Millikin men's basketball head coach Mark Scherer talks to players before the start of practice last week at Griswold Center. The Big Blue return to action on Jan. 23 against Carthage. Visit www.herald-review.com to see a video from the practice.
Millikin women's basketball head coach Olivia Lett talks to players before the start of practice on Friday at Griswold Center. Millikin returns to action on Jan. 23 against Carthage. Visit www.herald-review.com to see a video from the practice.
DECATUR — The Millikin men's and women's basketball teams open the 2021 season against Carthage College at the Griswold Center on Jan. 23.Â
The CCIW released its fall winter schedules for men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track & field, men's and women's swimming & diving, women's bowling and wrestling on Thursday. Each sport will only compete against other CCIW competition and due to state and local restrictions, no spectators will be allowed at any competition.Â
The abbreviated basketball season will run from Jan. 23 through Feb. 27. Millikin faces Carthage on Jan. 23 at home and then heads to Kenosha for an away game on Jan. 25. The following week the Big Blue face Wheaton at home on Jan. 28 and away on Jan. 30. Using the same home-and-away format, they will then face Augustana (week of Feb. 1), North Central (week of Feb. 8), Elmhurst (week of Feb. 15), and Illinois Wesleyan (games on Feb. 16 and Feb. 23).Â
The realization that the season is about to start has motivated the women's team said head coach Olivia Lett.Â
"There is definitely a renewed energy in practice and that is fun to see. (During the holiday break), we have been working on getting better individually, doing that both on and off the court, but it is nice to actually feel you are preparing for something now," she said. "It is going to be a quick get ready (period) for some of the games but I think our kids did a good job after preparing themselves during winter break and trying to stay in shape."
In a typical season, the CCIW portion of the schedule follows several non-conference games and allows opposing teams the chance to get some in-depth research on playing tendencies. All that is out the window this season.
"It's going to be challenging. With today's technology, we usually have a statistical breakdown of everything our opponents do. It's going to be more of doing what we do and doing it well," Millikin men's basketball coach Mark Scherer said. "It is going to be more oriented to that than going in and stopping what the opponent does."
Whichever CCIW team was first on the Big Blue's schedule didn't really matter for Lett.Â
"We are big on really trying to focus on us and play our game. For us, it is a little irrelevant who we play to start off the schedule," she said. "We will go in there and try to do what we do. I think Carthage year-in and year-out is a very strong team on the women’s side. They are very well coached and I know they will be prepared. We will try to focus on what we do."
Each CCIW team will also have two bye dates throughout the schedule and both the Millikin men's and women's teams will conclude the regular season with byes in the final week (Thurs., Feb. 25 and Sat., Feb 27).Â
"I prefer the byes at the end of the season because the mindset of the guys is that we want to play and I think we will get into the rhythm of the new schedule," Scherer said. "I think routine is really important to a college athlete and I think it will be best. Hopefully, we will have a break before the conference tournament, come in in the top half of the conference and go from there."Â

Millikin women's head coach Olivia Lett talks to players before the start of practice on Friday at Griswold Center. Visit www.herald-review.com to see a video from the practice.
Before the byes, Millikin plays six games in 12 days and Lett believes the team she has constructed will be up for the challenge.Â
"I think our depth in playing the back-to-back games could benefit us just because we are a lot deeper than what we were last year," she said. "It is going to be an interesting wrinkle with not a lot of time to really go over what happened the game before to make changes but I hope that is something that plays to our advantage.
"I think we are just excited to play and we are trying to not worry about the little parts of the schedule. We're going to show them that it doesn't really matter how the schedule is set up, we are going to come and play every night."
Schedules for the other fall sports moved to 2021 — football, men's and women's soccer and women's volleyball — will be released by the CCIW next week. Volleyball is tentatively slated to start in late February and March for football and soccer. A spring cross country schedule is also yet to be determined.Â
The defending CCIW champion Millikin wrestling team will open competition on Sun., Jan. 24, hosting Augustana, Elmhurst and North Central College at the Griswold Center.Â
The wrestling season is slated to run three weeks with the CCIW Championships scheduled for Feb. 13.Â
Men’s and women’s swimming will open at Carroll University on Jan. 23. The Big Blue men’s and women’s track and field teams will open their season on Jan. 30 at Illinois Wesleyan.
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Illinois Wesleyan's Katelyn Heller and Millikin's Jazmin Brown chase after a loose ball during their College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin game Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, at Shirk Center. The Titans beat the Big Blue, 86-81.
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Millikin's Aubrey Staton, an El Paso-Gridley High School graduate, looks for a 3-point shot during the Big Blue's College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin game against Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, at Shirk Center. Staton scored 24 points on 8 of 15 shooting from beyond the arc, but the Titans slipped past Millikin, 86-81.
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Illinois Wesleyan head women's basketball coach Mia Smith directs her team during the Titans' 86-81 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over Millikin on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, at Shirk Center.
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Millikin's Bailey Coffman, a Central Catholic High School graduate, moves on the basket past a pair of Illinois Wesleyan defenders during the Titans' 86-81 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory against the Big Blue on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, at Shirk Center.
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Millikin's Jordan Hildebrand drives for a layup past Illinois Wesleyan defender Brooke Lansford during the Titans' 86-81 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory against the Big Blue on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, at Shirk Center.
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Illinois Wesleyan's Anna Lowis and Millikin's Miranda Fox go to the floor for a loose ball during their College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin game Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, at Shirk Center. Lowis notched a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds in the Titans' 86-81 win over the Big Blue.
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Illinois Wesleyan's Anna Lowis guards Millikin's Abby Ratsch during the Titans' 86-81 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin win against the Big Blue on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, at Shirk Center.
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Millikin's Aubrey Staton, an El Paso-Gridley High School graduate, runs into tough defense from Illinois Wesleyan's Riley Brovelli during the Titans' 86-81 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory against the Big Blue on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, at Shirk Center.
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Illinois Wesleyan's Katelyn Heller breaks free for a layup during the Titans' 86-81 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over Millikin on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, at Shirk Center.
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Millikin head women's basketball coach Olivia Lett, a former Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball standout, directs her team during the Titans' 86-81 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over the Big Blue on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, at Shirk Center.
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Millikin's Natalie Snyder shoots for three of her 14 points against Illinois Wesleyan defender Riley Brovelli during their College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin game Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, at Shirk Center. Illinois Wesleyan defeated Millikin, 86-81.
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Millikin's Miranda Fox drives for a layup during Illinois Wesleyan's 86-81 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory against the Big Blue on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, at Shirk Center.
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Illinois Wesleyan's Catie Eck snags a rebound over Millikin's Briana Anthony during the Titans' 86-81 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin win against the Big Blue on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, at Shirk Center.
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Illinois Wesleyan assistant women's basketball coach Katrina Beck makes a point to Catie Eck in a timeout of their College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin game against Millikin on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, at Shirk Center. The Titans won, 86-81.
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Illinois Wesleyan's Kendall Sosa, left, and Brooke Lansford double team Millikin's Jordan Hildebrand during their College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin game Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, at Shirk Center. The Titans beat the Big Blue, 86-81.
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Millikin's Briana Anthony takes the ball to the basket for two of her 10 points during Illinois Wesleyan's 86-81 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over the Big Blue on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, at Shirk Center.
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Illinois Wesleyan's women's basketball team huddles at center court after a 86-81 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over Millikin on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, at Shirk Center.
Contact Matthew Flaten at (217) 421-6968. Follow him on Twitter: @MattFlaten