The Matchup
It's a meeting between two teams that are on a roll when the No. 5 UBC Thunderbirds (8-2) host the Regina Cougars (7-1) for a weekend double header Friday and Saturday December 1 and 2.
The Thunderbirds have enjoyed six straight victories while the visiting Cougars come to town having tied a program record at seven consecutive victories. It will mark the first meeting between the squads since nearly two years ago when they split a weekend series out West in late January of 2016.
This weekend's action tips off on Friday night at 8 p.m. PT at UBC's War Memorial Gym. The rematch goes Saturday at 7 p.m. PT. For the opening game the 'Birds will be celebrating their first annual Festive Friday, signifying the last day of classes and inviting fans to get into the holiday spirit. Fans are encouraged to wear a Christmas sweater or wear some holiday colours while cheering on the 'Birds.
For more information on Festive Friday, visit
http://www.gothunderbirds.ca/sports/2017/11/23/festive-friday.aspx
Last Action
The T-Birds won both of their road games against the Winnipeg Wesmen last weekend, On Friday night the visitors earned a 83-67 win, while on Saturday night the 'Birds enjoyed a 46 point margin of victory taking the contest 100-54.
The Cougars picked up a couple of home court wins last weekend in narrowly getting past the Lethbridge Pronghorns 79-77 on Friday night while managing a more comfortable 92-79 win on Saturday.
By the Numbers
95.5 – The number of average points scored per game by the T-Birds who continue to the lead the conference in the category.
43.6 – The number of average rebounds the 'Birds record per game which is ranked second behind Manitoba by the slimmest of margins, the Bisons lead the Canada West in the category averaging 43.7 rebounds per game.
Players to Watch
Conor Morgan (#9, F) – The fifth-year forward continued his standout season combining for 49 points and 21 rebounds in back-to-back wins in Winnipeg, helping him maintain his team leading 23.1 points per game average.
Luka Zaharijevic (#15, F) – The fifth-year forward contributed the second most points with 16 while adding five rebounds in last Saturday's convincing 100-54 win over the Wesmen.
Coach's Take
With the Thunderbirds in the midst of a six game winning streak head coach
Kevin Hanson is looking for his squad to continue the good habits displayed during last weekend's sweep in Winnipeg.
"I thought one of our players summed it very well in saying the best thing about the weekend is that we succeeded in what we were trying to improve upon over the course of the week and I thought that was exactly what happened," said Hanson. "Some of the tactical and technical aspects that we needed to improve as a team so that was a positive. Everything seems to go smoothly when everyone gets into the game and contributes like Saturday where everybody played double digit minutes and it was certainly nice to get two road wins and play well in the process."
Focusing on the weekend ahead Hanson looks forward to a tough test against a Cougars team that pushes the pace.
"Regina is really good, they're on a seven-game win streak which has tied a school record for them, they've got a lot of transfers and veteran players that have played very well," Hanson continued. "They're scoring 85 points a game so we're going to continue to work on some things, we haven't been as strong defensively as I would like us to have been to start the year so that's still going to be our focus."
At the end of the day Hanson admitted that he's excited at the prospect of some back and forth action between the two squads.
"They've got six guys averaging double-digits in scoring so they're a real tough team to match up with, a lot of penetration combined with shooting from outside so they really try to stretch you out. It's going to be a good test, we're really looking forward to getting a test by a team that can put some points on the board and it will be a real measure of where we are as a team."
