CORVALLIS, Ore. – The reigning National Champions from College of Idaho were unanimously chosen to take the Cascade Collegiate Conference title for the third consecutive year as the 2023-24 CCC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll released on Wednesday.
College of Idaho received all 12 first-place votes to earn 144 total points on the preseason poll. C of I won both the regular-season championship and the CCC Men’s Basketball Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank, for the second year in a row. The Yotes went on to claim the 2022-23 NAIA National Championship title, concluding their incredible year with just one loss (36-1).
Eastern Oregon University picked up 109 total points to sit second on the poll. The Mounties finished last year with a 22-10 record after grabbing the CCC’s second AQ as the second seed in the conference tournament. Eastern Oregon advanced to the NAIA Tournament before falling in the first round.
Up next, Lewis-Clark State College and Oregon Tech tied for third, each with 106 total points. Both teams completed the year with a 14-15 overall record. Southern Oregon rounded out the top five with 93 points. The Raiders finished last season at 15-7 overall. Bushnell University followed close behind in the sixth spot, separated by one point. Corban University was next in the seventh spot with 89 points. The Warriors went 15-7 overall last year. Both Southern Oregon and Corban earned at-large bids to the NAIA Tournament, before falling in the first round.
Warner Pacific University (62 points), Multnomah University (50 points), and Northwest University (39 points) completed the eighth through tenth teams, respectively. The Evergreen State College and Walla Walla University closed out the poll, tied in 11th place with 23 points each.
The CCC conference season begins on Nov. 30 and the CCC Men’s Basketball Tournament tips off on Feb. 28 at campus sites with the winner earning one of the CCC’s AQ to the NAIA Championship Tournament.
2023-24 CCC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll
| Team (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. College of Idaho (12) |
144 |
| 2. Eastern Oregon University |
109 |
| T-3. Lewis-Clark State College |
106 |
| T-3. Oregon Tech |
106 |
| 5. Southern Oregon University |
93 |
| 6. Bushnell University |
92 |
| 7. Corban University |
89 |
| 8. Warner Pacific University |
62 |
| 9. Multnomah University |
50 |
| 10. Northwest University |
39 |
| T-11. The Evergreen State College |
23 |
| T-11. Walla Walla University |
23 |