COMING UP: Cascade Conference Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank – Quarterfinal vs. Bushnell, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
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 on the call - broadcasts will begin 30 minutes prior to tip-off with the
Justin Parnell Coaches – with the game simulcast on the
Owls Sports Network (PPV - $10.00). Live Stats will be available through the
OIT SIDEARM Stats Portal, with in-game updates for each game provided on "X" by following @OITMBB.
MULTIMEDIA: Photos from the 2023-24 season are posted online via the
OIT Men's Basketball Flickr Page, while highlight clips are posted online via the new
OIT Men's Basketball YouTube Channel.
OPPONENT INFORMATION – BUSHNELL: The highest-scoring team in the conference makes a return visit to the Basin, as Bushnell looks to snap a 4-game losing streak in their postseason opener. The No. 6-seeded Beacons (15-13) closed the regular-season by dropping games to Southern and Tech at home, before being swept on the road by C of I and Eastern. Offense is the key for BU, as the squad leads the league in scoring average (88.6), 3-point percentage (.395), free throw percentage (.769) and is second in field goal percentage (.488) – scoring 100-or-more points seven times and 90-or-more points 14 times. Defense has been the issue, as the Beacons allow 84 points a game, with foes making nearly 49-percent of their shot attempts. Stevie Schlabach (16.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg) anchors the team, recently surpassing the 2,000-point mark for his career. Kaden Sand (15.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg) scored 32 in the first meeting this season, with Cory Johnson (10.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg) and 6-foot-11 Spencer Hoffman (13.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg) each key to BU's success.
HISTORY VS. THE BEACONS: OIT and Bushnell will meet for the 72nd time, with the Owls holding a 55-16 series lead – including two wins this year. Tech claimed a 112-98 home victory in January, making 60-percent of their field goal attempts, while a week and a half ago, outlasted the Beacons in Eugene, 95-88 – as six players scored in double-figures. The two teams have played three previous playoff games – Tech winning home games in 2009 (64-50) and 2020 (87-83), while losing a road game in 2016 (74-57). OIT has a commanding 35-3 all-time series lead in Klamath Falls.
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT KICKS OFF: The Cascade Conference Championships, presented by U.S. Bank, will determine the second automatic bid from the CCC to the NAIA Championships. College of Idaho claimed the regular-season title and earned the league's first NAIA bid and host seed throughout the tournament. If C of I wins the CCC Tournament title – the regular-season runner-up (Lewis-Clark State) would earn the CCC's second automatic qualifying bid.
TOURNAMENT MATCH-UPS: All four quarterfinal games are scheduled for Wednesday – as No. 8-seed Northwest heads to top-seed College of Idaho, with the Yotes being without the services of head coach Colby Blaine, who will serve a 1-game suspension after being ejected Saturday vs. Corban. No. 7 seed Eastern Oregon travels to No. 2 seed LC State – EOU has played LC tough, including an overtime loss in La Grande in January. The 4-5 match-up has Corban at Southern Oregon, as both teams earned wins on their own home court.
LOOKING FOR PLAYOFF WIN #100: OIT is making their 30th-straight postseason appearance and the 49th all-time playoff appearance in the 76 years of Tech basketball. The Owls have a combined 99-59 postseason record, including a 37-24 mark in CCC Tournament play – having won tournament titles in 2000, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.
AT HOME IN THE POSTSEASON: The Owls are 45-10 all-time at home in postseason games – dating back to the 1974 season. In CCC Tournament play, Tech has a 16-3 record in quarterfinal match-ups – though they have split their last four quarterfinal home dates.
NAIA TOURNAMENT: Regardless of the outcome of the CCC Tournament, the Owls are in solid position to earn an at-large bid to the NAIA Championships – with both mock 64-team brackets have Tech either a No. 4 or No. 5 seed. OIT has made 22 previous trips to the NAIA Championships – winning the 2004, 2008 and 2012 national titles, finishing as runner-up in 1997 and 2019. The 16 sites which will host first and second-round games will be announced on Thursday.
OWLS AT #16 IN NAIA POLL: OIT sits at No. 16 in the current NAIA Top-25 poll, with the new tabulation to be released tomorrow morning. The Owls sit at No. 4 in the West ARC rating (behind C of I, Montana Tech and Arizona Christian) and are No. 20 in the latest NAIA RPI index – which determine at-large bids and seeding for the NAIA Championships.
20-WIN SEASONS: 2023-24 marks the 38th time in 76 years of men's basketball that OIT has recorded 20-or-more wins in a season and the sixth time in
Justin Parnell's eight years as head coach. The Owls have recorded 23 seasons with at least 25-wins and 10 seasons with 30-or-more wins, including a record-setting 34-4 mark in 2011-12.
ROAD WARRIORS: OIT finished their regular-season with a 12-2 record on the road – the most road wins by a Hustlin' Owls team in 37 years. The 1986-87 Tech team recorded a 12-4 mark, while no other team in program history has won more than 10 road games in a season.
LEADING THE LEAGUE IN SHOOTING: The Owls closed out the regular-season leading the CCC in field goal percentage – converting .515 percent of their overall field goal chances (No. 6 in the NAIA), with that number climbing to .522 percent in league only games – while averaging 87.5 points per game. OIT recorded 17 games with a 50-percent or better field goal percentage, with the squad on pace to become the sixth Hustlin' Owls team to finish a season making more than half their shots.
IMPROVEMENT FROM THE LINE: A remarkable improvement by the Hustlin' Owls at the foul line is evident in Cascade Conference play – as Tech ranks fourth in the circuit with a .736 free throw percentage in league counters. Prior to conference action – the Owls converted just 62-percent of their free throws in non-league play. OIT has four players with at least 70 free throw attempts shooting at a 75-percent or better clip from the line –
Kam Osborn,
Keegan Shivers,
Jamison Guerra and
Kody Bauman.
