7 p.m. Tuesday – SOU at New Hope – Live Stream
2 p.m. Friday – SOU vs. Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) – Live Stream/Stats
4 p.m. Saturday – SOU at Arizona Christian – Live Stream/Stats

For a team that posted 20 wins, Southern Oregon is eager to leave the 2017-18 season behind. A revamped rotation that lost only two players and will mix in up to five newcomers should help the Raiders to turn the page.

They fell a win or two short of an appearance in the national tournament last year, held back by some easily-identifiable shortcomings – in the departments of of defensive stoppers, quickness and interior depth, to name a few – that made them just inconsistent enough to prevent a meaningful breakthrough. The extent to which they've addressed those issues will be on display for the first time at 7 p.m. Tuesday against New Hope Christian in Eugene.

Senior guard Tristen Holmes and junior posts Tate Hoffman and Jordan Hunt, who combined to average 38 points, are among 10 upperclassmen who will make this SOU's most seasoned team in five years. But 23rd-year head coach Brian McDermott is depending on a group of first-year Raiders, highlighted by redshirt-freshman point guard Tez Allen, to provide an added dimension of flexibility.

"I think we're going to be fun to watch because of our improvement in athleticism and depth," McDermott said. "We're going to play faster while still being able to shoot it, and it looks like we have a shot at staying in front of people defensively."

LAST SEASON: The 2017-18 Raiders went 20-12, their fifth 20-win campaign in six seasons, and finished 13-7 in the Cascade Conference to land in fourth place. A steady offense again kept them competitive: They ranked third nationally in assists per game (19.1) and ninth in field-goal percentage (49.4), and all five starters scored in double figures. But when their shooting touch faltered, so did they, and the result was an exit in the semifinal round of the CCC Tournament.

PRESEASON POLLS: The Raiders are in the NAIA Div. II Top 25 poll for the sixth time in seven seasons, starting in the No. 22 spot in the preseason coaches' poll after being picked third in the CCC. College of Idaho, which last year advanced to the national semifinal round, is the favorite to win the league and No. 3 nationally. Oregon Tech will start at No. 12 and Warner Pacific at No. 23.

FIRST UP: SOU will start the season Tuesday at New Hope Christian before traveling this weekend to the Fultz Memorial Classic in Phoenix, Ariz. There, the Raiders will face Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) of the Cal Pac Conference and host Arizona Christian of the Golden State Athletic Conference. They'll be home on Nov. 13 to play New Hope, debuting at Lithia Motors Pavilion for their first on-campus game since 2016 after spending three seasons at Ashland High School.

POSITION BY POSITION
POINT GUARDS: At 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, Tez Allen won't bear much resemblance to other freshmen or opposing point guards. When the product of Carson City, Nev., joined the Raiders last year, he looked to be a staple at the forward and wing positions. A preseason injury forced him to redshirt, but given the chance to be a primary ball-handler when he returned to full health in the spring, his court vision and defensive versatility led him to taking over a starting job.

"Tez could be a different animal for our league with that kind of size," McDermott said. "I think he'll be a difficult matchup and his greatest strength is that he's the most unselfish dude on the court. He'll impact the game a lot without having to score."

Aaron Borich, now a junior, averaged 20 minutes in a backup role and posted 6.9 points a night, shooting 39 percent from 3-point range. The Raiders will hope for him to make another jump while mixing in a pair of freshmen, Teron Bradford and Jake Virga, who will immediately improve the team's speed. Bradford (the younger brother of ex-SOU women's all-stars Tiani and Toria Bradford) finished his career at Oregon City as one of the top scorers in state history, and Virga was a perennial all-star at Sacramento's Jesuit High. Another returner, junior Michael Polman, provides more shooting touch.

"I think this is the most depth we've had in a long time at that position, and they're all really different from each other," McDermott said.

WINGS: Allen's emergence at point guard enabled the biggest shift in the lineup with senior Tristen Holmes moving off the ball. The 6-2 all-star has been one of the team's most reliable scorers, hitting double figures 41 times over the last two seasons and averaging 12.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and five assists a year ago. Along with opening up more scoring opportunities, his move is intended to boost wing defense.

"He had a chance to start adapting in the spring and he's playing high-level basketball right now," McDermott said. "He'll still get the ball in open spaces but he's just got fewer responsibilities and adds another point-guard mentality on the floor."

Matt Boudreaux, formerly an all-conference receiver for the Raiders, joined the basketball team midway through last season and has earned the other starting spot with defense and all-around energy in mind. Sharp-shooting junior Conor Carroll – who hit 88 3-pointers on 41-percent accuracy in his first two seasons – is back, and the Raiders added a junior transfer, Kaj Bansen, with a similarly rangy skillset. The aforementioned Bradford will also carve out time on the wing, while junior Kerry Cook and senior Tule O'Rourke return after appearing off the bench last season.

"Matt makes us better defensively – I think we'll get some easy baskets because of him – and Teron gives us some quickness we've not had," McDermott said. "As a group we're just more athletic, and I think Conor and Kaj are as good as any shooters in the league."

FORWARDS: Jordan Hunt and Tate Hoffman are entering their third seasons as starters after being forced to grow up on the job as freshmen and sophomores. Their offensive credentials are established: At 6-9, Hunt averaged 13 points and 6.6 rebounds last year, and at 6-7, Hoffman posted 12.3 and 6.6. Together, they also shot at a 37-percent clip from 3.

"It's been a few years, but we're finally experienced in there," McDermott said. "It shows in their bodies, their maturity and their confidence. We know they can score a bunch, but defensively I think they're turning into guys we can trust."

Redshirt-sophomore Josh Washington served as the team's third post last year and now has company in freshmen Kiefer Edwards and Brad Allen. Edwards was the OSAA Class 5A Player of the Year at Crater High, averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds per game, and is expected to make an immediate impact. Allen, a North Medford product, transferred after a redshirt season at Western Oregon and has set himself up to join the rotation, too.