Coming off their biggest win of the season Saturday in Edmonton, the UNBC Timberwolves are back on the U Sports Canada West road seeking yet another upset.
The T-wolves (8-8) will have to be sharp to shoot down the UBC Thunderbirds, the fourth-ranked university men's basketball team in the country. Only the undefeated Calgary Dinos (16-0) sport a better Canada West record than UBC (15-1).
"It's rare to have three nationally-ranked teams on the road in your schedule," said fourth-year UNBC guard Saje Gosal, in a team release.
"For us, it's a unique challenge and something we are really looking forward to. We have given ourselves confidence by going into Saskatchewan, beating them, going into Alberta, and beating them. We are looking to continue that trend."
Just prior to the semester break, Nov. 30, UNBC beat the Saskatchewan Huskies 83-76 in Saskatoon, then lost four straight. They ended their slide Saturday with an 81-70 win over the Alberta Golden Bears.
"Last week, Alberta was one of the top defensive teams in the country," said Gosal. "This week, UBC is one of the top offensive teams in the country. Our game plan shifts to keeping them out of transition, tightening up our defence, and watching some of their best players to make sure they don't get their confidence, or get going early."
Through 16 games, the T-birds have averaged 95.9 points, tops in the conference, and they've allowed just 73.4 points per game, third-best in Canada West. The T-wolves score 80.3 points per game, on average, and have allowed an average 78.1 points.
The T-wolves will be keeping a close watch on sharpshooting guards Jadon Cohee (tied for second in Canada West averaging 19.5 points) and Manroop Clair (sixth in the league with a 18.9 point average). Gosal says they will be ready for them.
"We have experienced guys across the board," he said. "Fourth- and fifth-year guys who are used to guarding elite-level talent. When you face a team with four or five guys who can score 20 on any given night, you want to have those veteran guys in your locker room who are not afraid of the challenge. Defensively, we feel like we can have a team effort and stop not just one guy, but hopefully the whole team."
UNBC has just four games left in the season and the T-wolves will be trying to solidify a playoff spot, currently ranked ninth in the 17-team league. The top 12 teams advance to the postseason.
The men's game starts at 7 p.m.
The UNBC women battle the Thunderbirds today at 1:30 p.m. in the first of their two-game weekend set. The T-wolves (9-7, eighth in Canada West) will be trying to end a two-game losing streak after getting swept by the Alberta Pandas last weekend. The T-birds (12-4, fifth in Canada West) have won their last nine games.
"It is really important for us to get wins this weekend, because we would like to host a playoff game, instead of going somewhere else," said second-year UNBC forward Alexis Magrath. "It's also important to help us just make the playoffs, because we haven't secured that spot yet.
"I am expecting them to come out hard against our top players, just like we are going to come out hard against theirs. We will have to rely on some players who they may not be thinking of, to keep us ahead of them."
