Need to Know

The UBC Thunderbirds men's basketball team has to make one more stop in its Canada West campaign, and that will be in Calgary.  The 'Birds will head to Cowtown for the Canada West Final Four, and are set to face the Thompson Rivers WolfPack in the conference semifinals.
 
The 'Birds and WolfPack are set to clash at 5:00 p.m. (PST)  on Friday, March 11, while the other semifinalists, the Calgary Dinos and Manitoba Bisons, will play at 7:00 p.m. (PT) the same night. Both contests will be held at Calgary's Jack Simpson Gymnasium.
 

Last Week

The T-Birds defense dominated in their conference quarterfinal series against the Lethbridge Pronghorns, taking decisions by 81-57 and 85-57 margins. 

By The Numbers

30.85 - The 'Birds held the Pronghorns, who shot 46.1% from the field during the regular season, to just 30.9% shooting (29-of-94) in the first seven quarters of last weekend's two games, before Lethbridge made a late run with the game well out of reach.
 
3 – The veteran trio of Jordan Jensen-Whyte (Calgary), Conor Morgan (Victoria, B.C.), and David Wagner (Kamloops, B.C.) are the only three remaining Thunderbirds from the 2012-13 squad that claimed the Canada West title.
 

The Matchup 

Despite being a part of the same conference, Friday's matchup will see the 'Birds and WolfPack clash for the first time in nearly two and a half years. Back in November 2013, the 'Birds were swept in a two-game regular season series, falling 78-65 and 86-56.
 
A key contributor to the Blue and Gold's demise that weekend? Current Thunderbird Will Ondrik (Vernon, B.C.), who netted 14 points on each night to get Thompson Rivers the pair of wins.
 
As for the last time the T-Birds' faced their potential foes in the conference finals, they only have to go back to earlier this season. At the tail end of November, the 'Birds split their series with the Dinos, winning 83-76 before dropping a 101-82 decision.
 
The Dinos possess the most dangerous man in the conference in guard Thomas Cooper. Recently named the Canada West Most Outstanding Player, the Tennesseean averaged 25.8 points-per-game this past year, good for second in the country.
 
Against the Bisons, they fell 66-64 in the first game of their January back-to-back before rebounding in a 76-66 triumph.
 

Coach's Take

"Obviously, chasing the national championship goes through the final four," said UBC head coach Kevin Hanson. "You want to go into nationals on a high note, and playing well. In the Final Four, there's seeding to think about, because three teams will make it through. Confidence and momentum is a big factor in sport, and that's what we need to keep up with our play this weekend."
 
The 'Birds are only a week and a half out from hosting the CIS Men's Basketball Final 8. Get your tournament packages and single tickets now, as the national championship is set to take place from March 17-20 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. UBC will play their quarterfinal game on Thursday, March 17, with tip-off set for 8:00 p.m. (PT). Get tickets now.