CORVALLIS, Ore. – Eastern Oregon University was picked to defend its crown as the Cascade Collegiate Conference released the 2023-24 CCC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll on Wednesday.
Eastern Oregon grabbed five first-place votes, earning the top spot with 136 total points after finishing last year with a 30-3 overall record. The Mounties were co-regular season champions and won the CCC Women's Basketball Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank. EOU went on to advance to the second round of the NAIA Championship Tournament.
Lewis-Clark State College followed, collecting six first-place votes to sit just one point behind in second place. LC State was co-regular season champions with a runner-up finish at the CCC tournament while ending the year at the final site of the NAIA Championship. The Warriors completed the season with a 30-4 overall mark.
Southern Oregon University – which picked up one first-place vote and 123 points on the preseason poll – had a fantastic season as well. The Raiders received an at-large bid and advanced to the second round of the National Tournament to finish the year with a 24-8 overall record.
Oregon Tech (99 points) and Bushnell University (96 points) round out the top-five teams on the preseason poll, sitting in fourth and fifth, respectively. Corban University followed with 80 points to sit in sixth, while College of Idaho earned 74 points to grab seventh on the list.
Northwest University (57 points) landed in eighth and The Evergreen State College (41 points) was next in the ninth spot. Multnomah University and Walla Walla University tied for 10th with 37 points each. Warner Pacific University (17 points) closed out the poll in 12th place.
The CCC conference season begins on Nov. 30 and the CCC Women's Basketball Tournament tips off on Feb. 27 at campus sites with the winner earning one of the CCC's AQ to the NAIA Championship Tournament.
2023-24 CCC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
| Team (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. Eastern Oregon University (5) |
136 |
| 2. Lewis-Clark State College (6) |
135 |
| 3. Southern Oregon University (1) |
123 |
| 4. Oregon Tech |
99 |
| 5. Bushnell University |
96 |
| 6. Corban University |
80 |
| 7. College of Idaho |
74 |
| 8. Northwest University |
57 |
| 9. The Evergreen State College |
41 |
| T-10. Multnomah University |
37 |
| T-10. Walla Walla University |
37 |
| 12. Warner Pacific University |
17 |