COMING UP: vs. Simpson, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: All 28 regular-season men's basketball games and all postseason contests will be broadcast live on 92.5 KLAD-FM with Mike Safford calling the action –with the Justin Parnell Show beginning 30 minutes prior to tip-off. The broadcast will be simulcast with video on the Owls Sports Network, with Live Stats available through OIT's SIDEARM Stats Portal. Both single-game and season tickets for the 2023-24 season are available online through the OIT Ticket Portal.
 
MULTIMEDIA: All photos from the 2023-24 season will be posted online via the OIT Men's Basketball Flickr Page, while highlight clips and interviews will be posted online via the new OIT Men's Basketball YouTube Channel.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – SIMPSON UNIVERSITY: The Hustlin' Owls open the season at home Thursday night, meeting regional rival, Simpson University. The Redhawks (12-16 in 2022-23) will have a completely different look this year, as head coach Todd Franklin resigned following the 2022-23 season, with former Biola assistant David Cone taking over the squad. Simpson will have to replace their top two scorers (Gary Mims, 13.2 ppg; Javonntie Jackson, 15.5 ppg), with the club returning two starters – guards Drey Ubas (9.3 ppg, 2.6 apg) and Akin Branco (8.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg), along with reserve guard Kevin Robello (5.9 ppg). The Redhawks signed 18 players who will either play for their varsity or reserve squad, with Modesto CC forward Joshua Allen a marquee player – averaging 15.1 rebounds per game last season.
 
HISTORY VS. THE REDHAWKS: Thursday's contest is the 45th all-time meeting between the schools, with OIT holding a perfect 44-0 record vs. Simpson, dating back to 1987. The Owls are 25-0 against the Redhawks at Danny Miles Court, with all 25 victories by 11 points or more. Last season's 84-79 overtime win in Redding was the closest margin in the series. It is the sixth time that the Owls and Simpson will open the season against each other – as OIT earned wins in 1994 (130-64), 2005 (97-50), 2015 (87-73), 2016 (99-88) and 2017 (100-77).
 
EARLIEST START: The October 26 match-up will be the earliest season opener for the Hustlin' Owls and the 13th time they have played an October game. Prior to 1999, teams did not begin their seasons until the second week of November, but the Owls debuted at home in 2002 on Halloween Night. Since that game, OIT is a perfect 12-0 in October games – including two victories during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Prior to this season, the earliest start date for the squad was in 2018 – playing Northwest Indian College on Oct. 27 – a 122-38 win, the largest victory margin in program history.
 
SEASON OPENERS, HOME OPENERS: Since the 1950-51 season, the Hustlin' Owls have dominated their opponents in season opening games, recording a 49-24 all-time record – with a 19-game season-opening win streak snapped during the 2021-22 season at Menlo. The record is even better for home openers – as Tech takes a 21-game win streak into Saturday's match-up (dating back to a 2001 loss to Chico State), holding a commanding 63-10 record in their home opener. Last season, OIT defeated No. 6-ranked Jessup in their season and home opener, 94-75.

SUCCESS IN DANNY'S HOUSE: Since OIT moved to their current campus in 1964, the Hustlin' Owls have had a decisive home floor advantage inside the Athletic Center – winning nearly 82-percent of their home games. Over the last 59 seasons Tech has played on what is now known as Danny Miles Court, the Owls hold a 774-176 overall record in the building – including an 87-16 mark under current head coach Justin Parnell. OIT has recorded a winning record in 57-of-59 seasons (going 5-7 in 1965-66 and 1-8 in 1970-71), including undefeated records four times (1986-87, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11). OIT finished 2022-23 with an 8-5 home record, their 52nd-straight winning season on their home floor.
 
EXHIBITION WIN: Tech tuned up for the season opener on Saturday night, defeating the Seattle Mountaineers AAU squad 109-82 – using an efficient offensive attack in the victory. The Hustlin' Owls converted 27-of-35 shots in the second half (77-percent) – including 20 lay-ups – while holding the former collegiate players to just 41-percent shooting on the night. The squad committed just seven turnovers, while recording 27 assists on 45 made field goals.
 
SHIVERS FILLS UP STAT SHEET: The leading scorer from a season ago got off to a hot start in the exhibition win, as Keegan Shivers narrowly missed a triple-double. The 3-time All-CCC guard led the Owls with 23 points and 13 rebounds, while adding seven assists. Last year, Shivers posted four games with 20-or-more points and five games with 10-plus rebounds – including four double-doubles.
 
OSBORN RETURNS WITH A BANG: Guard Kam Osborn was on a roll during the month of January, averaging 14 points per game over a nine-game stretch, before an injury at Walla Walla ended his season with 12 games remaining. The fifth-year player made up for lost time, converting 7-of-11 field goal attempts, scoring 17 points and adding four assists in 28 minutes of action.
 
