The Canada West Conference will once again have three representatives at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Final 8 this weekend in Halifax, as Trinity Western University was awarded the wildcard berth following a vote by a committee of CIS coaches. With that in mind, here’s a look at the three teams, in order of seeding:
University of British Columbia Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds go into the tournament as the number one seed, and will be hungry for a championship after having been on the losing end of back-to-back national championship final appearances. With nine fourth- and fifth-year players, including all-star senior guards Josh Whyte (18.1 points-per-game) and Alex Murphy (5.0 assists-per-game), the championship window for the Thunderbirds is rapidly drawing to a close.
After spending most of the regular season sitting second in the CIS Top 10 Rankings with a 22-2 record, the Thunderbirds took down last year’s CIS champions, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, March 5 to win the Canada West championship.
Murphy was especially impressive in the win, as the senior point guard lit up the Huskies’ defence to the tune of 34 points and eight assists. He will be one to watch in Halifax, along with Whyte, forwards Brent Malish (12.8 points-per-game) and Kamar Burke (7.8 rebounds-per-game), and offensive sparkplug Nathan Yu (13.0 points-per-game) off the bench.
If the Thunderbirds can overcome their size disadvantage and maximize their strengths, which are guard play and a staunch defence, expect them to make a third straight appearance in the championship final.
University of Saskatchewan Huskies
The defending champs will enter this weekend’s tournament as somewhat of an underdog after spending much of the season in the shadow of fellow Canada West powerhouses UBC and Trinity Western. However, an electric backcourt of Rejean Chabot (21.5 points-per-game) and Canada West MVP Jamelle Barrett (25.0 points-per-game) have done more than make up for the loss of last year’s all-star guard tandem of Showron Glover and Michael Linklater, torching opponents nightly to occupy fourth and first respectively on the conference scoring list.
The Huskies, who ended the regular season third on the CIS Top 10 Rankings, also boast a big and athletic frontline with high-flying senior Michael Lieffers (8.9 rebounds-per-game), as well as Nolan Brudehl and David Neufeld. Saskatchewan will look to push the ball in transition and get easy looks for their high scoring guards all tournament long, and could prove dangerous in a fast-paced game.
Trinity Western University Spartans
Despite spending much of the season ranked above the Huskies on the CIS Top 10 Rankings, Trinity Western lost its Canada West semifinal matchup against Saskatchewan March 4, and needed enough votes from a committee of CIS coaches in order to qualify for the wildcard position.
However, the Spartans will enter the tournament as formidable first-round opponent, with arguably the top frontcourt in the country, led by Canada West all-star Jacob Doerksen (21.6 points-per-game) and former Portland State forward Tyrell Mara (8.8 rebounds-per-game).
The question mark for Trinity Western comes at the guard spots, where a streaky Tristan Smith will start at the point next to Calvin Westbrook (14.0 points-per-game). The calling card for the Spartans will be size, energy, and the versatility to go either big or small with their lineup.
If Smith can stay out of foul trouble and rediscover the range on his three-ball, Trinity Western could surprise some teams.