VANCOUVER - Winners of six straight, including the last four on the road, the No. 3 UBC Thunderbirds men's basketball team returns home this weekend looking to keep their grip on first place as they prepare for their first ever conference games against the UBC Okanagan Heat.
It will be a historic weekend as UBC head coach
Kevin Hanson goes for his 300th overall win as the bench boss of the Thunderbirds on Friday night.
On Saturday, members of UBC's 1972 National Championship team will be honoured on the court at War Memorial Gymnasium.
Both weekend games will be webcast on
CanadaWest.tv
GAME TIMES
Fri., Jan. 27 - UBC Okanagan at No. 3 UBC (8 p.m. at War Memorial Gym, Vancouver)
Sat., Jan. 28 - UBC Okanagan at No. 3 UBC (7 p.m. at War Memorial Gym, Vancouver)
No. 3 UBC Thunderbirds
2011-12 conference record: 10-2 (1st, Pacific Division)
2011-12 CIS ranking: 3
Last week: beat Manitoba 93-84 (OT) and Winnipeg 74-73
Nothing came easy last week in Manitoba, but the resilient T-Birds still managed to scratch out two close wins and overtake the Victoria Vikes for first place in the Pacific Division.
The T-Birds overcame yet another 20+ turnover performance against Manitoba to survive into overtime and earn a crucial win on the strength of 40 points combined from
Tommy Nixon and
Nathan Yu.
After travelling partner Victoria lost to those same Bisons the next day, UBC only needed to beat a 4-9 Winnipeg team to take sole possession of first place in the division, but they needed a shutout over the final two minutes of play and a clutch jumper by rookie
Malcolm Williams with 40 seconds left to earn a one-point win.
It may not have been the most convincing win, but it will go a long way to help the 'Birds clinch top spot in the division and the conference's best overall record. They are now one game up on Victoria and two up on Prairie leaders Alberta, with two games in-hand over both teams.
UBC continues to do just about everything well, leading the conference in rebounding margin, scoring margin, blocks and assists, but turnovers are still the major problem area. The 'Birds are just ninth in the conference with a turnover margin of -0.83. This weekend should provide them some opportunities to get that number moving in the right direction though, as the Heat rank second-last in turnover margin this year.
Kamar Burke leads the nation in rebounding, and will be up against the lowest-ranked rebounding unit this weekend, so look for more gaudy numbers on the glass for the big man.
Yu continues to lead the charge offensively with 19 points per game, and fellow senior
Doug Plumb is adding just under 16.
UBC Okanagan Heat
2011-12 conference record: 2-10 (6th, Pacific Division)
2011-12 CIS ranking: -
Last week: lost to Saskatchewan 96-67 and Alberta 87-54
Nobody expected the transition to the CIS to be easy, and the UBC O Heat have taken their share of lumps in their inaugural season on the big stage, but with just one fifth year and six rookies on the roster, the team should have a bright future ahead of it.
They currently lack the big bodies, especially in their junior and senior ranks, to compete in the low post and on the boards with the top teams in the Canada West. That deficiency has manifested itself in the form of a league-worst opponent field goal percentage of .492, and a -8.6 rebounding margin.
Third year Italian import Ed Dane Medi leads the team with 5.3 rebounds per game and just under a block per contest as well. At just 6'4" though, he will have his hands full going up against the likes of Burke and
Balraj Bains this weekend.
Yassine Ghomari, also in his third year, is the team's major scoring threat. He averages just shy of 20 points on .419 shooting this year, adding three assists and 1.3 steals per game. Simon Pelland, the lone fifth-year, has chipped in 10 points per game and just under four rebounds from his centre spot.
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