NAPERVILLE — The final week of the regular season in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) men’s basketball has arrived with clarity at the top of the standings and a congested race for positioning in the middle of the pack. 
 
Illinois Wesleyan has secured the No. 1 seed and hosting rights for the upcoming conference tournament, along with at least a share of its 34th regular-season league title. The week included buzzer-beater finishes in Rock Island and milestone coaching victories in Chicago, continuing the conference’s presence in the national Division III landscape.
 
Seeding Scramble and the Final Countdown
Illinois Wesleyan has clinched a share of the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed, earning the right to host the tournament’s semifinal and championship rounds at the Shirk Center. The race for the No. 2 seed – and the league’s second first-round bye – will be decided between Carthage and Elmhurst.
 
If Carthage finishes tied with Illinois Wesleyan at 12-4, the Firebirds will secure the No. 2 seed. However, if Carthage and Elmhurst end in a two-way tie at 11-5, Elmhurst would earn the No. 2 seed based on a superior 7-1 record over its final eight games, with Carthage slotted as the No. 3 seed.
 
The seeding for the final three positions (No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6) includes multiple tiebreaking scenarios involving Wheaton, Carroll and North Park. In a three-way tie at either 8-8 or 7-9, the order would be No. 4 Wheaton, No. 5 Carroll, and No. 6 North Park. Wheaton consistently rises in those scenarios due to a win over Carthage and, in an 8-8 tie, a stronger road record than Carroll. Carroll secures the No. 5 seed in those ties due to key wins over Carthage or Elmhurst, placing the Pioneers ahead of North Park.
 
In two-way tie scenarios at 8-8 or 7-9, Wheaton holds the tiebreaker over both North Park and Carroll due to its win over Carthage. Carroll would also win a two-way tiebreaker against North Park at either record, based on significant victories against Carthage (at 8-8) or Elmhurst (at 7-9). Under the tournament format, the No. 3 seed will host the No. 6 seed and the No. 4 seed will host the No. 5 seed in the opening quarterfinal round on February 24.
 
Saturday’s schedule includes North Park at Elmhurst, Carthage at Carroll, Illinois Wesleyan at Augustana, and Millikin at Wheaton. North Central closed its season on a positive note on Wednesday, as James Bullock Jr. scored a game-high 18 points in an 83-76 win over Augustana.
 
Rose-y Outlook for the Titans in Bloomington
Wednesday culminated in a milestone for Illinois Wesleyan head coach Ron Rose, who earned his 200th career CCIW victory in a 76-71 win over North Park. Rose became the fourth coach in league history to reach 200 CCIW wins. The Titans (20-4, 12-3 CCIW) clinched the No. 1 seed behind a 33-point, five-block performance from Mason Funk. Funk’s 14 field goals made against the Vikings tied for the second-highest individual single-game total in the conference this season. IWU continues to lead the nation in blocks per game (6.8).
 
Kolden’s Golden Touch Earns National Praise
North Park senior guard Kolden Vanlandingham was named to the D3hoops.com National Team of the Week on Tuesday following a standout week. Last Saturday, he hit a turnaround midrange jumper with 30 seconds remaining to break a tie and lift the Vikings to a 95-92 win over Wheaton. 
 
Earlier in the same week, he delivered a game-winning driving layup with two seconds left to defeat Augustana, 79-77. For the week, Vanlandingham averaged 26.0 points and shot 90 percent from the free-throw line. He currently leads the CCIW in assists (5.0 per game) and steals (1.8 per game).
 
Rich Rewards for Richardson and the Thunder
Wheaton moved into a three-way tie for fourth place following a 96-88 upset of No. 22 Carthage on Wednesday. The win marked Wheaton’s first victory against a D3hoops.com Top-25 opponent since January 2024. 
 
Junior Soren Richardson scored a game-high 31 points in the win and continues to lead the CCIW in scoring at 22.3 points per game, which ranks 28th nationally. Wheaton also showed interior efficiency during Saturday’s road game at North Park, scoring 70 points in the paint despite a three-point loss.
 
Firebirds and Bluejays Flight Patterns
Carthage re-entered the national rankings at No. 22 last week and remains in position to pursue a share of the conference title at 11-4 in league play. The Firebirds earned a 75-73 win over Augustana last Saturday, sealed by a Ryan Johnson layup with two seconds remaining. Johnson reached a career milestone in the win, becoming the 32nd player in Carthage history to record 1,000 career points. 
 
Elmhurst has also positioned itself as a postseason factor, winning eight of its last nine games. The Bluejays secured home-court advantage for the tournament quarterfinals and kept itself in the race for a bye to the semifinal round with an 81-69 victory over Carroll on Wednesday, led by Dominic Trelenberg’s 19 points.
 
The Block Party and Defensive Dominance
Statistically, the CCIW continues to feature nationally ranked defensive individuals and teams. Illinois Wesleyan’s Mason Funk leads the conference with 2.50 blocks per game, ranking 14th in Division III. Teammate Noah Cleveland ranks eighth nationally with 14 double-doubles this season. 
 
Carthage ranks seventh nationally in three-point field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 27.9 percent from beyond the arc. Offensively from distance, Illinois Wesleyan’s Casen Lawrence is the league’s most accurate three-point shooter at 42.3 percent, which ranks 21st nationally.
 
The Road to the Shirk Center
The 2026 CCIW Men’s Basketball Championship begins next Tuesday, Feb. 24, with quarterfinal games hosted by the higher seeds. The No. 6 seed will play at the No. 3 seed, and the No. 5 seed will travel to the No. 4 seed. 
 
Winners advance to the semifinals on Friday, Feb. 27, at the Shirk Center in Bloomington, where top-seeded Illinois Wesleyan will serve as the host. The championship game is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 28, with the winner earning the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students, while CCIW students are admitted free with a valid ID.