third overtime, he connected on a deep 3-pointer in the final seconds to pull the Vikings within one, setting the stage for the eventual game-winning play.
 
Bluejays’ Road Resilience Defines Early Season
Elmhurst is 5-1 overall and is the only CCIW team yet to play a conference game. A pair of tight road wins at Illinois College on Nov. 22 and DePauw on Nov. 25 highlighted the previous two weeks, followed by the team’s first loss of the season at Wisconsin-Whitewater on Tuesday.

The Bluejays feature strong defensive metrics and reliable shooting, ranking third in blocked shots (3.33 BPG) and fourth in three-point percentage (.376). Elmhurst carries a +3.83 scoring margin behind balanced numbers – 72.8 points per game on offense and 69.0 allowed.

Dominic Trelenberg’s 16.6 points per game ranks him sixth in the conference. His buzzer-beating fadeaway three at Illinois College delivered one of the CCIW’s most dramatic finishes of the early season. Vinnie Adjahoungbeta adds 8.0 rebounds per contest, tied for third in the league, and produced a 20-point, nine-rebound effort at DePauw while shooting 7-for-9 from the field.
 
Titans Continue to Set the Conference Standard
Illinois Wesleyan is 6-1 and began CCIW play with an 85-81 overtime win at Carthage on Wednesday. The 10th-ranked Titans claimed decisive victories over Wisconsin Lutheran on Nov. 21 and Kenyon on Nov. 22 before suffering their lone setback against Wisconsin-Stout last Saturday.

IWU leads the CCIW in multiple statistical categories, including scoring margin (+13.5), rebounding offense (42.5 RPG), blocked shots (8.1 BPG), and field goal percentage defense (.356). Their balanced profile also includes the league’s third-best scoring defense at 64.5 points per game.

Noah Cleveland has been among the conference’s dominant performers –first in both rebounds (12.0 RPG) and blocks (2.57 BPG) – and produced double-doubles against Kenyon and UW-Stout, including a 24-point, 14-rebound outing with six steals last Saturday. Mason Funk powered the Wednesday victory at Carthage with a career-high 35 points on 14-of-22 shooting, adding four blocks.
 
Big Blue Built on Defense, Discipline and the Glass
Millikin holds the league’s best win percentage at 7-1 overall and opened conference play  Wednesday with a 55-50 victory over North Central. The Big Blue also posted an 85-77 road win at Webster last Sunday.

Millikin has established itself as one of the CCIW’s most defensively consistent teams. The squad leads the conference in scoring defense (62.2 PPG), rebounding margin (+8.6), and offensive rebounding percentage (.376). The Big Blue also rank second in scoring margin (+9.2).

Lane Thomann continues to anchor Millikin’s attack with 19.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Nate Straughter posted a 20-point outing at Webster and five threes on Nov. 21 against Ripon. McGrady Noyes scored a team-leading 14 points in the CCIW opener on Wednesday.
 
Vikings Push the Pace in High-Octane Start
North Park holds a 4-2 overall record and began CCIW competition with a narrow 81-78 road loss at Carroll on Wednesday. The Vikings secured two memorable non-conference wins recently, including a triple-overtime 115–114 victory over Wisconsin-Stevens Point last Saturday.

The Vikings operate one of the conference’s most explosive offenses. They rank second in scoring (85.1 PPG) and lead the CCIW in assists (19.3 APG), three-pointers made (9.8 per game), and assist/turnover ratio (1.49).

Kolden Vanlandingham continues to orchestrate the attack, leading the league in assists (6.5 APG) while averaging 8.0 rebounds. His 39-point, 10-assist performance in the triple-overtime win earned CCIW Student-Athlete of the Week honors and a spot on the D3hoops.com Team of the Week. Mike Vuckovic (18.8 PPG) remains the team’s top scorer, while Julian Campbell added a double-double at Carroll.
 
Late-Game Magic Sparks a Carroll Surge
Carroll improved to 4-3 overall and opened CCIW play at 1-0, highlighted by a buzzer-beating 81-78 victory over North Park on Wednesday. The Pioneers have won two in a row, including a 93-80 road win at MSOE on Nov. 25.

