ASHLAND – The 12th-ranked Southern Oregon men's basketball team has faced three teams that have been ranked in the NAIA Top 10 at some point this season, but Friday's matchup against undefeated No. 2 Eastern Oregon could prove to be the Raiders' toughest test to this point.

Southern Oregon, 9-3 overall this season, knocked off then-No. 2 Oregon Tech last month and fell to a Davenport team that has climbed to No. 6 in the latest poll. Last month the Raiders also suffered a close loss to NAIA Div. I Lewis-Clark State, which has since spent time in the top 10. The Raiders will look to use that experience Friday when they host the Mountaineers at 7:30 p.m. at Bob Riehm Arena, with College of Idaho coming to town for a 7:30 p.m. Saturday matchup.

“Eastern is every bit as good as them, so I think their ranking is probably about spot on,” SOU head coach Brian McDermott said. “They pose a lot of challenges. They have an abundance of shooters. They run a lot of pick and roll and run up and down the floor.”

Eastern Oregon is 14-0 this season, including 2-0 in conference play with a pair of double-digit home wins over Concordia and Warner Pacific. The Mountaineers have not played since defeating Warner Pacific on Dec. 1. They average 83.6 points per game and lead the nation in rebounding margin (13.6) while ranking fifth in three-pointers made per game (9.9).

Trent Roos leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.7 points per game, with Jason Mumm (12.9), Anthony Brown (12.0) and Tony Eackles (11.6) also averaging double-figures. Brown grabs a team-best 7.3 rebounds per game.

“I think the biggest challenge is trying to get back on defense and trying to stay in front of them and track down shooters,” McDermott said. “Defensively, we'll have to be at our best. Hopefully we'll have enough firepower to hang with them.”

Southern Oregon owns a 93-81 all-time record against Eastern Oregon, although the Mountaineers have had the most success over the past six years. Eastern Oregon ended an 11-game SOU win streak in the series during the 2006-07 season and has since won 12 of the last 14 meetings. Last season the Mountaineers earned an 88-82 overtime win in La Grande before the Raiders picked up the season split with an 80-77 win in Ashland.

The Raiders' 9-3 start to the season is SOU's best since the 2005-06 team opened the year 16-1 en route to a 23-9 finish, the last time the Raiders were ranked in the NAIA poll prior to this year. Southern Oregon ranks eighth nationally in shooting percentage (.500), and the Raiders average 80.6 points per game.

Eric Thompson (Roseburg, Ore./Roseburg) leads a trio of double-digit scorers for SOU with an average of 16.5 points per game, with David Sturner (Philomath, Ore./Philomath) and Kyle Tedder (Coos Bay, Ore./Marshfield) averaging 13.1 and 11.1. Sturner and Thompson each average better than seven rebounds per contest to lead SOU.

“We're getting a little bit better,” McDermott said. I think our offense is coming along. The last few games we've been better in motion. It's taken some time, but it's getting better.”
With nine wins this season McDermott's career win total at SOU has climbed to 232, only nine wins away from tying Ted Schopf's program record of 241. The countdown is on as the season progresses and the Raiders look to push their coach to the top of the SOU wins list.

Following Friday's nationally-ranked rivalry matchup, the Raiders will host College of Idaho on Saturday. The Yotes come into the weekend with a 5-6 overall record, 1-1 in conference play. They split the opening conference weekend, falling to Warner Pacific before bouncing back to beat Concordia at home.

“They're more defensive-oriented,” McDermott said. “They'll guard the heck out of you in man-to-man and pressure you and push you up. They'll be another challenge.”

College of Idaho averages 65.2 points per game, led by Taylor Pruett (12.6), Rodney Delgardo (12.5) and Ben Van Lith (10.5). The Yotes have proved to be a difficult foe for the Raiders over the years, as SOU has only won 19 of 62 matchups between the two teams. Since a seven-game SOU win streak from 2003-06, College of Idaho has won 11 of the last 13 games in the series. The teams split last year, with each team picking up a close victory on the road.