7:30 p.m. Saturday – #5 Eastern Oregon at SOU – Live Stats | Live Stream
3 p.m. Sunday – #17 College of Idaho at SOU – Live Stats | Live Stream

ASHLAND – On one hand, the Southern Oregon men's basketball team can't afford to take more losses at home. On the same hand, the Raiders are in desperate need of a breakthrough win or two if they plan to hang out near the top of the Cascade Conference standings.

That makes this a make-or-break weekend of sorts. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday inside Mountain Avenue Gym, the Raiders (11-7 overall, 5-3 CCC) host fifth-ranked Eastern Oregon (15-2, 8-0), the only team still without a dent on its CCC record. And at 3 p.m. Sunday, they get the CCC preseason favorite, 17th-ranked College of Idaho (13-5, 6-2), which is one of three teams tied for second place and just a game ahead of the Raiders.

These will be the sixth and seven top-25 opponents the Raiders have faced this season. They're still responsible for the only loss for Westmont (Calif.), the No. 7 team at the NAIA Division I level, but have gone 0-4 against such foes since. SOU hasn't gone a year without knocking off a ranked opponent at home since the 2009-10 season.

Last Week in Review: The Raiders didn't get the stops they needed and were bullied on the glass last Thursday as Oregon Tech collected 19 offensive rebounds in an 80-73 win, its first in Ashland in six tries. Kenny Meyer kept the Raiders in it with 16 points and four assists, and he sparked them again in Sunday's 94-85 win over Walla Walla with 12 points, six assists and six boards. Tristen Holmes, another one of six Raiders in double figures, added 15 points and seven assists as SOU prevailed despite the Wolves remarkably hitting on 15 of their first 22 attempts from 3-point range. Meyer broke an 81-all tie by making two free throws with 2:10 left, and Holmes added two more the next time down the floor. Up four, Jordan Hunt then iced the victory with a 3-pointer.

Briefly:
– Six Raiders are averaging more than eight points in conference play: Ben DeSaulnier (18.1), Conor Carroll (10.1), Tate Hoffman (10.0), Tristen Holmes (9.5), Jordan Hunt (9.3) and Kenny Meyer (8.1). In another testament to their balance, their bench has outscored opponents' benches in every conference game and is contributing 35.5 points per game. Last year in CCC play, SOU's reserves combined for 16.5 points per game.
– During conference play, SOU ranks first in field-goal percentage (49.4) and assists (19.6), second in 3-point percentage (40.4) and fourth in opponents' shooting percentage (43.3). The Raiders' downfall continues to be on the boards, where they're sixth in defensive-rebound percentage (71.8) and ninth in offensive-rebound percentage (23.6).
– In five conference wins, the Raiders have combined to go 59-of-132 (45%) from 3-point territory. In three losses, they're 19-of-61 (31%) – a discrepancy five makes per game. A pair of freshmen, Conor Carroll (20-of-36) and Tate Hoffman (14-of-29), rank first and fourth in conference 3-point percentage.
– Meyer scored 28 points in two games last week after totaling 16 in his previous five. He's also the CCC's sixth-leading assist man (4.5), right behind Holmes (5.3) on the list.
– DeSaulnier has now hit double figures in 18 straight CCC games. Last week he moved into 13th place on SOU's career scoring list (1,266).

About Eastern Oregon:
– The Mountaineers are the CCC's highest-scoring machine at 95.8 points per conference game and are fourth in the NAIA at 11.8 3-point makes per game. They're powered by a couple of hefty seniors: point guard Kentrell Washington, who transferred in two years ago and first appeared on the court last season, and forward Bryan McGriff, who transferred in two years ago and sat last year. Together for the first time, McGriff leads the league in scoring (24.6) and rebounding (12.6) and Washington (who averaged 18 points and 12 boards last year) ranks 21st in scoring (12.8) and eighth in assists (4.1).
– SOU leads the all-time series 100-83. The Raiders have won five straight meetings in Ashland, four of which have been decided by 3.3 points in regulation.
– Winners of 10 straight, the Mounties also get a boost from freshman Max McCullough, an Idaho native who's gone 45-of-97 from downtown.
– Isaac Williams is back as head coach after three years on staff at Boise State. From 2009-13, he led EOU to four straight appearances in the national tournament.

About College of Idaho:
– SOU trails the all-time series, 48-23, but last year earned its first regular-season sweep of the Yotes since 2004-05 – winning 85-79 in Caldwell and 76-72 in Ashland.
– One of the top defensive squads in the conference, the Yotes ranks at or near the top of the CCC in points allowed (64.6, 1st), opponents' shooting percentage (40.9, 2nd), steals (9.8, 1st), blocked shots (3.4, 2nd) and turnover margin (plus-4.8, 1st).
– They returned four starters from last year's squad that placed fourth in the CCC – Joey Nebeker (12.8 points), Aitor Zubizarreta (10.0), Dominique Jordan (41 3-pointers) and Emmanuel Morgan (5.4 assists, 2.7 steals). Aziz Leaks, a redshirt last season, has come on to add 11.8 points and 7.4 boards.