Men's Tournament Set to Begin
Men’s Basketball First Round Report
LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Cascade Collegiate Conference men’s basketball tournament begins with first round games at four member schools Wednesday. The semifinals follow on Saturday. All tipoff times are schedule for 7 p.m. local time.
#8 College of Idaho at #1 Oregon Tech: LIVE VIDEO LIVE STATS
The Owls enter the postseason ranked third in NAIA Div. 2. OIT, who has spent two weeks atop the national ranking during the season, will try to beat College of Idaho for the third time in 2011-12. It’s a rematch of the 2010 one versus eight first round game, when OIT held off the Yotes, 64-63.
#7 Concordia at #2 Northwest: LIVE VIDEO LIVE STATS
The No. 9 Northwest welcomes the Cavaliers to Kirkland in this first round matchup. The conference co-champion Eagles swept Concordia this season with a 75-65 win in Portland and an 82-74 victory at home. NU is 12-1 at home this season, while Concordia is 6-9 on the road.
#6 Southern Oregon at #3 Warner Pacific: LIVE VIDEO LIVE STATS
The No. 15 Knights host Southern Oregon in a series that was split during the regular season. SOU knocked off Warner Pacific in Ashland, 81-69, but WPC won on its home floor, 65-61. Warner Pacific is the national leader in assists and steals per game. The Knights closed the regular season 4-3 in their last seven games, and Southern was 3-4.
#5 Corban at #4 Eastern Oregon: LIVE VIDEO LIVE STATS
The final first round matchup may be between the two hottest teams in the conference. Corban rides into La Grande winners of eight of their last nine games, with the lone loss being a one-point setback to then-ranked No. 12 Warner Pacific on the road. The Warriors are also coming off an upset win over then-No. 1 Oregon Tech. EOU has the longest win streak in the conference at four games. The teams split their regular season meetings with the home teams winning.