VANCOUVER - The Thunderbirds dropped to No. 3 after suffering their first loss to Fraser Valley last week, and now they face a character-testing weekend on the road against a pair of top-ten men's basketball opponents in Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Both games will be streamed with live statistics on
CanadaWest.tv.
GAME TIMES
Friday, Nov. 23 - No. 3 UBC at No. 8 Saskatchewan (6 p.m. at Physical Activity Complex, Saskatoon)
Saturday, Nov. 24 - No. 3 UBC at No. 10 Alberta (6 p.m. at Saville Community Sports Centre, Edmonton)
No. 3 UBC Thunderbirds (5-1)
Last Week: W 76-71, L 89-77 vs No. 7 Fraser Valley
Even after the 'Birds escaped game one against Fraser Valley with their unbeaten record still intact, you could tell they weren't out of the woods yet with a quick look at the box score. The three-point shooters of the Cascades hit only 8 of 35 attempts, and still they were right in the game until the end.
Sure enough, the Fraser Valley sharpshooters knocked down exactly double the number of threes on the same number of attempts the next night to hand UBC its first loss of the year. Not many teams are capable of such an effective and relentless barrage from three, and UBC's typically solid defence isn't going to allow many opponents to shoot almost 52 per cent from the field, but it was definitely a wake-up call for a team that might have been due for one.
After all, given the large overhaul of the roster from last year and the fact that most of the backcourt duties are being handled by rookies
Isaiah Solomon and
Jordan Jensen-Whyte, five straight wins and a brief CIS No.1 nod isn't a bad way to start the season.
Head coach
Kevin Hanson himself mentioned after game one against Fraser Valley that a little adversity can be a good thing for a team to have to face early in a season, and this weekend in the Prairies will wrap up four straight games of challenging basketball that should tell him a lot about his squad.
No. 8 Saskatchewan Huskies (4-2)
Last Week: W 90-70, W 87-73 vs Calgary
The Huskies were ranked No. 5 to begin the year but they started slow, splitting series with Regina (1-5) and Lethbridge (3-3) before getting things in gear at home last week against Calgary.
Third-year guard Stephon Lamar scored 22 and 27 against the Dinos, making him the conference scoring leader after three weeks with 24.8 points per game. Fellow guard Ben Baker averages 14.5 and is a contributor on the boards as well, with about six rebounds per game, but neither of them shoot a very high percentage from the field, so it's all about forcing the Huskies to the perimeter and not allowing rebounds and second chance points.
UBC should have the advantage there as the top rebounding team in Canada West right now, and they certainly have the edge in the height department, with no Saskatchewan player listed as taller than 6'6", but the Huskies have been tough to deal with on the boards despite that.
Patrick Burns and Matthew Forbes are the main reasons behind that, averaging 9.5 and 7.7 rebounds per game respectively. And Forbes is particularly effective at finishing those second chances offensively as well, averaging 21.7 points on 64 per cent shooting this year. Keeping those two off the glass will be key for the 'Birds this week.
No. 10 Alberta Golden Bears (5-1)
Last Week: W 84-58, W 80-58 vs Lethbridge
Alberta dropped out of the tenth spot in the rankings briefly after splitting a series with Calgary, but they snuck back in the rankings after two convincing wins over Lethbridge last week.
Somewhat convincing anyway, as the Golden Bears have had a tough time getting the CIS to believe that their 5-1 record means much so far. They have yet to play a team that is currently above .500, but that changes in a big way with 5-1 UBC and 5-1 Victoria coming to town this week. Positive results here should earn the defending Canada West champs plenty of respect.
And it's not like they don't still have the pieces to compete. The Bears did have to transition to new head coach Barnaby Craddock this year, but the record suggests that has gone well so far, and they still have all-star wingman Jordan Baker, forward Todd Bergen-Henengouwen, and versatile guard Kenny Otieno, who looked good in his rookie year for the Bears but didn't play last year.
Otieno is off to a great start in his return to the team, averaging 16.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and almost three assists per game. Baker is also up to his usual mister-everything style of play, leading the team with 18.7 points, 4.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game, as well as chipping in 7.7 rebounds of his own. His shooting percentage is well below .400 though, so he will need to be more efficient offensively against the stiff competition they'll be up against this week.
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