Yotes and Cavaliers Headline NAIA MBB Game of the Week
By Chad Waller, Director of Communications and Sports Information
NAIA Game of the Week – No. 4
No. 3 College of Idaho (20-3, 9-2 Cascade) at No. 11 Concordia (Ore.) (18-3, 8-2 Cascade)
Friday, Jan. 30 | 7:30 p.m. PST | Cavalier Gymnasium | Portland, Ore.
Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video – Provided by Concordia and Stretch Internet
• First place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) is on the line Friday evening when No. 11 Concordia (Ore.) entertains third-ranked College of Idaho at Cavalier Gymnasium in the Division II Men’s Basketball Game of the Week.
• The Yotes (20-3, 9-2 CCC) enter the matchup with a half-game lead on the Cavaliers (18-3, 8-2 CCC) in the conference standings, and Friday’s game could play a crucial role on which team strengthens their hold on the conference crown.
• College of Idaho was the unanimous pick to win the CCC this season, and Concordia was slotted for third-best in the conference.
• College of Idaho has won seven-consecutive games dating back to Dec. 20, 2014, when it lost by three points to then-No. 16 Southern Oregon, 77-74. With two more victories last weekend, the Yotes upped their home court winning streak to 29 games.
• The Yotes have been ranked in the top 10 of the Coaches' Poll every week so far this year, beginning at No. 7 in the preseason and moving up to as high as No. 2 in the country on Dec. 9.
• At 20-3, the Yotes are off to their second best start in program history, tied with the 1954-55 team and trailing only the national championship team of 1995-96, which started 21-2. The 20 wins marks the second time in 10 years the program has reached that mark, and 22nd time in school history.
• The Cavaliers are riding a six-game winning streak after going 2-0 last week. They beat NCCAA member New Hope Christian (Ore.), 110-65, at home on Jan. 20 and returned to defeat then-No. 18 Warner Pacific (Ore.) on Jan. 23, 70-65, to earn its first regular-season sweep of the Knights since 2003-04.
• Concordia has made a steady climb in the rankings all season, beginning as the 25th-ranked team in the Preseason Top 25 Poll. The No. 11 position is the highest the Cavaliers have been rated to date.
• These two programs are two-of-four CCC institutions ranked in the Top 25, joining No. 12 Southern Oregon and No. 20 Warner Pacific– who recently dropped games against the Yotes and Cavaliers, respectively.
• College of Idaho escaped in the first matchup between the two schools, defeating Concordia at home, 73-71, in Caldwell, Idaho, on Jan. 3.
• In that meeting, a runner in the lane by Concordia's Tyler Velasquez rimmed out at the buzzer, helping the Yotes escape with the win, despite College of Idaho hitting 14-of-19 from behind the arc.
• So far in 2014-15, the Yotes have been less dominant on the road, going 5-3. The last road triumph for the third-ranked squad came on Jan. 17 against Northwest Christian (Ore.), 82-69.
• Portland has been a comfort zone for the Cavaliers this year, going 9-2 so far on their home court. Southern Oregon is the last team to come away victorious at Cavalier Court, 78-75, in overtime on Dec. 5.
• Both home losses for Concordia are by a combined four points.
• Friday’s tilt will be the seventh ranked opponent on the schedule in 24 games for College of Idaho, having lost only one – Southern Oregon – including a win over then-No. 1 Vanguard (Calif.) (Division I), 80-79, on Nov. 28, 2014.
• Friday’s game represents the 66th meeting all-time between the two schools, with College of Idaho manhandling the series at 50-15.
• If Concordia is to pull the upset tomorrow night, look for a big game from Esvan Middleton. The senior is on pace to set the school record for rebounding average in a single season and career. In 53 career games, Middleton has averaged 10.5 boards, surpassing Alphonso Niles (1996-2000) all-time average at 9.4. Middleton is the top rebounder in the CCC this year, averaging 11.8 rebounds every time out this year.
