Quick Notes

• Trinity International can tie a program record Wednesday night, and take control of the CCAC North Division when the 20th-ranked Trojans host No. 14 Robert Morris.
• Streaming video and live stats of Wednesday's game can be found at TIUTrojans.com/LIVE
• The Trojans sit a half-game behind Robert Morris for the top spot of the CCAC standings, as the Eagles remain unbeaten in league play. The best record in the North Division will earn an automatic bid to the NAIA Division II National Championship tournament.
• Trinity became the first CCAC team to reach 17 wins this year, after defeating Olivet Nazarene on the road, 94-77 last Saturday. The Trojans hold the best overall record in the CCAC, at 17-3.
• If the Trojans defeat the Eagles on Wednesday, it will be the team's 12th victory in a row, and would match the program's longest-ever win streak, set from Nov. 28, 1995 - Jan. 24, 1996.
• TIU was ranked in the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 poll on Jan. 10, debuting in the poll at No. 20. Trinity earned its first national ranking in nearly two decades (Jan. 6, 1998).
• The Trojans have some of the best defensive statistics in the country this season. Trinity leads the NAIA in blocks (107), ranks 3rd in blocks per game (5.4), 6th in turnover margin (+4.6 per game), and 7th in total steals (182).
• Trinity is coming off of their first 20-win season in 17 years, and return four of five starters from a year ago.
• Last season, the Trojans reached the NCCAA National Semifinal, in their first NCCAA Tournament appearance since 1999. TIU finished 4th overall in the eight-team tournament after coming in as the No. 6 seed.
• Senior forward Zach Kirschbaum leads both divisions of NAIA basketball in rebounding, collecting a total of 231 rebounds. The Las Vegas, Nev. native is also 2nd in NAIA Division II in blocks per game (2.7), defensive rebounds per game (8.6), and total rebounds per game (11.6).
• Kirschbaum has posted 15 double-doubles this season, most in the NAIA, and three more than any other player in the CCAC. He also leads the league in rebounding (11.6 per game) and blocked shots, (2.7 per game).
• With two blocks against St. Xavier on Nov. 16, Kirschbaum moved into fourth place on Trinity International's all-time blocked shots list. Kirschbaum surpassed Cameron Burkett's (2003-05) 62 blocks for the No. 5 spot on the list, and now has 99 blocks in his Trojan career.
• Grant Corsi is also scoring double figures season, with 13.5 points per game. In the Trojans' win over Judson on Nov. 22, Corsi recorded his first career double-double, collecting 19 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
• Senior guard Luke Mead leads the Trojan bench with 11.4 points per game, the third-highest average on the team. Mead also ranks 2nd on the team in assists, averaging 2.8 per game. He has scored double figures in eight of the last nine games.
• Sophomore Jeremy Carlyle is averaging 11.4 points per game, after posting 22 points in the win at Olivet Nazarene. Carlyle and is shooting a team-best 43.7% from three-point range.
• Trinity players earned two CCAC Player of the Week awards during the month of December, in Zach Kirschbaum and Jeremy Carlyle. Kirschbaum was named Player of the Week on Dec. 6, after averaging 20 points and 14.5 rebounds in wins over Roosevelt and Purdue-Northwest. Carlyle was honored after leading the Trojans in scoring during their wins over No. 5 Indiana-East and Calumet St. Joseph.
• Freshman guard Will Davidson is 5th in the NAIA with a 4.33 assist-to-turnover ratio. Davidson has 13 assists to just three turnovers, while averaging just 5.1 minutes on the floor this season. He set a career high with four assists twice, in wins over East-West (Ill.) and Emmaus Bible (Iowa).
• Senior guard Sean Smith will make his 115th career appearance on Wednesday, good for 9th on TIU's all-time games played list.
• Senior wing Henry French is averaging 1.3 blocks per game, and is tied for 5th on the CCAC leaderboard. French has 26 total blocks (31st in NAIA), and is averaging 8.8 points per game. Against Olivet Nazarene last weekend, French nearly recorded a triple double, finishing with seven points, nine rebounds, and a career-high 11 assists.
• Freshman forward T.J. Johnson set a career high with nine rebounds in the win over Trinity Christian on Jan. 7. Johnson has started all 20 games this season, averaging 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 14 minutes per game.
• Freshman center Rick Wright made his Trojan debut on Jan. 3 in the win over St. Ambrose. Wright finished with two points and a rebound in four minutes of play.
 

About Robert Morris

• Saturday marks the 11th meeting between Trinity International and Robert Morris since the 2003-04 season.
• The Eagles lead the series over TIU 7-3, having won the first seven meetings, from 2008-2014. Trinity is 3-1 over Robert Morris in the Boomer Roberts era.
• On Feb. 20, 2016, the Trojans held the top-scoring team in the CCAC to nearly 20 points under their season average, earning their third victory over a nationally-ranked opponent 83-67 over No. 19 Robert Morris.
• On Jan. 20, 2016, TIU recorded an upset victory over a nationally-ranked program for the second time in five days, as the Trojans held on for a 66-64 road win over the No. 15 Eagles.
• Currently, the 14th-ranked Eagles are a perfect 10-0 in CCAC play, and have won 12 straight games going into Wednesday's meeting at Trinity.
• Robert Morris ranks 7th in NAIA Division II in scoring, averaging 91.4 points per game. The Eagles average 10.6 three-pointers made per game, good for 8th-best among NAIA teams.
• Senior Antonio Levy leads the CCAC with 21.0 points per game, and is 18th in the NAIA. fellow senior Markee Williams is the conference leader in assist-turnover ratio, at 3.5, 12th-best in the NAIA.

Trojans in the Polls

• Trinity earned the No. 20 spot in the latest NAIA Division II Coaches' Poll, released on Tuesday.
• Trinity International has appeared in the NAIA Division II Coaches Poll 22 times in program history, with this week being the first since the 1997-98 campaign.
• The Trojans' last NAIA ranking came on Jan. 6, 1998, when the TIU also came in at No. 20.
• The highest ranking in program history was during the 1995-96 season, when Trinity was at No. 3 in the Jan. 22, 1996 poll.
• The Trojans sit at No. 5 in the latest NCCAA National Rankings, their highest ranking this season. 
• Trinity has been ranked No. 8 in three of the first five polls this season, beginning with the opening poll on Nov. 15.
• The Trojans were picked 4th in the CCAC preseason ratings, behind St. Francis, Robert Morris, and St. Xavier.
• Trinity ranks 2nd in the latest conference ratings, released Tuesday, behind No. 14 Robert Morris.

Record Books

• On Nov. 11, Trinity posted 126 points in their Trojan Classic victory over Silver Lake (Wisc.). The performance was one point shy of the all-time program record of 127 points scored in a single game. (Feb. 14, 1996 at Rockford [Ill.])
• As a team the Trojans combined for 25 made three-pointers against the Lakers, setting a new CCAC single-game record.
• The 25 threes also goes down as the second-highest number of three-point field goals in a single game in NAIA history.

Up Next

• On Saturday, Jan. 21, Trinity will honor the 10th anniversary of the 2006-07 CCAC Tournament Championship team during the game vs. St. Francis. Members of the 2006-07 team will be honored during the game, and a team reunion will be held.
• Wednesday, Jan. 25 vs. St. Xavier will be the third annual White Out Game. A select number of White Out shirts will be given to TIU students, alumni, and fans.
• The Trojans begin a two-game road trip on Saturday, January 28 when they face Indiana-South Bend.
• Saturday, Feb. 4 vs. Roosevelt is the team's annual Upward Night, where kids and families involved with Upward Basketball enjoy free admission and a chance to meet the team after the game.