TIGHT GAMES: The Owls have had success in close games this season, posting a 4-1 record in games decided by five points or less and a 10-1 mark in games decided by 10 points or less. A year ago, OIT struggled in similar games – going 4-10 in games decided by 10 points or less and 2-6 two-possession games.
SENIOR NIGHT SUCCESS: The lone senior on the squad,
Kody Bauman, had a memorable senior night, scoring a career-high 22 points in the victory over Walla Walla. The forward converted 10-of-12 field goals, including a pair of alley-oop slam dunks, in the victory. Bauman is averaging 11 points per game over his last nine contests, improving his season field goal percentage to .599.
GUERRA LEADS THE NAIA: Point-guard
Jamison Guerra ended the regular-season leading the NAIA with 201 total assists and a 7.1 assist per game average. The junior became the eighth player in OIT history to surpass 200 assists in a season, the first since current assistant,
Mitchell Fink, posted 3-straight 200-assist seasons from 2018-20.
OSBORN COMING BACK: Guard
Kam Osborn informed the team over the weekend that he will use his COVID year of eligibility and return for the 2024-25 season. The fifth-year player has been instrumental to the current success – averaging 18 points per game over the Owls last six games, converting 15 of his last 33 3-point attempts.
SHIVERS DOUBLES UP: Keegan Shivers tied a career-high on Saturday night, pulling down 13 rebounds in the win over Walla Walla. The junior added 10 points – recording his team-leading sixth double-double of the year – ahead of teammates
Jamison Guerra (5),
Blake Jensen (4) and
Jackson Cooper (2). Shivers pushed his career scoring total to 1,151 – moving past head coach
Justin Parnell into 26th-place on the all-time OIT list.
ELMORE ON FIRE: Shooting guard
Jay Elmore scored 15 points in Saturday's win over Walla, going 5-for-7 from 3-point range – improving his team-leading 3-point percentage to .467. The junior has been key over the last four games, converting a combined 9-of-13 3-point attempts.
CONFERENCE LEADERS: As a team, OIT leads the Cascade Conference in field goal percentage (.515), ranking No. 2 in assists per game (17.4), 3-point percentage (.391) and rebound margin (+6.5). Individually,
Keegan Shivers leads the CCC in defensive rebounds (7.3), ranking No. 5 in rebounds per game (8.0);
Blake Jensen is No. 1 in field goal percentage (.634) and offensive rebounds per game (2.9), ranking No. 8 in rebounds per game (6.4); with
Jamison Guerra No. 1 in assists per game (7.2) and No. 10 in steals per game (1.3).
Kody Bauman ranks No. 4 in field goal percentage (.599),
Jay Elmore is No. 3 in 3-point percentage (.462), with
Kam Osborn is No. 8 in free throw percentage (.802) and scoring average (14.9).
ATTENDANCE NUMBERS: Two Cascade Conference teams sit atop the NAIA attendance rankings, as College of Idaho (1,541) claimed the top spot, ahead of the Hustlin' Owls (1,287) – both well ahead of Carroll (1,077) and Concordia-Nebraska (1,033). OIT's attendance average would rank No. 6 in the NCAA Division III, No. 14 in the Division II and No. 282 out of 361 Division I teams.
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 over 81-percent of their home games. Over the last 60 seasons Tech has played on what is now known as Danny Miles Court, the Owls hold a 785-179 overall record in the building – including an 98-19 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). With their current 11-3 home record, OIT has secured their 53rd-straight winning season on their home floor.
OVER 1,000-STRAIGHT GAMES WITH A 3-POINTER: The 3-point shot has been key to the Hustlin' Owls success over the years, with Tech hitting a milestone by extending their string of games with a made 3-pointer to 1,011. 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 current streak, the Owls made one 3-pointer in a game on five occasions. UNLV holds the current 3-point streak record (1,217), just ahead of CCC rival Corban (1,208), Duke (1,176) and College of Idaho (1,150).
CAREER RECORD BOOK: Seven members of the Hustlin' Owls are among the Top-75 in the
OIT Men's Basketball Career Record Book.
Keegan Shivers leads the group, ranking No. 7 in 3-pointers made (212), No. 10 in 3-point attempts (516), No. 16 in rebounds (589), No. 23 in field goal attempts (914), No. 26 in points scored (1,151), No. 34 in field goals made (393), No. 36 in assists (225), No. 47 in steals (73), No. 59 in free throws made (153) and No. 68 in free throw attempts (193).
Jamison Guerra is No. 8 in assists (454), No. 28 in free throws made (216), No. 31 in free throw attempts (277), No. 35 in steals (88), No. 40 in 3-point attempts (245), No. 42 in points scored (944), No. 51 in field goal attempts (687), No. 53 in field goals made (329), ranking No. 58 in 3-pointers made (70);
Kam Osborn is No. 43 in 3-point attempts (235), No. 44 in 3-pointers made (88), No. 65 in assists (152), No. 73 in free throws made (131), ranking just outside the Top-75 in points scored (776), field goals made (260), field goal attempts (564) and free throw attempts (176);
Jay Elmore is No. 37 in 3-pointers made (97) and No. 48 in 3-point attempts (229);
Erik Fraser is No. 47 in 3-pointers made (82) and attempted (230);
Kody Bauman is No. 30 in blocked shots (36), with
Blake Jensen No. 36 in blocked shots (29), No. 70 in free throw attempts (191) and No. 73 in rebounds (331).
NEXT WEEK: With a win over Bushnell, Tech will advance to the CCC Tournament semifinals on Saturday night. OIT would host the game if either LC State or College of Idaho loses their quarterfinal game, if both teams win, the Owls would travel to Lewiston for a rematch with LC.
