VANCOUVER - Looking to hang on to their one-game lead in the Pacific Division, the UBC Thunderbirds head to Abbotsford this weekend for a key series with the Fraser Valley Cascades, who are still within striking distance for the division lead and are looking to secure a playoff spot.
Both games will be webcast on
CanadaWest.tv
GAME TIMES
Fri., Feb. 3 - No. 3 UBC at Fraser Valley (8 p.m. at Envision Athletics Centre, Abbotsford)
Sat., Feb. 4 - No. 3 UBC at Fraser Valley (7 p.m. at Envision Athletics Centre, Abbotsford)
No. 3 UBC Thunderbirds
2011-12 conference record: 12-2 (1st, Pacific Division)
Last Week: W 77-43, W 78-48 vs UBC Okanagan
Streak: 8 wins
The T-Birds already have their playoff spot in the bag thanks to a sweep of UBC Okanagan last weekend, but they won't be satisfied with anything less than another first overall finish in the Canada West standings. With that goal in mind,
Kevin Hanson's squad has probably had this weekend circled on the calendar for some time, as they face an extremely tough road test in the up-and-comming Cascades with major implications for playoff seeding.
The 'Birds smothered the Heat defensively last weekend, holding them under .300 shooting and 50 points in both games. Efforts like that are the reason UBC leads the conference by a wide margin in both scoring defence, allowing 68 points per game, and opponent shooting percentage, averaging just .363.
Almost five team blocks per game doesn't hurt either. Fifth-year centre
Balraj Bains averages two per game to lead the conference.
Kamar Burke is also among league leaders in blocks, but his real contribution to this season has been on the glass. UBC's rebounding margin is two boards better than any other team at +9.7, and Burke is the conference leader with 10.8 rebounds per game.
Offensively, the game runs through
Nathan Yu's hands. He leads the team with 18 points per game and just under five assists. Fellow fifth-year
Doug Plumb is next on the scoring list with 14.7 points per game.
It will be the first visit for rookie
Nakai Luyken to Fraser Valley, where his sister, Aiesha, plays on the women's basketball team. Their father Anthony is also an assistant on the women's team.
No . 8 Fraser Valley Cascades
2011-12 conference record: 10-5 (3rd, Pacific Division)
Last week: W 88-72 vs Trinity Western
Streak: 3 wins
The Cascades have to like their chances for an upset this weekend. They have played UBC tough for a few years now while continuously getting better and better themselves, and they should be well-rested to host the 'Birds this year, having played just one game last weekend.
They would need to sweep the 'Birds to have a chance to overtake them for first in the division, and even then they would need some help to wind up on top. But even moving up just one spot in the standings would mean home court advantage for the first round of playoffs, and four of their five losses this year have been on the road, so they should need no extra motivation to get up for this weekend.
Joel Friesen leads a balanced Cascades attack with 16.4 points per game, and is coming off tying his season-high with 24 points in their win over Trinity Western last weekend. The athletic wingman also contributes just under five rebounds per game, and like most of the Cascades, he isn't afraid to put it up from deep. Fraser Valley has looked for a lot of offence from three-point range over the last few years, and they are again one of the top long-distance teams in the conference. Six Cascades are averaging at least one made three pointer and better than .300 shooting from behind the arc this season.
Sam Freeman and Kyle Grewal are both included in that group. Freeman is second in scoring with 15.1 points per game and is the top three-point threat, shooting .392 from behind the arc while ranking third in made three-pointers in the conference. Grewal scores most of his 14.6 points inside, but has shown the ability to stretch defences with the occasional long ball too. He leads the team with 7.5 rebounds also.
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