VANCOUVER - The battle for the Pacific Division has come down to two games between the No. 7 UBC Thunderbirds and the No. 4 Victoria Vikes to close out the regular season. The T-Birds host the first game this Friday, February 10 at 8 p.m. at War Memorial Gym, and game two goes on February 17 in Victoria.
Friday's game will see four seniors,
Balraj Bains,
Graham Bath,
Kamar Burke and
Nathan Yu, honoured for their time at UBC, which includes two CIS Final 8 title game appearances and a bronze medal finish at the Nationals.
Both games will be webcast (with live online statistics) on
CanadaWest.tv
GAME TIMES
Fri., Feb. 10 - No. 4 Victoria at No. 7 UBC (8 p.m. at War Memorial Gymnasium, Vancouver)
Fri., Feb. 17 - No. 7 UBC at No. 4 UBC (8 p.m. at McKinnon Gymnasium, Victoria)
No. 7 UBC Thunderbirds
2011-12 conference record: 12-4 (2nd, Pacific Division)
Last Week: L 77-72, L 94-83 to Fraser Valley
Streak: 2 losses
The Thunderbirds knew they would be in tough last weekend in a key series at Fraser Valley, and the Cascades proved to be legitimate contenders, sweeping the 'Birds to vault from No. 8 to 5 in the CIS rankings. UBC was out-rebounded by a wide margin both nights, and the hot-shooting Cascades took advantage.
UBC gave up 94 points on .531 shooting to UFV in game two, both of which are season-highs. They can't afford another weak defensive outing against Victoria, but fortunately for the 'Birds, the numbers don't lie, and those numbers still say their defence is among the best in the conference. Their opponent field goal percentage is still tops in Canada West and they only give up an average of 70 points per game which is right on par with Victoria. The stats also tell us that their struggles on the glass against UFV were probably anomalous, as they are third in the conference with a +6.5 average rebounding margin this season. Victoria leads the conference in rebounding, so the UBC big men are in for another tough test this week.
Nathan Yu had the hot hand last weekend, putting up 24- and 27-point games against the Cascades. He continues to lead the team with 19 points per game, but the rest of the 'Birds struggled offensively last week, and they can't expect to keep up with a deep scoring team like the Vikes riding one player. Guys like
Tommy Nixon,
Doug Plumb and
Kamar Burke could make all the difference on the scoreboard this week.Together they average just over 36 points per game this season, but were shy of that total by about 10 points in each game against the Cascades. The more players that get involved effectively in the offence, the more work the Vikes have to do to guard them, and that means better looks at the basket against a worn-out defence in crunch time.
No. 4 Victoria Vikes
2011-12 conference record: 13-3, first in Pacific Division
Last Week: W 76-49, W 68-39 vs UBC Okanagan
Streak: 3 wins
The Vikes bounced back from three consecutive series with a loss to sweep the UBC Okanagan Heat in convincing fashion last week, vaulting themselves into top spot in the division in the process. As they have done all year, the Vikes demolished the Heat on the boards, and their sweet-shooting guards led them offensively.
Ryan MacKinnon had a 40-point weekend, which keeps him right on his season's pace of 20 points per game, and Micheal Acheampong continued his hot shooting with a 20-point performance in game two. He averages 13.6 per game this year, and is one of three Vikes at the top of the conference three-point field goal percentage charts. He, MacKinnon and Zac Andrus are all shooting above .450 from long range this year, and as a team the Vikes are at .406, with no other Canada West squad breaking .370.
When a team like the Vikes gets hot from three point range they can give anyone problems, and as we saw last week the T-Birds are certainly not immune to the dangers of a trey-happy team finding its range. Relying on perimeter scoring can get a team into trouble too though when the shots aren't falling, but the Vikes are not without an inside presence. They don't have any one rebounder who dominates the boards single-handedly, but as a team they are the top rebounders in the conference, and those second chance opportunities could be huge in what will likely be a tight game between two tough defensive teams. Terrell Evans and Mike Berg patrol the paint for the Vikes, averaging a combined 17 points and 10 rebounds this season.
-30-
