VANCOUVER - With their fifth straight Pacific Division title in hand, the No. 1-ranked UBC Thunderbirds (17-1) now turn their sights towards another deep playoff run and a berth at the CIS National Championship.

The top-ranked 'Birds begin their playoff run by hosting the Alberta Golden Bears (10-10) in a best-of-three CW quarterfinal series beginning this Thursday. UBC welcomes the Golden Bears, the fourth-placed team out of the Prairie Division, to War Memorial Gym February 25 (Thursday), 26 (Friday), and 27 (Saturday).

Tip-off for each game is set for a special playoff time of 7 p.m. with the third game an 'if-necessary' contest should neither school secure a two-game sweep.

The T-Birds and Golden Bears met once during the regular season, with UBC earning a 75-68 victory at War Memorial back on November 14, 2009.

UBC wrapped up home court advantage in the CW playoffs thanks to their no. 1 ranking in conference play and should they beat Alberta in the quarterfinals, the T-Birds would then host the CW Final Four the following weekend.

Every UBC home playoff game will be carried live on CiTR (101.9 FM) and will be webcast on sportscanada.tv.  Live stats will also be available through gothunderbirds.ca.

A look at the Thunderbirds
There is a lot to like about the T-Birds regular season.  They spent seven weeks as the no. 1 team in the nation and their 17-1 regular season record is tied for the best in the country.  Their roster features 11 players averaging more than 10 minutes per game with only three players going for more than 20 minutes a game. 

UBC has put up impressive numbers on both sides of the ball.  They finished second in scoring offence (85.8 points per game) thanks in part to their league leading 47.4% field goal percentage and second-best 16.4 assists per game. The T-Birds were equally strong on defence, leading the Canada West in scoring defence (68.1 points allowed per game) and holding their opponents to a league low 38.0% field goal shooting, including only 29.7% shooting from three-point land. UBC forced their opponents into making more than 20 turnovers per game and picked up 10 steals per contest. They were also one of the league's best rebounding teams, hauling in 42.2 boards per game while allowing their opponents only 33.8.

Leading the charge for the T-Birds at both ends of the floor is standout fourth-year guard Josh Whyte.  He ranks fourth in the Canada West in scoring with 19.1 points per game, sixth in field goal percentage (53.8%) and assists (4.2), fifth in steals (2.4), and had the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the conference at 1.7. He also chipped in with five rebounds per game.  Fifth-year Blain LaBranche provides the secondary scoring punch, with his smooth as silk shooting leading to a career best 15.6 points per game.  Point guard Alex Murphy has also been a huge factor as of late and has led the T-Birds in assists over the last three regular season games.

Third-year Kamar Burke does a lot of the heavy lifting on the glass, hauling down a UBC best 7.2 boards per game.  Fifth-year Kyle Watson is a key defender and 'glue guy' as he averages 8.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting a league-best 56.6% from the field.

A look at the Golden Bears
It was an up and down year for the Golden Bears as they ushered in a new era of Alberta basketball following the retirement of legendary coach Don Horwood.  First year head coach Greg Francis brought in a solid recruiting class and despite some bumps along the road, a 10-10 record and a fourth-place finish in the Prairie Division is a solid accomplishment for a rebuilding Alberta squad. Their season featured victories over top 10 teams Calgary and Saskatchewan, as well as close games against UBC and SFU, however, they also lost four games by 23 points or more.

Their biggest struggle this season has been finding consistent scoring as they rank second-last in the Canada West in scoring offence (69.8 points per game) and are only ninth in field goal shooting (41.6%). The Golden Bears have found a little bit more of a scoring touch as of late, however, topping the 70-point plateau in six of their last seven games.  The improvement on offence, granted it came against mostly non-playoff teams, was a big reason for their post-season berth as they come into this series having won five of their last seven.

Defensively, the Golden Bears have been solid, ranking fourth in scoring defence (73 points allowed per game) and they hold their opponents to the fifth lowest field goal shooting percentage (40.1%) in the conference. 

Alberta relies heavily on the trio of Jordan Baker, Harvey Bradford, and Scott Leigh who all average more than 28 minutes per game. Baker has put together an outstanding freshman season and he leads the Golden Bears with 13.7 points and 9.1 assists per game. Bradford is the only other player averaging double digits in points, 11.8 per game, while Leigh has come off the bench in more than half the league games and is the Bears main long range threat (41.0% three-point shooting).

Gold medal special on Thursday - Mahony & Sons
Come out to Mahony & Sons on Thursday to watch Team Canada go for gold in the women's Olympic Hockey final at 3:30 p.m. Cheer on Canada before coming over to War Gym to kick-off the Canada West men's basketball playoffs with an exciting T-Bird game.

Limited road restrictions on UBC campus during CW playoffs
Although the 2010 Winter Games will still be in full swing during the CW Quarterfinals, all of the action on the UBC campus will be complete and full access to campus via 4th/10th/16th avenues will be available. Regular parking will also be in effect. Access to campus during the CW Final Four, should UBC host, will also be virtually unaffected by the setup for the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games.

UBC Thunderbirds CW quarterfinal playoff schedule
Thursday, February 25  vs Alberta Golden Bears  7 p.m.
Friday, February 26  vs Alberta Golden Bears  7 p.m.
Saturday, February 27  vs Alberta Golden Bears  7 p.m.