7:30 p.m. Tuesday – SOU (13-4, 3-3) vs. Oregon Tech (14-4, 5-1)
7:30 p.m. Friday – SOU (13-4, 3-3) vs. Northwest Christian (13-4, 5-2)
7:30 p.m. Saturday – SOU (13-4, 3-3) vs. Corban (12-5, 3-4)
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ASHLAND – The pressure is on Southern Oregon to perform at home this week if it wishes to establish itself as a contender in the Cascade Conference, and there could be no great momentum booster than a positive result against rival Oregon Tech.

A three-game stretch with season-swinging potential at Lithia Motors Pavilion begins at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday for the Raiders (13-4 overall, 3-3 CCC) as they take on the Owls (14-4, 5-1) in an NAIA Top 25 matchup. It'll serve as the lead-in to Friday and Saturday's games against Northwest Christian (13-4, 5-2) and Corban (12-5, 3-4), which round out the first half of conference play.

LAST TIME OUT: The Raiders are coming off a CCC split in Portland on Dec. 29-30, when they scored a 63-54 win at No. 20 Warner Pacific and lost 96-83 at Multnomah. They won their seventh straight conference meeting against the Knights by holding them to their lowest point total in a CCC game since 2004 and their worst shooting percentage (32.8) of the season. Tristen Holmes' 24 points and 12 rebounds enabled them to lead for the final 28 minutes. At Multnomah, they were victimized by the top scorer in the NAIA, Justin Martin, who poured in 32 of his 40 points in the second half to help the Lions erase a 13-point deficit. Martin and Ben Grandle combined to hit 14 3-pointers.

NAIA TOP 25: The next NAIA Division II coaches' poll will be released Tuesday. SOU is currently No. 13 and has gone 4-1 since the last rankings were submitted in early December but is likely to dip as Oregon Tech is expected to jump the Raiders from its No. 24 post. The Owls and No. 2 College of Idaho are tied in the loss column atop the standings heading into this week's action.

BRIEFLY:

• The Raiders have won 16 of their last 17 at home dating back to last year and are 6-0 at Lithia Motors Pavilion this season. They'll play five of seven at home over the next three weeks.
• After averaging 14.8 points in non-conference play, senior guard Tristen Holmes has scored at least 20 in five of six conference games. In CCC play, he ranks fourth in points (22.5), sixth in assists (3.8) and 14h in both steals (1.2) and rebounds (6.2). On SOU's career lists, he's up to 16th in points (1,188) and fifth in assists (390).
• The Raiders shot a combined 36 percent from the field during their road trip to Portland, which was especially confounding considering their 57-percent clip in two preceding CCC home wins over Northwest (Wash.) and Evergreen (Wash.). It was their first time shooting under 40 percent in back-to-back games since the 2013-14 season.
• In CCC games, the Raiders are No. 2 on the conference leaderboard in field-goal percentage defense (42.4). Overall, they're No. 3 on the national leaderboard (39.0).
• Jordan Hunt ranks eighth in points (15.8), third in blocks (1.7), fifth in rebounding (8.2) and seventh in field-goal percentage (57.6) in CCC action. He's 74 points away from becoming the 22nd member of SOU's 1,000-point club.
• Tate Hoffman has recorded four double-doubles while leading SOU in 3-point makes (20) and ranking third in scoring (10.9). His contributions have proven key to the Raiders' success: In three of their four losses, he's been held to six points or less.

ABOUT OREGON TECH:

• Picked to finish second in the CCC, the Owls have won six straight after edging Multnomah (93-87) and Warner Pacific (75-71) in their latest outings.
• Junior point guard Mitchell Fink was the 2017-18 CCC co-Player of the Year, and the centerpiece of his campaign was a 42-point outburst on Jan. 31 at SOU that brought the Owls back from a 13 point down for an 86-79 win. Though his scoring is down slightly to 11.8 overall and 13.2 in the CCC, he's now the leading assist man in the nation at 7.3 per night.
• Junior guards Seth Erickson (14.0 points CCC) and Tyler Hieb (13.2) are the other top offensive threats, having combined for 58 3-pointers. As a team, the Owls shoot 49 percent.
• The Owls are 153-85 all-time against SOU and have won four straight CCC matchups. SOU has won five of the last seven meetings in Ashland.

ABOUT NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN:

• After going 9-11 in the CCC last year, the Beacons have been the surprise of the first half under first-year head coach Eddie Alexander, who replaced Luke Jackson. They'd won nine of 10 before Saturday's home loss to Warner Pacific and are the only team to knock off College of Idaho.
• Junior guard Austin Tyner has turned in to one of the top playmakers in the circuit, raising his scoring average 10 points to 21.8 per game. He's one of five Beacons averaging double figures; they lead the CCC in shooting percentage (50.4).
• SOU is 28-25 against the Beacons. They split the series last season in a pair of six-point decisions.

ABOUT CORBAN:

• The Warriors are operating under another first-year coach, Mitch Freeman, who was previously at Peninsula College (Wash.). They're coming off a big home weekend that included wins over Warner Pacific (89-80) and Multnomah (97-67).
• Senior Joel Johnson remains is again one of the steadiest big men in the CCC, posting 14.3 points on 71-percent shooting and six rebounds a night. He and Beau Roggenbach (13.0 points, 11.6 rebounds) form a solid frontcourt, and the rest of the Warriors are hitting at 38 percent from 3.
• SOU is 45-42 against the Warriors but has won 12 of the last 13 matchups. Of the last nine, seven have been decided by six points or less.