6:30 p.m. Friday – SOU (3-2) at College of Idaho (5-1) | Live Stats | Stream
5 p.m. Saturday – SOU (3-2) at Eastern Oregon (3-3) | Live Stats | Stream
(All times Pacific)

ASHLAND – It won't take long for the Southern Oregon University men's basketball team to get a good idea of its place in the Cascade Conference hierarchy.

As CCC play begins, the Raiders (3-2 overall) will play their first three games on the road – all against teams picked to finish top-four in the conference's preseason poll. They start Friday at defending champion and No. 4-ranked College of Idaho (5-1), winner of 23 consecutive CCC home games, and turn around Saturday to play a dangerous Eastern Oregon (3-3) team. A week later, they'll visit rival Oregon Tech (3-3).

BRIEFLY:

• As highlighted in a 111-point explosion against Simpson (Calif.) their last time out, the Raiders are in sync early offensively. They've scored 88 or more four games in a row, and their offensive rating of 114 points per 100 possessions is the 26th-best in the NAIA – up from 146th last season at 99.8/100. Improved 3-point marksmanship has been key: They're attempting 26.4 triples per game (6 more than 2021-22) and making 10 of them, good for 37.9 percent. Only one CCC team, Multnomah, is making more 3-pointers per outing, and the Lions are shooting just 31.2 percent. After going 13-of-52 from deep over their first two games, the Raiders shot a combined 37-of-80 (46.3%) during their three-game homestand.
• The Raiders' top-three scorers from a year ago are each shooting at least four percent better from the field this season – Atmar Mundu (18.8 points, 55%), Josh Meyer (12.6 points, 49%) and Tez Allen (10.6 points, 47%). Mundu ranks third among CCC players in points per game, while Meyer ranks fifth in rebounds (8.2) and third in assists (5.0).
• Allen – who last year was the only CCC player to rank top-seven in assists, steals and rebounds – is providing all-around production again, sitting at No. 10 in steals (1.8) and No. 13 in assists (3.2). On SOU's career lists, the senior is two assists away from becoming the sixth Raider to reach 400 and three away from breaking into the top-five; he's No. 4 in steals (144); and he's 64 points away from becoming the 24th Raider in the 1,000-point club. With 649 rebounds, Allen is also on track to become the 10th Raider with 700 in a career.
• The Raiders are getting a major boost from the two newcomers to their starting lineup, transfers Will Graves and Dominic McGarvey. Graves was voted the CCC Player of the Week following his 22-point performance against Simpson, in which he shot 8-of-9 from the field and 4-of-4 from 3, and he's scored in double figures four consecutive games to bring his overall average to 12.6 points. McGarvey is among the league leaders in points (11.6), rebounds (6.2), blocked shots (2.2) and field-goal percentage (56.4), and he's only hit fewer than half of his field-goal attempts on one occasion.

ABOUT COLLEGE OF IDAHO: After advancing to last year's NAIA Round of 16, the Yotes lost their starting backcourt but brought back 12 other lettermen who helped the team go 32-5 overall and 20-2 in the CCC. Their only loss this season was a tight 82-78 decision at then-No. 1 Arizona Christian. Overall, they've won 40 of their last 42 conference games and 30 of their last 31 at home. Sophomore guard Johnny Radford is coming off the bench to lead them in scoring at 16.8 points per game, shooting 20-of-48 from 3, while two more sophomores – all-conference wing Drew Wyman (9.3 points, 3.5 rebounds) and 6-foot-7 forward Tyler Robinett (11.2 points, 3.0 rebounds) – make them potent inside. Their customary zone defense has pushed them atop the league in opponents' scoring five years in a row; it held the Raiders to 50.3 points per game last season. Friday's game will be a rematch of the 2021-22 CCC Tournament championship, which the Yotes won 78-55 to complete a three-game season sweep. SOU last won in Caldwell in 2016.

ABOUT EASTERN OREGON: The Mountaineers, picked to finish fourth in the CCC, are off to an up-and-down start, but they've yet to add to the mix their top recruit: Nate Pryor, a senior guard who found himself in the rotation last year at New Mexico State and the year before at University of Washington. Their other star guard, 6-foot senior Phillip Malatare, was the CCC's second-leading scorer in 2021-22 and tops the team at 15 per game this season. Two more newcomers, Malachi Afework (11.5 points) and Emmit Taylor (12.2 points), complement him in the backcourt but are shooting just 34 percent combined. The teams split a pair of three-point decisions last season, when the Mountaineers finished 10-8 in conference play, but the Raiders have won five of the last six matchups.

NAIA TOP 25: In Wednesday's latest NAIA coaches' poll, College of Idaho was the CCC's lone representative at No. 4. Oregon Tech is receiving votes, having dropped out from its preseason No. 22 spot after suffering three consecutive losses in Indiana.