COMING UP: vs. No. 5 College of Idaho, Friday, 7:30 p.m.; vs. Eastern Oregon, Saturday, 5 p.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: All 22 Cascade Conference games will be broadcast live on radio in the Klamath Basin on Oregon's County Giant, 92.5 KLAD-FM, beginning with the Justin Parnell Coaches' Show 30-minutes prior to tip-off – with an audio simulcast online through MyBasin.com and a video simulcast online via the Owls Sports Network. Live Stats are available through the OIT SIDEARM Stats Portal.
 
SELLOUT WEEKEND AND PINK OUT: It has been 13 years since OIT has sold out a basketball game (2,093 fans), but the two head coaches are hopeful fans in the Basin will head to Danny Miles Court for the two huge weekend doubleheaders. Following the big matchup with C of I on Friday, Saturday vs. Eastern is the 15th-annual Pink Out, supporting Sky Lakes Breast Health Services. The first 1,000 fans will receive a commemorative Pink Out t-shirt.
 
MULTIMEDIA: Photos from the 2024-25 season are posted online via the OIT Men's Basketball Flickr Page, while highlight clips from Saturday's home win over LC State is posted online via the OIT Men's Basketball YouTube Channel.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – COLLEGE OF IDAHO: The weekend opens up with a first-place battle with league-leading College of Idaho, as the No. 5-ranked Coyotes (16-2, 11-1 CCC) have won 6-in-a-row (all by 10 points or more) since a home loss to Corban. The match-up features the Top-2 teams in the CCC in defensive field goal percentage, rebound margin and scoring offense, as C of I ranks No. 7 in the NAIA in scoring defense (62.9), limiting teams to a 38.4% shooting average, while averaging 86 points per game. A veteran team is paced by three fifth-year grad students in Johnny Radford (13.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg), Drew Wyman (11.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and Tyler Robinett (9.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg), with CCC Player of the Year Samaje Morgan (10.4 ppg, 4.8 apg) running the point and sixth-man Dougie Peoples (10.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg) among the top 3-point shooters. In the first meeting, Jamison Guerra scored 21 points, but it wasn't enough for the Owls, as C of I earned a 74-66 home win, improving to 61-45 all-time against Tech.
 
BLUE BLOODS: Legendary coaches Danny Miles at OIT and Marty Holly at C of I put the programs on the map decades ago – building the two teams into the most dominant small college programs on the West Coast. The two schools have combined for 49 trips to the NAIA Championships and five NAIA titles, with the Hustlin' Owls and Coyotes winning 15 of the last 19 Cascade Conference regular-season titles and 18 of the 30 all-time CCC tourney crowns. Over the last 19 years, only twice has either OIT or C of I not finished in the Top-2 of the league standings.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – EASTERN OREGON: The homestand closes Saturday against a surging Eastern Oregon club, as the Mountaineers (13-5, 8-4) enter the weekend having won 7-of-8 games – posting 100-or-more points last weekend in victories over Warner Pacific and Multnomah. Offense is the key for EOU, as the Mounties average 83 points per game and rank second in the league making 49.8% of their field goals. Guard Garrett Hawkes (19.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg) leads the CCC in scoring, with transfer T.J. Doman (14.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg) joining returners Brennan Newsom (9.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and Jaden Hansen (8.5 ppg, 3.7 apg) in the lineup. OIT won the first meeting this season in La Grande, rallying from a 14-point second half deficit behind 16 points from Jay Elmore in an 85-81 win. The Owls hold a 117-75 series lead, including wins in nine of the last 10 games in the Basin.
 
LONG TIME FOES: Tech and Eastern are longtime rivals, meeting for the first time in 1951 and battling through the years in the Oregon Collegiate Conference, the Evergreen Conference, NAIA District 2 and now the Cascade Conference. EOU is one of five teams the Hustlin' Owls have played over 100 times – joining C of I, Southern Oregon, Western Oregon and Corban.
 
