COMING UP: Cascade Conference Championships, presented by U.S. Bank – Tuesday vs. Multnomah, 7 p.m.; Friday (with win), vs. Lewis-Clark State-Corban winner, 7 p.m.
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: All postseason 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 simulcast on the Owls Sports Network. Live Stats are available through the OIT SIDEARM Stats Portal. Tickets are available for purchase online through the OIT Athletics Ticket Portal – with all online tickets receiving a $3.00 discount off the face value.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – MULTNOMAH: Just four days removed from a physical 85-80 OIT victory, Multnomah returns to the Basin for the quarterfinals of the Cascade Conference Championships. The Lions (16-11) were in position to contend for a home game in the tournament, but dropped both weekend contests. Tayo Gem's bunch had a 15-point lead on Tech – getting strong play from guards Braedon Edison (12.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg) and Kadeem Nelson (12.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg), along with stretch-forward Keilan Torkornoo (16.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and post Noah McCord (12.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg). The Lions average 84 points a night and force 15 turnovers a game, but opponents have scored at least 85 points in 5-straight games, with each of the opponents shooting 50% or better.
 
HISTORY VS. MULTNOMAH: Tuesday is the 31st all-time meeting between the schools, dating back to a 106-47 OIT win in 1995. The first 13 meetings saw Tech win each by at least 17 points – but six of the last seven meetings, including both games this season, have been decided by eight points or less. The Owls hold a 29-1 series edge, with the Lions lone win coming in 2022, an 82-80 win in Klamath Falls at the buzzer.
 
THE LAST DANCE FOR THE LIONS: Unfortunately for Multnomah – the end is near, as last month, school owner, Jessup University (who purchased the school last April), announced the impending closure of their Portland campus at the end of the academic year and the end of their athletic programs. Unless the club advances to the NAIA Championships, their next loss will be the final game in program history.
 
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT KICKOFF: The CCC Championships, presented by U.S. Bank, opens Tuesday night – with the Top-4 teams in the regular-season standings hosting quarterfinal games. Top-seed College of Idaho secured one of two automatic bids to the NAIA Championships with their regular-season title, with No. 2 OIT, No. 3 LC St ate and No. 4 Southern Oregon hosting games. SOU hosts No. 5-seed Eastern Oregon, who won a head-to-head tiebreak with No. 6 seed Corban, who travels to LC State. Bushnell is the No. 8 seed and heads to C of I. Unlike past seasons, it is a straight bracket with the winner of the C of I-Bushnell game meeting the SOU-EOU winner, with the Tech-Nomah winner facing the LC-Corban winner (higher seed to host). The winner's meet in next Monday's game for the title and automatic bid to the NAIA Tournament (if C of I wins, OIT earns the No. 2 bid as the regular-season runner-up).
 
TECH CLINCHES HOME PLAYOFF GAME: With their win over Corban on Feb. 7, the Hustlin' Owls clinched a berth in the Cascade Conference Championships – their 31st-straight postseason appearance and the 50th time OIT will appear in the playoffs. Tech is a combined 103-60 in postseason games, including a 40-24 mark in the CCC Championships – winning the tournament title in 2000, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2024. The Owls will host a quarterfinal game on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. OIT holds a 46-10 all-time record in home playoff games, dating back to the 1974 NAIA District tournament. In the CCC quarterfinals, Tech is 17-3 overall, including a 97-94 win last year vs. Bushnell.
 
POLL POSITION: The Owls remained at No. 24 in the latest NAIA Top-25 Poll, released on Feb. 12. Three opponents' are in the ranking – No. 3 College of Idaho and No. 5 Arizona Christian, with LC State receiving votes. Tech ranks No. 6 in the recent NAIA West ARC rating, with the squad No. 31 in the NAIA RPI. The final Top-25 poll will be released on Wednesday morning.
 
20-WIN SEASONS: With their win Friday vs. Multnomah, the Hustlin' Owls clinched their 39th 20-win season in the 77-year history of the program. It marks the seventh 20-win season in head coach Justin Parnell's nine years at the helm.
 
200 100-POINT GAMES: Tech scored 107 points in their win vs. Warner Pacific on Saturday night, the fifth 100-point game by the Owls this season. It was the 200th all-time 100-point game (the first a 110-62 victory over Eastern Oregon in 1957 – starting a streak of 66 wins when scoring 100 that lasted 33 years), with holding a 190-10 record when breaking the century mark – including 30-straight wins.
 
MAKING FREE THROWS: The Owls have stepped up their game from the free throw line, making 78% of their attempts over the past five games (91-of-117). The strong showing at the stripe has allowed Tech to increase their season free throw percentage to 71.8%.
 
42.5% THE KEY: Defense was instrumental in the Hustlin' Owls wins over Southern Oregon and Warner Pacific – holding SOU to 38% shooting and WPU to a 39% shooting night. For the year, Tech is a perfect 13-0 when their defense has held the opposition to a 42.5% field goal percentage or less.
 
NO REST FOR THE WEARY: The Owls are in the midst of one of the toughest stretches in recent memory – as Tuesday's playoff game will be the club's sixth game in the last 12 games – including three games away from the Basin.
 
