The Matchup
The No. 4 UBC Thunderbirds begin their playoff quest by hosting the Manitoba Bisons in a best of three quarter final series that tips off on Thursday night.
The 'Birds will be looking for a measure of redemption after the Bisons narrowly edged the hosts in back to back wins in last year's quarterfinal series at UBC.
Game one and two take place on Thursday and Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. PT at the War Memorial Gym and if a third contest is necessary that would go on Saturday at 3 p.m. PT.
Last Action
To close out the Canada West regular season two weeks ago it was the 'Birds winning both meetings in a home and home series against the rival University of Victoria Vikes with scores of 95-69 and 109-68.
The Bisons last action was also two weeks ago where they managed back to back road victories over the Fraser Valley Cascades with scores of 67-46 and 82-66.
By the Numbers
47.5 – The average number of overall rebounds collected by the 'Birds per game during the regular season which ranks first in the conference standings.
94.2 – The average number of points scored per game by the T-Birds during the regular season which also ranks first in the Canada West standings.
Players to Watch
Conor Morgan (#9, F) – At the conclusion of the regular season the fifth-year forward ranks third in Canada West standings with 23.9 points scored per game and second in rebounding with 9.7 boards per game.
Phil Jalalpoor (#7, G) – The fifth-year guard finished the regular season on a high note combining for 59 points and 10 rebounds in back to back wins over UVic.
Coach's Take
Thunderbirds head coach
Kevin Hanson is believes his team is ready to raise their level in the second season.
"I think the weekend series against Victoria is a really good way to head into playoffs," said Hanson. "You're on that high, the team played well with lots of emotion and it would have been nice to get right into it and not have a bye weekend that slows you down a bit but guys are hungry to go and I'm eager to get us back on the floor."
During the bye week Hanson tried to find the balance between keeping his squad both rested and sharp.
"The art of coaching is to make decisions like this as to how much rest the players should get versus how much is going to set you back both psychologically and physiologically." Hanson added. "We've tried to stick to the schedule as much as possible but you can't simulate playoff games, it's something you deal with and you go by feel and this is the time of year I listen to the players and their bodies."
Finally, Hanson previewed what he expects from the Bisons who finished the regular season in fourth spot in the conference standings.
"The last time we faced Manitoba was in the same quarterfinal on our court last year and the series didn't go our way," said Hanson. "There's still lots of emotion behind that series and I actually like playing a team we didn't see in the regular season, it's something new but they're in the front of our thoughts because of them ending our season last year which sits with you for a long time. They're a different team, they've got a new roster as do we, both teams lost some key components but it's going to be really entertaining basketball, everyone's primed to go and we're looking to our seniors to lead us through this next stretch."
