They are battle-tested and playing as well as they have all year.
What a perfect time for playoffs to start.
The UNBC Northern Timberwolves wrapped up their PACWEST Athletic Association regular season with two weekend wins in the Lower Mainland. The UNBC men's basketball team beat the Kwantlen Eagles 92-72 Saturday in Surrey, one night after a 98-94 double-overtime decision against the Langara College Falcons in Vancouver.
The Timberwolves, who finished second in the league with a 13-3 record, will now start preparing for the PACWEST provincial championship tournament. At provincials, they will have a bye to the semifinal round and will tip off against either the third-seeded Camosun College Chargers or sixth-ranked Douglas College Royals.
UNBC coach Todd Jordan said he's comfortable facing either club, particularly with how well his T-wolves are performing right now.
"I think the team has grown over the course of the year," he said. "We've seen some big improvements in a lot of areas. We're at the level where we're playing some of our best basketball at the right time of the year and that's what it's all about."
Jordan sees Friday's extra-time win -- a game in which the Timberwolves had to battle back from a 16-point deficit in the second half -- as a good test of resolve heading into playoffs.
"That's huge to get through a game like that," he said. "That will be a good experience for us going forward."
The Timberwolves will play their semifinal on March 2 at North Vancouver's Capilano University. A win against either Camosun or Douglas -- clubs they beat relatively easily during the season -- will land the T-wolves in the provincial final on March 3. That game will send one team to nationals, March 15-17 in Truro, N.S.
The top-seeded Vancouver Island University Mariners (15-1) are the other team favoured to be in the PACWEST final. In the semis, the Nanaimo-based Mariners will meet either fourth-ranked Langara or fifth-ranked Capilano.
Jordan said the T-wolves must be careful not to look past their semifinal game. But, at the same time, they must anticipate yet another showdown with VIU. UNBC and VIU have collided in the last two provincial finals, the Timberwolves winning in 2010 and the Mariners coming out on top last year.
"Especially with there only being one berth to nationals this year, that weekend won't be a success for us unless we win the conference championship," Jordan said. "We definitely can't look past that first game -- going into that weekend, that's got to be our No. 1 focus. But in our preparations leading up, we're definitely going to have to talk VIU a little bit because there won't be enough time to do it if we do get through that semifinal game."
