KENOSHA, Wis. -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team will clash with the nationally-ranked Illinois Wesleyan Titans for the second time in under a week on Friday, February 28 when the two teams square off in the CCIW Tournament semifinals.

Augustana enters with a 17-9 overall record and has won seven of its last eight contests, including three in a row. The Vikings capped off a successful home slate this past Tuesday with a CCIW Tournament quarterfinals win over Elmhurst, defeating the Bluejays by a score of 92-78 to garner their first postseason win since 2021. Staishaun Kelley and Matt Hawkins combined for 25 points in the opening half to lead Augie to a 40-27 lead entering intermission. The Vikings saw their cushion reach 19 on several different occasions in the second half, with the Bluejays getting the margin into single figures just once. Kelley posted another big half offensively and ended with a career-high 29 points. Ray Maurchie also added 16 points and six rebounds, while Tyler Knuth posted 12.

The win over Elmhurst capped off an 11-2 home record for Augustana in 2024-25, their most wins in the Carver Center since 2019-20 and the highest winning percentage since 2015-16. The Vikings posted five double-digit wins and had a margin of victory over 16 points.

Illinois Wesleyan will be back in action for the first time since visiting Augsutana last Saturday. The Titans, now ranked No. 16 in the latest D3hoops poll, earned the No. 2 seed in the CCIW and enjoyed a first-round bye in this season's conference tournament. In the loss vs. the Vikings, Illinois Wesleyan had three double-digit scorers and was led by CCIW First-Year Student-Athlete of the Year Josh Fridman's 16 points. Hakim Williams added 15 and Jackson Niego had 12. Nick Roper, the Titans' leading scorer this season at 15.8 points per game, was limited to just six in the game vs. Augustana.

Friday will be the 183rd meeting all-time between the two programs, with Illinois Wesleyan holding a 102-80 lead in the series. The Titans have won seven of the last nine meetings, with the two teams each winning this season on their home floors. Friday will also be the first meeting in the CCIW Tournament since February 28, 2020, marking it exactly five years to the date since the last time they squared off in the postseason. Illinois Wesleyan won that game 74-70 in Naperville.

Start time is scheduled for 5 p.m. from Tarble Arena in Kenosha. 

Information regarding live stream, tickets, etc. can be found here.