VANCOUVER – The U SPORTS No.5-ranked UBC Thunderbirds (4-2) return to the west coast after a long road trip to take on the U SPORTS No.2-ranked University of Victoria Vikes (3-1) in a home-and-home series starting Thursday in Victoria and concluding Saturday back at War Memorial gym. Tip-off for Thursday's game is set for 8:00 p.m. (PT) while Saturday's home matchup is slated to start at 6:00 p.m. (PT).
Saturday's game is part of UBC's
Courtside Basketball Festival, featuring a live DJ, special half-time entertainment, games, prizes, giveaways and more!
Tickets can still be found here.
After sweeping the Lethbridge Pronghorns at home to open the Canada West season, the T-Birds split a pair of two-game series in Winnipeg and at Saskatchewan. Each of those games was decided by six points or fewer and the victory against the Wesmen still represents the only loss this year for the U SPORTS No.3-ranked Winnipeg team.
"This has been a tough part of our schedule but a good one for us," reflected UBC head coach
Kevin Hanson. "Winnipeg and Saskatchewan were great series for us to play. They were four close games and you learn a lot about what you need to do to be successful at the end of these types of games. Playing a tough schedule is healthy and will certainly help us develop as a team as we move forward."
The 'Birds' steady defence may be their calling card early on in the season, as UBC sits first in the conference in FG% against, and top five in both 3PT% against and total points allowed.
On the offensive end, a large portion of the T-Birds scoring success can be attributed to the play of captain
Brian Wallack. The fifth-year big man has eclipsed 20 points in three consecutive games, pushing him to top five in Canada West scoring. He's putting up those points with remarkable efficiency too, shooting 56% from the field, also good for top 10 in the conference.
"Brian has been playing exceptionally well for us and you need your seniors to play well to be successful," commented Hanson. "He has worked very hard over the years to get to this point. He is very difficult to defend on the offensive side and has been great on the defensive end for us. He is receiving a lot of attention from the opposition and this will only help him to grow as a player."
Wallack, and the entire team, will need to be at their best for their toughest test yet against the second-ranked team in the country in Victoria. The Vikes boast the top scorer in all of U SPORTS in Diego Maffia, whose 32.3 points per game is more than five better than anyone else in Canada so far this year and nearly 10 points better than anyone else in Canada West. Last season Victoria won both regular season matchups against UBC, one in overtime, and outlasted the 'Birds in a tight Canada West semi-final on their way to taking the conference championship.
"U VIC is a very talented team led by one of the most dynamic players in U SPORTS," concluded Hanson. "There is a long-existing rivalry between these two schools and these games provide a wonderful opportunity for the basketball community to come together and watch two very good teams compete. Both sides will be ready to put on a good show."
Tickets to Saturday's game at War Memorial gym, including all special
Courtside events, are still available
here. Stream both games live or on demand on
Canada West TV.
