CALDWELL, Idaho – The Corban University men's basketball team won't have to wait long to seek revenge for its 69-54 Senior-Day loss to No. 1-ranked College of Idaho this past Saturday, as the two teams will meet again tonight in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Quarterfinals, presented by U.S. Bank.

Tournament Central

This time the battle will take place down in Caldwell, with the winner advancing to the CCC semifinals on Saturday night.

The Yotes—who serve as the NAIA's top-ranked program after finishing off the CCC's first-ever undefeated season in conference play—are one of four teams hosting a quarterfinal bout tonight, with the highest-remaining seeds hosting the lowest-remaining seeds in each of the subsequent rounds.

As the conference's regular-season champion, College of Idaho also received the CCC's first automatic berth to the NAIA National Tournament. The second qualifier will come from the upcoming tournament champion—or the upcoming tournament runner-up, should the Yotes sweep the regular-season and tournament championships.

While the Yotes' offense features a number of dangerous weapons, it's the defense that has propelled them to their historic season. The squad from Caldwell ranks first in the conference—and third in the NAIA—in opposing scoring, holding opponents to just 66.2 points per game. Additionally, foes have shot just 39.7% from the field against them, the lowest mark in the NAIA.

Nate Bruneel (14 PPG, 4.3 RPG), Ricardo Time (10 PPG, 5.3 RPG), and Talon Pinckney (10 PPG, 4 APG) headline the offensive efforts, though seven Yotes have averaged at least seven points a game in 2019-20.

The last time the Navy and Gold entered the CCC Tournament as the No. 8 seed, the Warriors ran the table and shocked the conference en route to the 2016-17 conference tournament title. Corban will look to make a similar run in 2019-20 against yet another talented field of opponents.

Possessing no shortage of talent of their own, the Warriors are led offensively by senior guard AJ Hodges (12.2 PPG), who has the ability to take over a game from the back court. Fellow senior Jason Smarr (12.2 PPG) gives head coach Mitch Freeman a dangerous threat from the perimeter, while Beau Roggenbach (10 PPG, 6.4 RPG) and Isiah Quintero (7.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG) patrol the paint.

In reserve, Tyler Wadleigh has established himself as one of the squad's top scoring threats, working on a stretch of seven-consecutive double-digit scoring efforts. He has averaged 18.7 points a game during that span.

Warrior fans will also want to keep an eye out for Denis Kirichenko (9 PPG, 4.9 RPG) and Mauricio Smith (9.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG), both of whom have the ability to impact the game from the perimeter, as well as get to the cup.

Tonight's duel is slated to begin at 7 p.m. MST, with the winner advancing to the semifinals on Saturday evening.

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