ASHLAND – The 21st-ranked Southern Oregon men's basketball team opens the second half of the 2012-13 Cascade Collegiate Conference season east of the mountains, taking on College of Idaho on Friday before heading to La Grande on Saturday for a rematch with top-ranked Eastern Oregon.

Southern Oregon, 15-5 overall and 7-2 in conference play, is tied with No. 15 Northwest for third place in the CCC standings behind No. 1 Eastern Oregon and No. 8 Warner Pacific (both 8-1). The Raiders dropped seven spots in the latest poll after splitting last weekend's home games, losing 82-73 to Northwest after taking down Evergreen 77-70.

“This is traditionally one of the tougher trips in the league,” SOU head coach Brian McDermott said. “They're two good teams that we're playing, and they're two very different teams.”

Southern Oregon continues to rank among the NAIA Div. II leaders in numerous team categories. The Raiders rank 11th in shooting percentage (.487), 13th in free throw percentage (.728), 17th in scoring (80.7) and 19th in assists (15.9).

Through the first half of the conference season, SOU ranks first in conference scoring (78.1), shooting percentage (.464), three-point percentage (.400) and assists (17.3), while ranking second in free throw percentage (.739) and opponent three-point percentage (.277). The Raiders rank third in scoring margin (+5.6) and opponent shooting percentage (.394).

Kyle Tedder (Coos Bay, Ore./Marshfield) and Eric Thompson (Roseburg, Ore./Roseburg) are tied for third in conference scoring, averaging 16.6 points each, with David Sturner (Philomath, Ore./Philomath) averaging 12.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Jeff Bush (West Linn, Ore./West Linn) has led the conference in assists (5.9) while ranking fourth with a 2.4 assist/turnover ratio, and Tedder's 31 made three-pointers are the most in the conference during the first half of the season.

Friday's game against College of Idaho will be a rematch of a 100-93 overtime win for the Raiders on Dec. 15 in Ashland. College of Idaho is 9-10 overall this season and 5-4 in conference play to rank fifth in the CCC. The Yotes have been an elite defensive team this season, ranking third in NAIA Div. II in turnover margin (+6.1), fifth in steals (11.7) and 16th in blocks (4.1).

During the conference season those numbers have been even more dominant, as College of Idaho ranks first in the CCC in both steals (12.6) and turnover margin (+9). Sydney Donaldson and Taylor Pruett are tied for ninth in conference scoring at 13.3 points per game, with Rodney Delgardo (10.7) and Antonio Garrett (10.0) also averaging double figures. Pruett grabs 8.2 rebounds per game and leads the CCC in shooting percentage (.737). College of Idaho boasts four players who rank among the conference's top five in steals.

“College of Idaho is an extremely good defensive team,” McDermott said. “We had a heck of a game with them here – it was an overtime game – and we felt very fortunate to come out on top. I think they've gotten better since then offensively, which is not good because they played pretty well against us that night. They're getting better and better, and they're going to grind you and it's just a difficult place to win.”

Saturday's game will give the Raiders a chance to beat Eastern Oregon for the second time this season and the opportunity to upset the top-ranked team in NAIA Div. II. The Mountaineers are 20-1 this season and 8-1 in conference play, with EOU's lone loss this year a 72-68 defeat to the Raiders on Dec. 14 in Ashland.

“We had a really good game with them here, as both teams played well,” McDermott said. “They're very good offensively, very explosive offensively. We kind of feel like we match up decent, though it's another difficult place to play. It gets very loud, and it's a place where you have a difficult time keeping your composure.”

The Mountaineers are the nation's top-ranked team for a reason, however. They lead the nation in rebounding margin (12.3) and rank third in rebounding (45.4), sixth in made three-pointers (9.3), ninth in opponent shooting percentage (.392) and assists (17.0) and 12th in scoring margin (14.5).

Eastern Oregon ranks among the top teams in the conference in nearly every team category, but the Mountaineers' year-long dominance has not been as pronounced against CCC teams. Eastern Oregon ranks first in the conference in only the rebounding categories, including a +10.7 average rebounding margin. Jason Mumm's 13 points per game leads the team during the CCC season, with Anthony Brown ranking sixth in rebounding (8.1). J.D. Esters ranks second in assists (5.6), while Craig Tucker has connected on 52.9 percent of his three-point attempts.

“If we do our stuff, and guys just do the things that we can do, then I think we'll have a shot at both,” McDermott said. “It's a chance to start out the second half with a big road win or two and get you kind of going in the right direction for the rest of the season.”