RAIDER MEN'S BASKETBALL (5-1)
6:30 p.m. Friday – at No. 4 College of Idaho (5-1) | Stream | Stats
5 p.m. Saturday – at Eastern Oregon (4-1) | Stream | Stats

ASHLAND – A 5-1 nonconference mark gave the Southern Oregon men's basketball team reason for optimism, not to mention votes in the latest NAIA Top 25 coaches' poll for the first time in over four years.

The Raiders' lone blemish was a 93-89 overtime loss to then-No. 4 Arizona Christian – a game they led by eight points with 30 seconds left in regulation, and after which ACU jumped to No. 1 in the rankings. They'll face a similar caliber of opponent in a considerably more hostile environment on Friday, when they open Cascade Conference play at No. 4 College of Idaho (5-1), winner of the last four full-season titles. Another hot-starting rival, Eastern Oregon (4-1), will welcome SOU to La Grande on Saturday.

BRIEFLY:

• As has become the norm under third-year coach Matt Zosel, the Raiders are forming an identity around balance. Seven different players are averaging between 7.8 and 12.7 points; they've had a different leading scorer every game; and they've used six different starting-lineup combinations in as many games, with nine players having gotten at least two starts.
• Forward Liam Clark, a senior transfer, is quietly leading the team at 12.7 points in just 17.5 minutes per game with a 68.2% mark from the field that ranks second in the CCC. Another senior newcomer, point guard Gabe Reichle, has averaged 11.3 points on 48% shooting in four games since his scoreless debut.
• Senior guard Elijah Jackson, the only Raider who has started all six games, has nearly tripled his scoring average of a year ago to 12.2 points. In 2023-24 he had the third-highest 3-point percentage (46.0, 29-of-63) in the conference.
• Gio Evanson, a 6-foot-6 redshirt-freshman guard, has scored 53 points on only 26 field-goal attempts. He had his best outing against Arizona Christian, scoring 12 of his 18 points after halftime.
• Sophomore forward Bryce Dyer is posting 10.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists, leading the Raiders in the latter two categories. The Medford product has scored in double figures five of six games and is the CCC's only player who ranks top-10 in rebounds, assists and field-goal percentage (62.2).
• The Raiders' offensive efficiency rating (1.2 points/possession) is the 13th-best in the country. They're shooting 49.1% from the field compared to last year's 44.7% mark.

ABOUT C OF I: Dating back to 2022, the Yotes have won 51 of their last 52 CCC games – the lone loss in that span coming last December in Ashland, 81-75. They're two years removed from a national championship and are coming off another appearance in the national semifinals. From that roster they returned 13 players and all but one starter, including point guard Samaje Morgan (10.8 points, 4.3 assists), All-American forward Drew Wyman (11.3 points, 6.3 rebounds), top scorer Johnny Radford (14.3 points) and CCC Defensive Player of the Year Straton Rogers. Their trademark zone is holding opponents to 37.6% shooting, and their lone loss was a four-point game at No. 7 The Master's (Calif.). The Raiders last won in Caldwell eight years ago.

ABOUT EOU: The Mountaineers went 11-11 last season in conference play and were picked to finish sixth in this year's preseason poll, but they've looked better than advertised so far with an offense that is shooting 53.1% from the field and 39.2% from 3 while posting 84.8 points per game. Junior guard Garrett Hawkes, an All-CCC pick last year, is one of the CCC's top playmakers at 19.4 points per game. He's getting a lift from a pair of newcomers in the backcourt, transfers TJ Doman (15.0 points) and Trent Rogers (13.2 points). Collectively, that trio is hitting 59% of its attempts. SOU and EOU have split their last three regular-season series, with the home team winning every game in that stretch. The Raiders are 110-91 overall against the Mountaineers.