RAIDER MEN'S BASKETBALL (2-5)
Dec. 5-6 | Ashland, Ore. (Lithia Motors Pavilion) | Tickets
7:30 p.m. Friday – vs. Northwest (2-4) | Stream | Live Stats
5 p.m. Saturday – vs. Evergreen (0-2) | Stream | Live Stats

ASHLAND – Considering what happened last season, when Southern Oregon lost its first four Cascade Conference games before advancing all the way to the national quarterfinal round, a slow start shouldn't rattle the Raiders.

But unlike 2024-25 – when they were on the road for their first 11 games – the Raiders (2-5) can ill afford to carry their struggles over to CCC play as they start with four in a row at Lithia Motors Pavilion. They'll make their home debuts at 7:30 p.m. Friday against Northwest (Wash.) (2-4) and 5 p.m. Saturday against Evergreen (Wash.) (0-2), coming off a non-conference slate in which they were on the road exclusively and played six of their seven games against teams that have made Top 25 appearances.

BRIEFLY:

• Elijah Jackson is 77 points away from becoming the 27th member of SOU's 1,000-point club. The senior guard from Fallon, Nev., is averaging a team-high 15.0 points and following up on an All-CCC season in which he averaged 14.9 overall and 18.0 across six postseason outings. Over his last six appearances at Lithia Motors Pavilion, Jackson has accumulated 117 points on 64% shooting.
• Bryce Dyer, SOU's second All-CCC performer, last week surpassed 500 career rebounds and is averaging 8.0 with 7.0 points. The junior forward recorded his 15th career double-double in a Nov. 14 win against Our Lady of the Lake.
• The 3-point line has been a consistent story for the Raiders under coach Matt Zosel, who hopes some regression to the mean is on the way. In 2024-25 they both made more (9.8) and allowed fewer (5.6) 3-pointers per game than any team in the conference, and until a few weeks ago they'd gone 46 consecutive games without giving up more 3-pointers than they hit. Some of their early issues can be attributed to a 30.5% clip from deep, down considerably compared to last year's 37.0% rate. Their inability to get going outside has also prevented the inside from opening up particularly for their top two returning scorers, Dyer and Jackson. The pair shot 59% combined on two-pointers last season and is currently at 39%.
• Led by sophomore guard Gio Evanson, who is averaging 7.9 points and has committed just six turnovers while playing primarily at the point, the Raiders are getting more than 28 points per game from their bench. Another sophomore guard, Brady Rice (6.9 points), leads the team at 54% from the field and 44% from 3-point range.
• The Raiders went 10-2 at home last season and are 67-21 at Lithia Motors Pavilion since moving in prior to 2018-19. They've won 24 of their last 26 home games against unranked opponents.
• SOU opened at No. 14 in the preseason poll, earning its first Top 25 spot since the NAIA's two divisions merged in 2020, but has since dropped out. The CCC is currently represented in the Top 25 by defending national champion College of Idaho at No. 12 and Oregon Tech at No. 22.

ABOUT NORTHWEST: Fourth-year Eagles coach Rick Skeen has what appears to be his best roster yet, and its 2-4 record includes two competitive losses at NCAA Division II team Alaska Anchorage and another at No. 4-ranked Montana Tech. Two transfers – guard Christian Watkins (14.5 points, 4.2 assists) and 6-foot-8 forward Logan Stempniak (12.7 points, 4.8 rebounds) – make them formidable inside and out, and guard Ethan Martin (10.3 points) is back after becoming one of the CCC's top 3-point shooters a season ago at 41%. SOU has won nine consecutive matchups and is 37-21 in the series.

ABOUT EVERGREEN: The Raiders will attempt to run their head-to-head winning streak to 27 games against the Geoducks, whom they lead 39-11 in the all-time series. Evergreen was picked to finish last after going 2-20 in the CCC a season ago. The Geoducks have played six exhibitions against NCAA teams. In their two counters, senior wing Tony Frohlich-Fair – a Portland product who transferred from Bushnell – averaged 25.5 points.