Carroll's offense remains one of the conference’s most efficient units. The Pioneers rank third in scoring (81.0 PPG), second in overall field goal percentage (.476) and three-point accuracy (.383), and second in free throw percentage (.737).
 
Michael McNabb has been the conference’s premier scorer, averaging 23.7 points per game, including a 30-point effort against North Park. Lamar Smith contributes a team-best 7.2 rebounds per outing and added 20 points in the conference opener. Peyton McKenna also delivered key moments, knocking down five threes at MSOE and hitting the game-winning shot on Wednesday.
 
Augie Turns Tide with Key Home Triumph
Augustana enters the week at 4-3 overall and 1-0 in CCIW play after navigating a challenging non-conference slate. Three consecutive setbacks preceded a pivotal conference-opening win on Wednesday, an 84–81 decision over Wheaton that halted the skid.
 
The Vikings continue to rely on an active defensive presence. They lead the league in steals (10.7 SPG) and stand among the top three in both rebounding margin (+2.7) and rebounding defense (31.5 allowed). Offensively, Augustana averages 79.4 points per game.
 
Andre Klaver (13.1 PPG) and Marieon Anderson (12.8 PPG) pace the scoring effort. Jake Willems tops the CCIW in steals (2.57 SPG) and Ray Maurchie leads the team on the glass (6.7 RPG). The win over Wheaton featured standout efforts from Dom Rhoden (career-high 25 points) and Anderson, who delivered a perfect 7-for-7 shooting performance.
 
Thunder Light Up Scoreboard Despite Narrow Setback
Wheaton is 5-3 overall and 0-1 in conference play after splitting its last four games. The Thunder claimed victories over St. Scholastica (85-64 on Nov. 21) and Manchester (95-88 on Nov. 25) but dropped contests to seventh-ranked Wisconsin-La Crosse on Nov. 22 and to Augustana in the CCIW opener.

Wheaton leads the CCIW in several offensive categories – scoring (86.1 PPG), field goal percentage (.511) and three-point percentage (.435) – and ranks second in assists (16.6 APG). Their +5.3 scoring margin and +2.6 rebound margin both place among the league’s stronger early-season marks.
 
Soren Richardson has been a consistent scoring presence, averaging 20.2 points per game and producing 29 at Augustana on Wednesday. Carson Grier leads the conference in field-goal percentage (.684) and earned Lee Pfund Classic All-Tournament Team honors. Additional highlights included five made threes from Reid Olson on Wednesday and a 22-point showing from Kyan VanderWoude at Manchester.
 
Firebirds Finding Their Formula in the Paint
Carthage sits at 3-3 overall and 0-1 in CCIW play following a slate that included two nationally ranked opponents and a narrow overtime loss to Illinois Wesleyan in the league opener on Wednesday. A commanding 84-56 win at Ripon on Nov. 26 provided momentum entering December.
 
The Firebirds excel on the boards, ranking second in rebounding offense (40.3 RPG) and pacing the CCIW in defensive rebounding percentage (.761). Carthage also sits second in assist/turnover ratio (1.43).
 
Ryan Johnson continues to anchor the interior, averaging 10.4 rebounds per game with double-doubles against Mary Washington on Nov. 22 and IWU on Wednesday. Riley Brooks added a double-double of his own against Mary Washington and scored 24 points with an 8-for-8 free-throw performance versus IWU. Antuan Nesbitt went 3-for-3 from deep in the same contest.
 
Cardinals Lean on Defense as Offense Develops
North Central is 1-4 overall and 0-1 in the CCIW following a three-game stretch that featured its first victory of the season—a 71-53 road win at Benedictine on Nov. 25.

The Cardinals have been one of the CCIW’s strongest defensive units statistically, ranking second in scoring defense (62.4 PPG) and second in blocked shots (3.40 BPG). Offensively, North Central leads the league at the free-throw line (.750).

Tyler Swierczek is the team’s leading scorer (12.4 PPG) and the conference leader in three-point field goals made (3.20 per game). James Bullock Jr. tops the CCIW in free throw percentage (.857) and posted a 23-point effort against Loras on Nov. 22. Alejandro Diaz filled the stat sheet at Benedictine with 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists.