By: SOU Sports Information
Tuesday, 8 p.m. - SOU at Simpson - Redding, Calif. - Live Stats - Live Stream
Friday, 2 p.m. - SOU vs. California Maritime - Atherton, Calif. - Live Stats - Live Stream
Saturday, 4 p.m. - SOU at Menlo - Atherton, Calif. - Live Stats - Live Stream
ASHLAND – One week of prep work is all that remains before the 17th-ranked Southern Oregon University men's basketball team dives into a rigorous Cascade Collegiate Conference schedule.
The Raiders, off to a 6-1 start for the second year in a row, have a rematch at Simpson (4-7) at 8 p.m. Tuesday, and on Friday and Saturday will be at Menlo's Bud Presley Classic to face 22nd-ranked California Maritime (4-4) and Menlo (1-5).
After that, it's off to Portland for the CCC openers on Dec. 5 at Concordia (8-0) and Dec. 6 at Warner Pacific (6-2).
SOU routed Menlo in Ashland in its second game of the season, 85-61, and a few days later needed overtime to get by Simpson (against which the Raiders have won nine straight), 90-78. The Raiders scored a 93-92 home win last year against Cal Maritime, which would go on to make its third straight national tournament appearance.
Some quick notes on the preseason to date:
- Eric Thompson (Roseburg, Ore./Roseburg) is the NAIA's fifth-leading scorer at 26.1 points per game, going for 20-plus in all seven games and 25-plus five times on 55-percent shooting from the field and 49-percent accuracy from 3-point range. He recently passed Shea Washington to become SOU's all-time leading scorer, and with 23 3-pointers this season he has 211 in his career, putting him third on that Raider list. He's also 14th in the NAIA at nine rebounds per game, his career-best mark. Thompson's 3-pointer with 1:41 put the Raiders up for good in their 62-56 win last Friday over William Jessup, which defeated Oregon Tech for the second time the next time and has also defeated Northwest Christian. SOU's other highest-quality win was over Arizona Christian, the No. 17 team in NAIA Division I.
- Tim Weber (Roseburg, Ore./Roseburg) was quiet offensively last weekend but still pulled down 23 rebounds and dished out nine assists in two games. Weber, whose two triple-doubles this season were the first in Brian McDermott's 19 years as SOU's head coach, has recorded double-digit rebounds in four of his last five games and double-digit assists three times. His 7.3 assists per game rank fifth in the NAIA and his 8.7 rebounds rank 29th.
- Jordan West (Gymea Bay, Australia/Port Hacking) is averaging 12 points and 5.4 rebounds, scoring in double figures five times already. He's shooting 51 percent from the floor, helping SOU's team clip of 47.6 percent.
- SOU is eighth in the country at 44.7 rebounds per game and eighth in rebounding margin at plus-12.3. The Raiders' opponent field-goal percentage of 38.1 is No. 11 in the NAIA.
- The Cascade Conference, as a whole, is 172-15 in nonleague play so far
