MEN'S BASKETBALL
Wednesday 2/27 at Oregon Tech, 7:30 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
 
The Beacons (15-13, 12-10 CCC) will be the six-seed in the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament, taking on the three-seed Oregon Tech in the Quarterfinal round. The Owls are ranked No. 17 in the latest NAIA Coaches Poll.
 
2000-POINT MILESTONE: Fifth-year senior Stevie Schlabach completed a milestone that no Bushnell player has accomplished in 33 years on Saturday as he scored his 2000th career point. Schlabach, who now has 2,008 points, is the third player to break through the elusive barrier, and the first since Mat Sand scored the Bushnell all-time record of 2,296 in 1991. Jon Willis, who is second on the list, has a recognized scoring total of 2,064.
 
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK: No. 3 College of Idaho won the regular-season title with a 21-1 conference record to pick up the first seed in the tournament. (RV) Lewis-Clark State earned the second seed after completing a 19-3 CCC record. No. 17 Oregon Tech (18-4) will be the three seed and Southern Oregon (14-8) clinched the four seed via tiebreaker.
 
The teams set to hit the road are fifth-seeded Corban (14-8), six-seed Bushnell (12-10), seven-seed Eastern Oregon (11-11) and eight-seed Northwest (7-15).
 
Whichever team wins the conference championship will earn the CCC's second Automatic Qualifier to the National Tournament. If C of I wins the tournament, the two seed LC State will earn the second AQ. The 86th Annual Men's Basketball National Championship is set for March 21-26, at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri, with first rounds beginning March 15, at campus sites.
 
2023-24 CCC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament Schedule:
Quarterfinals ­– Wednesday, February 28
#8 seed Northwest University at #1 seed College of Idaho
#7 seed Eastern Oregon University at #2 seed Lewis-Clark State College
#6 seed Bushnell University at #3 Oregon Tech
#5 seed Corban University at #4 seed Southern Oregon University
 
Semifinals - Saturday, March 2
Lowest remaining seed at highest remaining seed
Second-lowest remaining seed at second-highest remaining seed

Championship - Tuesday, March 5
Lowest remaining seed at highest remaining seed

BUSHNELL: The Beacons continue to lead the conference in scoring, averaging 88.6 points per game. Bushnell is currently eighth defensively, allowing their opponents to score 84.5 points per contest. The Beacons are No. 1 for three-point shooting (.395) and free-throw shooting (.769), and No. 2 for overall field goal shooting (.488). They are fourth in the conference in rebounds (38.3/g) and assists (16.0/g).
 
Individually, Stevie Schlabach ranks fourth in the conference in scoring (16.1 ppg) while Kaden Sand is sixth (15.2 ppg). Spencer Hoffman is second in the CCC with 9.5 rebounds per game while Schlabach (.512) and Cory Johnson (.450) land in first and fifth on the three-point percentage list.
 
OREGON TECH: The Owls (23-5, 18-4) have won nine of their last 10 games, falling to only LC State in that span. They rank third in the CCC in scoring (87.5 ppg) and sixth in defense (76.9 ppg allowed). They have the top field-goal percentage in the conference (.515) and they rank second in assists (17.4/g) and third in rebounds (38.5/g).
 
OIT's well-rounded attack features seven different players who have led the team in scoring at one point or another. Four of their starters average at least ten points per game, led by Kam Osborn at 14.9 and Keegan Shivers at 12.7. Jamison Guerra leads the conference and is tied for No. 1 in the NAIA with 7.1 assists per game.
 
The long history between Bushnell and OIT, which dates back to the late 70's, sees the Owls with a 55-16 advantage all-time. They are 24-10 in CCC games, and have won 11 of the last 12 meetings.