VANCOUVER - A trio of UBC Thunderbird standouts will suit up for their final regular season home series this weekend when the T-Birds host the TRU Wolfpack at War Memorial Gym.
Brent Malish,
Alex Murphy, and
Josh Whyte will be honoured Saturday night as part of the UBC basketball Senior's Night festivities.
A look at the Thunderbirds
The T-Birds were extremely impressive over their recent four-game road swing, extending their conference win streak to 14 games with sweeps of Brandon and Regina. UBC won all four games by at least 36 points, breaking the 100-point barrier three times.
Four different T-Birds led the team in scoring in those games, and the same goes for rebounding. That balance and depth is part of what has made the CIS no. 2 ranked T-Birds such a tough team this year, as they have seven players averaging at least eight points per game, and four players pulling down at least four rebounds. That adds up to a league-leading +22.8 scoring margin, and a rebounding margin of +7.4, good for third in Canada West. UBC also leads the league in turnover margin at +5.6.
The T-Birds also lead the conference where it matters most. Their 18-2 record has them on top of the standings, which would mean a favourable first-round playoff match-up and the chance to host the Canada West Final Four. The only team within range of UBC is 19-3 Trinity Western, who finish their regular season schedule against Manitoba this week. The best they can do is finish with 21 wins, and UBC swept the season series to take the head-to-head tiebreaker, so if the 'Birds win three of their final four games they will finish first overall.
Reigning CIS Player of the Year
Josh Whyte is still churning out solid performances on a nightly basis, leading the team with 18 points per game while averaging better than three assists and four rebounds. He is also the conference three-point leader, hitting 46 per cent of his long-distance attempts this season.
Brent Malish is second on the team with just over 13 points per game, and he is coming off his best scoring effort as a T-Bird. He dropped a career-high 33 points and 12 rebounds in UBC's last outing, a 95-59 win in Regina.
Nathan Yu and
Doug Plumb both average double digit scoring this season too, and
Kamar Burke continues to lead the effort on the glass, averaging almost eight rebounds per game.
A look at the Wolfpack
This will be the final CIS action of the season for the WolfPack, who have lost five of their last six to drop out of the playoff race. They sit at 4-18 on the year, and have the second-worst turnover margin in the conference.
One bright spot for the 'Pack has been the play of fifth-year centre Greg Stewart. The big man is running away with the conference rebounding lead, averaging 13.3 per game, and he has posted five straight double-doubles, including a 29-point, 24-rebound performance against Victoria last week. He followed up that effort with a 24 points and 15 rebounds in game two against the Vikes. He averages about 15 points per game and his .569 field goal percentage is sixth-best in the conference. He should take home the conference shot-blocking title as well, as his 2.4 blocks per game is almost a full block better than anyone else. The senior should be a strong contender to defend his Canada West defensive player of the years honours.
Fellow post player Chas Kok leads the team with 16 points per game, but getting offence out of their guards has been tough for the 'Pack. Kevin Pribilsky chips in 14 points per game, but he is the only guard on the team averaging better than seven points. He is also just behind UBC's
Josh Whyte in three-balls, shooting .459 from long distance this year, but none of his teammates shoot better than 33 per cent from three-point range.
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