INDIANAPOLIS --- For the first time since 2022, the No. 12 Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team will host the opening weekend of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament as announced by the national office Monday, March 2. The Titans will welcome John Carroll University, Grinnell College, and Heidelberg University to the Shirk Center Friday-Saturday, March 6-7. John Carroll and Grinnell will tip off at 4:10 p.m., followed by the Illinois Wesleyan versus Heidelberg matchup at 6:40 p.m Friday, March 6. The winners will meet Saturday, March 7, for a 6:40 p.m. contest.

The 64-team field includes 43 automatic qualifiers and 21 at-large selections. Illinois Wesleyan is the lone representative of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, earning the league's AQ with an overtime triumph against Elmhurst, Feb. 28. IWU boasts a 23-4 overall record and won the program's 34th CCIW Regular Season Championship with a 13-3 league mark. The Green and White hold a 3-0 record against this year's field. Illinois Wesleyan owns wins over Chicago, WashU, and Yeshiva.

JCU will come to Bloomington after winning the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament in its first year in the league. The Blue Streaks carry a 22-6 record. Grinnell, the Midwest Conference regular season and tournament champions, stand at 22-3. The Student Princes will meet the Titans looking to improve on a 16-12 mark following their Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament triumph.

The winner of this weekend's pod will play in the Sweet Sixteen Friday or Saturday, March 13 or 14. The Elite Eight and Final Four rounds will take place in Fort Wayne, Ind. Thursday-Saturday, March 19-21. The national title game will follow Sunday, April 5, in a combined championship weekend with NCAA Division I and II in Indianapolis, Ind.

Ticket information will be announced later this week. The full NCAA Tournament bracket can be viewed by clicking here.