C of I and SOU will face off tomorrow in Caldwell with a CCC Tournament Championship and berth to the NAIA National Tournament on the line.
PREVIEW: CCC Men’s Basketball Tournament Finals, Presented by U.S. Bank
LA GRANDE, Ore. – It was a tale of two semifinals during Saturday night’s Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Men’s Basketball Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank.
In Caldwell, the No. 2-seeded College of Idaho Yotes eclipsed their own playoff record, downing No. 8-seeded Northwest by a program-best 36-point margin to advance to the CCC Championship game. Further west, No. 6 seed Southern Oregon once again conjured some magic in the finals moments, riding an Aaron Borich three-pointer at the buzzer to stun No. 4-seeded Corban in one of the most exciting CCC postseason contests of recent memory.
Tournament Central
Now the two teams will face off in Caldwell with a CCC Tournament Championship and berth to the NAIA National Tournament on the line, with tip-off slated for tomorrow night at 7:06 p.m. MST. The game will be broadcasted across the northwest on ROOT Sports, reaching 3.2 million households.
Below is a preview of tomorrow night’s title duel.
#6 Southern Oregon at #2 College of Idaho – Caldwell, Idaho
After a nail-biting one-point victory on the road at No. 3-seeded Northwest Christian in the quarterfinals, Southern Oregon (21-10) was able to once again deliver in crunch-time to earn a gritty road victory in Saturday’s semifinals. Borich’s game-winning three was the only shot he attempted all night, and it stands as the biggest bucket so far of the Raiders’ season. Southern Oregon has already earned two upset road victories in this CCC Tournament, and will look produce another in tomorrow night’s matchup against a tough College of Idaho squad. Look for the Raiders’ talented backcourt, consisting of Tristen Holmes (20 points and four assists on Saturday) and Teron Bradford (16 points, four assists), to lead the charge offensively for SOU head coach Brian McDermott.
In contrast, College of Idaho (27-5) has had little reason to be anxious through its first-two CCC tournament games, with the Yotes currently playing some of the squad’s best basketball of the entire year. The Yotes will be playing in their fourth title in the past six seasons, hosting tomorrow’s matchup in the notoriously raucous J.A. Albertson Activities Center. Nate Bruneel led the way offensively in the team’s semifinal romp, tallying 20 points in the triumph. Joining him in double figures was Gibson Berryhill, who tacked on 13 points and a pair of assists. As a squad, the Yotes shot at an excellent 56.1% mark from the field, going a daunting 12-22 from beyond the arc. First-year head coach Colby Blaine has relied on his defense throughout the 2018-19 season, and it figures to play a key role in tomorrow’s title bout as well. The Yotes forced a combined 29 turnovers between their first two CCC Tournament contests.
The two teams split the two-game regular-season series, with game one going to the Yotes by a 72-69 tally, and the Raiders claiming game two by a final score of 85-69.
The complete schedule for the tournament can be seen below, with tomorrow night’s championship game slated to begin at 7:06 p.m. MST, broadcasted on ROOT Sports.
Quarterfinals - Wednesday, February 20
#8 Northwest (Wash.) (14-16) at #1 Oregon Tech (24-6) à Winner: Northwest
#7 Warner Pacific (Ore.) (16-13) at #2 College of Idaho (25-5) à Winner: College of Idaho
#6 Southern Oregon at #3 Northwest Christian (Ore.) (19-9) à Winner: Southern Oregon
#5 Eastern Oregon (15-14) at #4 Corban (Ore.) (20-8) à Winner: Corban
Semifinals - Saturday, February 23
Semifinal 1 – #8 Northwest (Wash.) (15-16) at #2 College of Idaho (26-5) à Winner: College of Idaho
Semifinal 2 – #6 Southern Oregon (20-10) at #4 Corban (Ore.) (21-8) à Winner: Southern Oregon
Finals - Tuesday, February 26 – 7:06 p.m. MST
Championship -- #6 Southern Oregon (21-10) at #2 College of Idaho (27-5) – Broadcasted live on ROOT Sports)
The winner of the 2018-19 CCC Tournament will earn the conference’s second automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament.
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