INSIDE THE RANKINGS: This week, the first NAIA West ARC rating was released – which determines at-large bids and seeding for the NAIA Championships. Tech sits No. 6 in the polling, one of seven CCC teams listed, with C of I atop the list, followed by The Master's, Arizona Christian, Montana Tech and Hope International. OIT enters the weekend No. 30 in the NAIA RPI index. Last week, OIT climbed slightly in the latest Top-25 poll, earning 67 votes from the 20 conference raters – the No. 2 team listed in the "others receiving votes" category. Three teams OIT has played this year are in the Top-25 – No. 5 College of Idaho, No. 6 Arizona Christian and No. 21 LC State. The next polling period is set for Jan. 29.

HUGE HOME SWEEP: The Owls opened a 4-game homestand in style, earning two solid victories over Walla Walla and No. 21-ranked Lewis-Clark State, ending the first half of the league season at 10-1. Defense was the key, as Tech held WWU to 34% shooting in the second half and held LC to a 39% clip for the contest. Over the final 60 minutes of the weekend, the Owls limited the two teams to a combined 7-of-33 shooting from 3-point range. Offensively, OIT found their way to the foul line – combining to take 57 free throws in the two wins.
 
WIN STREAK: OIT enters the weekend riding a 9-game win streak, their longest since an 11-game run during the 2021-22 season. The Owls have held each of their last seven opponents to 70 points or fewer – including limiting Lewis-Clark State to 66 points, their lowest scoring output of the year.
 
POUNDING THE GLASS: OIT was unrelenting on the boards during the two weekend games – extending a string of wins on the glass to 7-straight games (five by 10-plus rebounds). Offensive rebounds were instrumental in the wins – recording 13 offensive boards vs. WWU, adding 16 more against LC – turning the extra opportunities into 35 points.
 
SHIVERS HAS DYNAMIC WEEKEND: Leading the charge for the Hustlin' Owls was Keegan Shivers, who combined for 39 points in the two wins. The senior had 13 points in minimal minutes vs. WWU, while dominating LC State with a season-high 26 points and a career-high 17 rebounds – becoming the 16th player to record 17-or-more rebounds in a game. It was the first 25-point, 15-rebound game by a Tech player in three seasons – with Shivers moving 36 points away from the 1,500-point mark for his career – looking to be the fifth player to reach the exclusive club. In addition, Shivers is 12 made 3-pointers away from setting the OIT all-time record (272 – currently held by Bob Townsend).
 
MORE FROM THE VICTORIES: Kam Osborn continued his big season, scoring 14 points vs. WWU and 13 vs. LC State, knocking down 8-of-18 3-pointers over his last four games. Blake Jensen has recorded at least eight points and five rebounds in each of the last nine games – including 12 points and five boards vs. LC. Both Jared Sucher and Sean Chris Tresvant recorded career-highs vs. Walla Walla – Sucher scoring seven and Tresvant adding five points and two assists. Jamison Guerra reached one milestone vs. LC – becoming the 24th player to surpass 1,200 career points, while pulling within 19 assists of the 600-assist mark for his career.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: At the midway point of the Cascade Conference season, C of I holds a one-half game lead on OIT, with Corban two games back of the Owls and LC State and Eastern sitting three back. On the opposite end of the spectrum, three teams – Evergreen State, Northwest and Walla Walla – each have one league win. The second half opens with C of I and EOU traveling to OIT and Southern, Corban and Bushnell making the short trip to Warner Pacific and Multnomah, with TESC and NU off to LC State and WWU.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS: As a team, the Owls lead the CCC in field goal percentage (.500), ranking No. 2 in scoring average (84.7), scoring margin (+11.8), defensive field goal percentage (.428), defensive 3-point percentage (.293), rebound margin (+8.4) and assists per game (15.2), No. 5 in scoring defense (72.9), 3-point percentage (.342) and steals per game (6.6), No. 8 in free throw percentage (.689) and no. 9 in blocks per game (1.9). Individually, Jamison Guerra leads the CCC in assists per game (5.9), ranking No. 3 in steals per game (1.7), 3-point percentage (.467) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.2), with Blake Jensen tops in field goal percentage and No. 10 in rebounds per game (6.7). Keegan Shivers is No. 5 in 3-pointers made per game (2.0) and No. 9 in rebounds per game (6.9), Kam Osborn is No. 4 in free throw percentage (.867), with Jackson Cooper No. 6 in field goal percentage (.572).
 