ELMORE HAS BIG NIGHT: Earning the start in the exhibition game, Jay Elmore took advantage of the opportunity, scoring 16 points in the win. The junior made 4-of-9 3-point attempts, while adding four rebounds, four assists and a team-high two steals. Last season, Elmore made 4-or-more 3-pointers in a game five times, including a 7-of-11 performance at Walla Walla.
 
POSTS KEY IN VICTORY: The Owls got key production from their posts against the Seattle Mountaineers, as Blake Jensen and Kody Bauman combined for 30 points and 14 rebounds. Jensen logged a double-double, scoring 18 points with 10 boards, making 8-of-11 field goal chances, while Bauman had 12 points and four rebounds, making six of his nine field goal chances.
 
FRESHMEN DEBUT: Two true freshmen played nine-or-more minutes in Saturday's exhibition game – as forwards Jackson Cooper and Yanni Fassilis were key to the Owls victory. Cooper made 4-of-6 field goal attempts, scoring nine points with two rebounds with Fassilis recording a rebound.
 
OWLS PICKED THIRD IN CCC PRESEASON POLL: For the seventh consecutive season, Oregon Tech has been picked among the Top-3 in the Cascade Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, as the Hustlin' Owls find themselves in the No. 3 slot in the tabulation released last week by the league office. OIT received 106 voter points from the 12 CCC coaches, tied with Lewis-Clark State for the No. 3 spot. Defending NAIA national champion, College of Idaho, was the unanimous No. 1 pick (144 points), with Eastern Oregon (109 points) just ahead of OIT and LCSC. Southern Oregon (93 points), Bushnell (92 points) and Corban (89 points) were in a logjam for the No. 5 through No. 7 spots.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: The start of the NAIA basketball season begins on Thursday – with the OIT-Simpson match-up one of 22 games to be played across the association. Three other Cascade Conference teams will see action during the weekend – as Corban makes the long journey to Great Falls, Mont., to take on Frontier Conference teams in Providence and Rocky Mountain, while Walla Walla opens the season with a crosstown match-up against Division III Whitman. On Sunday, Southern Oregon plays their exhibition opener, traveling to Corvallis to meet Division I Oregon State.
 
CAREER RECORD BOOK: Seven members of the Hustlin' Owls are among the Top-75 in the OIT Men's Basketball Career Record Book, heading into the 2023-24 season. Keegan Shivers leads the group, ranking No. 20 in 3-pointers made (147), No. 23 in 3-point attempts (359), No. 61 in steals (56), No. 62 in field goal attempts (623), No. 65 in assists (147) and points scored (796), No. 66 in rebounds (365) and No. 74 in field goals made (269). Jamison Guerra is No. 31 in assists (253), No. 59 in 3-point attempts (176), No. 64 in steals (53) and 3-pointers made (50), ranking No. 66 in free throws made (138) and No. 74 in free throw attempts (174); Erik Fraser is No. 66 in 3-point attempts (140) and No. 67 in 3-pointers made (49); Jay Elmore is No. 68 in 3-pointers made (48) and No. 71 in 3-point attempts (124); Kam Osborn is No. 71 in 3-pointers made (42) and No. 72 in 3-point attempts (121); Kody Bauman is No. 59 in blocked shots (17), with Blake Jensen No. 75 in blocked shots (75).
 
3-POINT STREAK NEARING THE 1,000 MARK: The 3-point shot has been key to the Hustlin' Owls success over the years, with Tech converting at least one 3-pointer in 983 consecutive games. OIT last failed to make a 3-pointer on Dec. 4, 1992, at Humboldt State, going 0-for-7 from outside the arch. During the streak, the Owls made one 3-pointer in a game on five occasions. UNLV holds the current 3-point streak record (1,193), just ahead of CCC rival Corban (1,180), Duke (1,148), College of Idaho (1,123) and Western Kentucky (1,102).
 
CASCADE VS. CROSSROADS CLASSIC, PART 2: Last season, the Hustlin' Owls made a long journey to Indiana, playing three games in five days against Top-25 opponents. This season, two of OIT's foes – Bethel College and Grace College – will travel to the Klamath Basin for the Lithia Cascade vs. Crossroads Classic, presented by Cascade Hoops Talk. The two-day event, set for Nov. 3-4, will feature three games per day (as the tourney will run concurrently with the women's basketball Lithia Classic), as Bushnell University will make the short drive from Eugene to complete the field. Bethel dropped a first-round game at the NAIA Championships, but went on to win the NCCAA Division I national title, while Grace lost in the national quarterfinals to Georgetown (Ky.). The tournament will mark the final preseason home games for the Hustlin' Owls until the opening weekend of Cascade Conference play, as OIT hosts Eastern Oregon (Dec. 1) and College of Idaho (Dec. 2).