• The Cavaliers’ Velasquez is ranked in the NAIA's top 20 in four categories: totals steals (No. 2, 72), steals per game (No. 2, 3.42), total assists (No. 12, 109) and assists per game (No. 19, 5.2). He also heads a group of four Concordia players who average double figure scoring (16.0 points.).
• The Yotes are ranked No. 2 in the CCC in scoring (81.2 points per game) and third in total defense (68.9 points per game). College of Idaho holds the league's top rebounding margin at plus-11.6 and tops the league with 18.8 assists per game. In addition, the Yotes are second in the CCC with 5.2 blocks per game.
• College of Idaho has a quintet of players averaging double digits offensively, led by guard Demetrius Perkins. (13.7). The Compton, Calif., native is fresh off a 22-point performance on Jan. 24 in a 79-67 win against Oregon Tech.
• The Yotes are tied for second with three other programs with 20 victories in the NAIA.
• Next up on the schedule for College of Idaho is a date with Warner Pacific on Saturday. Concordia faces Eastern Oregon on the same evening.
Note – A special thanks to the Sports Information Departments of College of Idaho and Concordia for providing portions of the information above.
Additional Notes from Around NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball
(Through games played on Jan. 28, 2015)
• IU East senior guard Tyler Fangman recently became the program’s all-time leading scorer. Fangman hit a 3-pointer with 44 seconds remaining in the Red Wolves’ win at IU Kokomo on Jan. 17 to break the previous school record of 1,709 career points established by current Red Wolves assistant coach Tyler Rigby.
• The Embry-Riddle (Fla.) Eagles (20-1) lost their perfect record in a defeat at Thomas (Ga.), 77-70, on Jan. 20, snapping its school-record streak of 17-consecutive victories to start a season. With the loss, no team is unbeaten in NAIA Division II.
• No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan and No. 4 Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) are tied for the most wins in Division II (21).
• Johnson & Wales (Colo.) remains the only winless program.
• Indiana Wesleyan sits on top of the sixth regular-season edition of the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, which was released on Jan. 27. The Wildcats have now been the No. 1-ranked team for eight-straight polls, dating back to last year. The defending national champions are 21-1 on the season. For the complete release, click here.
• Legendary coach Danny Miles of Oregon Tech, who has amassed over 1,000 career wins in 43 seasons, announced his retirement after the 2015-16 season. The decision came July 14, 2014. Miles is just the third men’s head coach at any level of college basketball to reach 1,000 career wins – only behind NCAA Division II McKendree’s (Ill.) Harry Statham and NCAA Division I Duke’s (N.C.) Mike Krzyzewski.
• Bethany (Kan.) coach Clair Oleen, who entered the year No. 9 on the active wins list, achieved career victory No. 500 in the 97-86 win over then-No. 6 St. Gregory’s (Okla.) on Nov. 22.
• On Oct. 31, Grace (Ind.) head coach Jim Kessler landed career win No. 700. The moment occurred during the 89-71 win over Concordia (Mich.). He became the 45th coach in the history of men’s college basketball to reach the 700-win plateau and entered the 2014-15 campaign No. 4 on the active NAIA Division II list. Kessler is in his 38th season at Grace.• Two coaches, Midland’s (Neb.) Todd Eisner and Southern Oregon’s Brian McDermott, hit the 400-win milestone earlier this year. The 77-59 defeat of Benedictine-Springfield (Ill.) handed Eisner his achievement on Nov. 28. McDermott’s moment came in the 77-74 victory over then-No. 2 College of Idaho on Dec. 20.
• Other Top 25 matchups this week:
o Tuesday – No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan def. No. 18 Grace (Ind.) 62-55
o Wednesday – No. 2 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) def. No. 22 Northwood (Fla.) 77-67
o Wednesday – No. 10) Morningside (Iowa) def. No. 4 Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 80-74
o Saturday – No. 13 Saint Francis (Ind.) at No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan
o Saturday – No. 17 Northwestern Ohio at No. 9 Cornerstone (Mich.)