After over a month off for exams and the winter break, the UBC Thunderbirds aim to hit the ground running in the second half of the season.

The T-Birds currently hold a 6-3 record, fifth-best in Canada West. Given that the top four teams in the conference get homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs, leapfrogging some of the teams ahead of them will be a clear goal for the 'Birds.

"The players certainly came back last week feeling rejuvenated and the coaching staff as well," said Thunderbirds head coach Kevin Hanson. "I think we're sitting in a good place heading into the second part of the year."



While both of their games this weekend are at home, the Thunderbirds will face off against two different opponents. First, the Thompson Rivers WolfPack come to town on Friday, January 10th. Then the next night the T-Birds take on the UNBC Timberwolves in their first meeting of the season.

UBC mixed and matched lineups throughout the first half of the campaign, with Hanson using six different starting lineups over the nine conference games. Adam Olsen is the only player who's started every game and the second-year wing leads the 'Birds in scoring at over 15 points a night.

Hanson plans to keep utilizing his team's depth, but with playoffs and then nationals looming on the horizon he also wants to land on what's the best spot for each player to be in.

"I think it's been a big part of us not having any overuse," he said about using a deep rotation. "I think it's been positive that we've given lots of playing time to everybody, now it's time to define roles a little more…there's a bunch of guys that could start, but it's more about who's going to end games as opposed to who's starting."



The T-Birds ended 2024 with strong performance on the defensive end, holding UBC Okanagan to just 50 points in a blowout victory back on November 29th. Last weekend they played an exhibition game against MacEwan and held the Griffins to just 50 points as well. That defensive potential makes the Thunderbirds a scary opponent when combined with their high-flying offence – ranked third in Canada West at 85 points per game.

UBC has scored at least 80 points in every game since opening night, including in both of their first two matchups against TRU. The 'Birds beat the WolfPack twice in Kamloops in early November, with TRU now sitting at 5-5. They feature four players averaging double figures in points, but have struggled defensively, allowing opponents to shoot 46% from the field against them.

Saturday's game is the first time the T-Birds and Timberwolves have faced off since UNBC upset the Thunderbirds in the opening round of last year's playoffs. The 'Birds will be looking for some measure of revenge against a team they are 9-1 against all-time at War Memorial Gym. The Timberwolves are just 1-7 on the season, and 0-5 away from home.

Friday's clash against TRU begins at 7:30 p.m. (PT). The Thunderbirds then tip off against UNBC at 6:00 p.m. (PT) on Saturday.