JENSEN HAS BIG WEEK: Three games in one week did not faze post Blake Jensen, as the big man was one of two players to record double-digit scoring games in all three contests. The senior averaged 16 points and seven rebounds in the three wins, making 62% of his field goal attempts. Jensen was key in the Tuesday win at Southern Oregon, scoring 18 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
 
FROM THE GUARDS: The senior starters made an impact last week, each reaching new career milestones along the way. Keegan Shivers scored in double-figures in all three games, adding a key double-double (18 points, 11 rebounds) at Southern Oregon – moving past 1,600 points and 800 rebounds for his OIT career. Jamison Guerra was huge in Friday's win over Multnomah, scoring 17 points with seven assists – moving into the No. 3 spot on the Owls all-time assists list. Kam Osborn led the second half rally vs. Multnomah, scoring a game-high 21 points – pushing his career scoring total past the 1,200 points mark. Erik Fraser continued his late season charge, averaging 11 points per game over his last seven outings, climbing beyond the 900-point mark for his career.
 
EVERYONE SCORES: For the second time this season, every player in uniform for the Hustlin' Owls scored in a game, as the Tech bench tossed in a season-high 54 points in Saturday's win over Warner Pacific. Quincy Townsend, playing in his final game allotted to preserve a redshirt season, had 10 points and six rebounds, while back-up point guard Sean Chris Tresvant had a career-high eight points.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS: As a team, the Owls rank No. 2 in the CCC in scoring average (86.2) and scoring margin (+11.2), ranking No. 3 in field goal percentage (.492) and rebounds margin (+7.9), No. 4 in 3-point percentage (.354), assists per game (10.2) and 3-pointers made per game (7.8), No. 5 in scoring defense (75.6), No. 7 in free throw percentage (.718) and steals per game (6.0), ranking No. 10 in blocked shots per game (2.0). Individually, Jamison Guerra leads the league in assists per game (5.8), ranking No. 5 in steals per game (1.6); Blake Jensen is No. 2 in field goal percentage (.644) and No. 7 in rebounds per game (6.7); Kam Osborn is No. 2 in free throw percentage (.878), No. 5 in 3-point percentage (.417), No. 7 in 3-pointers made per game (1.9) and No. 9 in scoring average (14.5); with Keegan Shivers No. 5 in 3-pointers made per game (2.0) and No. 8 in rebounds per game (6.8)
 
ATTENDANCE LEADERS: Tech has dominated the NAIA in men's basketball attendance this season, leading all schools with 1,554 fans coming to each game – tops among all small college teams in the West. In the NAIA ranks, OIT is ahead of College of Idaho (1,325), Carroll (916), LC State (739) and Evangel (643), while overall in the Northwest, the Owls are No. 8 among all teams (Boise State – 10,636, Oregon  - 7,170, Washington – 6,915, Gonzaga – 6,601, Washington State – 4207, Oregon State – 3,888, Idaho – 1,766, OIT – 1,554, Eastern Washington – 1,487, Idaho State – 1,386). Among Oregon schools, the Owls rank No. 3 in attendance (Oregon – 7,170, Oregon State – 3,888, OIT – 1,554, Portland – 1,295, Portland State – 634, Southern Oregon – 443, Pacific – 339, George Fox – 259, Willamette – 241, Corban – 213).
 
CLOSING IN ON 800 HOME WINS: 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 798-181 overall record in the building – including an 111-21 mark under current head coach Justin Parnell – two wins away from 800. 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 12-2 at home, clinching their 54th-straight winning season on their home floor – the longest streak in NAIA history.
 
RECORD BOOK:  Six players rank among the Top-75 of the Hustlin' Owls career record book, led by Keegan Shivers, who holds the all-time 3-pointers made (283) and 3-point attempts (734) records, ranking No. 5 in points scored (1,620) and field goal attempts (1,276), No. 6 in field goals made (553) and rebounds (810), No. 18 in games played (129), No. 21 in free throws made (232), No. 25 in assists (308), No. 27 in free throws attempts (293), No. 31 in steals (97), ranking No. 53 in blocked shots (21). Jamison Guerra is No. 3 in assists (643), No. 8 in free throws made (307), No. 9 in free throw attempts (410), No. 12 in steals (143), No. 14 in points scored (1,337), No. 16 in field goals made (465) and field goal attempts (1, 021), No. 18 in games played (129), No. 30 in 3-point attempts (327) and No. 36 in 3-pointers made (100); Kam Osborn is No. 19 in free throws made (234), No. 21 in 3-pointers made (148) and 3-point attempts (383), No. 23 in points scored (1,220) and free throw attempts (299), No. 24 in field goal attempts (923), No. 29 in field goals made (419), No. 41 in assists (215), No. 51 in games played (105) and No. 59 in steals (61); Erik Fraser is No. 26 in 3-point attempts (347), No. 32 in 3-pointers made (118), No. 37 in steals (85), No. 43 in games played (114), No. 44 in blocked shots (26), No. 50 in points scored (901), No. 51 in field goal attempts (706), No. 54 in field goals made (331), ranking No. 61 in rebounds (385); Blake Jensen is No. 13 in free throw attempts (353), No. 14 in free throws made (247), No. 21 in blocked shots (45), No. 23 in rebounds (544), No. 49 in games played (106), No. 52 in points scored (889) and No. 58 in field goals made (321); with Jay Elmore No. 30 in 3-pointers made (128) and No. 34 in 3-point attempts (311).
 
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 1,040. 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 (1,256) and Duke (1,252) hold the current 3-point streak record, just ahead of CCC rivals Corban (1,225) and College of Idaho (1,191), along with East Tennessee State (1,187).
 
NEXT WEEK: If the Owls advance to the Cascade Conference title game next Monday – the game will either be against College of Idaho in Caldwell or in Klamath against a lower seed. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.