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 61 seasons Tech has played on what is now known as Danny Miles Court, the Owls hold a 793-180 overall record in the building – including an 106-20 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). The Owls currently are 7-1 at home, looking for their 54th-straight winning season on their home floor.

LEADING ALL WEST COAST TEAMS IN ATTENDANCE: The Hustlin' Owls continue to lead the NAIA in attendance, averaging 1,520 fans per game through eight dates (highest per game average since averaging 1,442 fans in 2010) – well ahead of College of Idaho (1,335), Lewis-Clark State (736), Evangel (707) and Taylor (688). OIT outdraws all non-Division I teams in the West –  ranking eighth among all Northwest college teams (Boise State – 10,642, Oregon – 7,078, Gonzaga – 6,902, Washington – 6.044, Oregon State – 3,627, Washington State – 3,543, Idaho – 1,731, Oregon Tech – 1,520, Eastern Washington – 1,464, Idaho State – 1,340) and No. 3 among all Oregon colleges (Oregon – 7,078, Oregon State – 3,627, Oregon Tech – 1,520, Portland – 1,150, Portland State – 610, Southern Oregon – 444, Pacific – 249, George Fox – 219, Corban – 189, Linfield – 164).
 
RECORD BOOK:  Six players rank among the Top-75 of the Hustlin' Owls career record book, led by Keegan Shivers, who ranks No. 2 in 3-pointers made (261) and 3-point attempts (664), No. 7 in points scored (1,464), No. 8 in rebounds (739) and field goal attempts (1,149), No. 10 in field goals made (501), No. 30 in assists (276), No. 34 in free throws made (201), No. 36 in steals (88), No. 38 in games played (118), ranking No. 41 in free throw attempts (255) and No. 59 in blocked shots (19). Jamison Guerra is No. 6 in assists (581), No. 12 in free throw attempts (355), No. 13 in free throws made (266), No. 15 in steals (128), No. 23 in field goal attempts (925), No. 24 in points scored (1,202), No. 31 in field goals made (421), No. 34 in 3-point attempts (304), No. 38 in games played (118) and No. 41 in 3-pointers made (94); Kam Osborn is No. 29 in 3-point attempts (320), No. 32 in 3-pointers made (116), No. 35 in free throws made (200), No. 37 in points scored (1,030) and free throw attempts (261), No. 39 in field goal attempts (793), No. 45 in field goals made (357), No. 48 in assists (190), No. 57 in games played (94) and No. 64 in steals (55); Erik Fraser is No. 31 in 3-point attempts (319), No. 33 in 3-pointers made (109), No. 48 in blocked shots (22) and steals (73), No. 51 in games played (103), No. 65 in field goal attempts (627), No. 71 in field goals made (288) and points scored (785), ranking No. 75 in rebounds (329); Blake Jensen is No. 22 in free throw attempts (300), No. 27 in blocked shots (38), No. 31 in free throws made (205), No. 36 in rebounds (470), No. 56 in games played (95), No. 75 in field goals made (273) and ranking just outside the Top-75 in points scored (751); with Jay Elmore No. 30 in 3-pointers made (120) and No. 36 in 3-point attempts (284).
 
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 extending their string of games with a made 3-pointer to 1,032. 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 (1,247) and Duke (1,243) hold the current 3-point streak record, just ahead of CCC rivals Corban (1,229) and College of Idaho (1,181), along with East Tennessee State (1,177).
 
NEXT WEEK: The Hustlin' Owls head to the Puget Sound region for a pair of games – at Evergreen State (Jan. 31) and at Northwest (Feb. 1) – followed by a Tuesday night match-up at No. 4-ranked Southern Oregon (Feb. 4).