CORVALLIS, Ore. – After a strange year where only two teams were allowed to compete in the traditional season and the rest played in the Spring, the Cascade Collegiate Conference men’s basketball schedule is back to as normal as possible.
In a split decision, Oregon Tech was picked as the favorite on the 2021-22 CCC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll, released Wednesday by the conference office. The Hustlin’ Owls finished second in the spring season but did not lose a single player from that squad and added an elite group of newcomers to bring depth at every position. OIT grabbed five first-place votes for 135 points to sit atop the poll.
The College of Idaho follows in second with two first-place votes and 127 points. The Coyotes were one of the teams to play in the traditional season and return all but one starters, including 2020-21 CCC Freshman of the Year Jake O’Neil. In a crazy year with an ever-changing schedule, C of I finished with an 8-9 record.
Lewis-Clark State College picked up four first-place votes and 125 points to sit right behind the Yotes in third after finishing as the NAIA National Runner-Up last season. Despite a difficult season due to COVID, the Warriors won the CCC best-of-three tournament over C of I to advance to the national tournament and finished the year with a 22-2 mark. The Warriors return a good group from last year, including Oreon Courtney, the 2020-21 CCC Newcomer of the Year.
Corban University also secured a first-place vote, totaling 108 points for fourth place. The Warriors won the CCC Spring title with a 15-3, 10-2 record in the abnormal season. Kendall Moore, the 2021 CCC Freshman of the Spring, returns to the mix for the Warriors.
Southern Oregon University grabbed 104 points to round out the top five on the list. The Raiders finished the 2021 Spring campaign with a 7-4 record and return four of their starters, including the 2021 CCC Defensive Player of the Spring Tez Allen.
Bushnell University (84 points), Northwest University (69), Eastern Oregon University (59) and Warner Pacific (57 points) filled out spots six through nine, while Multnomah University tallied 33 points for the No. 10 spot. Walla Walla University (27 points) and The Evergreen State College (16 points) closed out the poll, respectively.
The CCC conference season begins on Nov. 23, with the regular-season champion grabbing the CCC’s first automatic qualifier (AQ) to the NAIA National Tournament.
The CCC Men’s Basketball Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank, tipping off on Feb. 23 at campus sites. The championship game will play out on March 1, with the winner grabbing the CCC’s second AQ.
2021-22 CCC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll
| Team (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. Oregon Tech (5) |
135 |
| 2. College of Idaho (2) |
127 |
| 3. Lewis-Clark State College (4) |
125 |
| 4. Corban University (1) |
108 |
| 5. Southern Oregon University |
104 |
| 6. Bushnell University |
84 |
| 7. Northwest University |
69 |
| 8. Eastern Oregon University |
59 |
| 9. Warner Pacific University |
57 |
| 10. Multnomah University |
33 |
| 11. Walla Walla University |
27 |
| 12. The Evergreen State College |
16 |
