The Manitoba Bisons (regular season: 12-8; playoffs: 1-0) advanced to the Canada West men’s basketball Quarter-final, for the third consecutive season, after a Play-In home playoff game win of 82-76 over Brandon on Feb. 9.
Manitoba, the seventh seed, travel to play No. 4 and third seed UBC Thunderbirds (17-3) in the Canada West Quarter-final best-of-three playoff series played on the February 15-17 weekend. Games will be live on canadawest.tv (fee req'd).
The best-of-three playoff series commences on Thursday, February 15 with a start time of 6 p.m. CT for game one. Game two commences on Friday, February 16 at 6 p.m. CT and, if necessary, game three will be play on Saturday February 17 at 5 p.m. CT. All playoff matches will be played at UBC.
During this season, Manitoba and UBC did not meet in conference action.
Both teams faced off in 2017 playoffs in the CW Quarter-final best-of-three series at UBC and the Herd won in two games (W 79-75 on Feb. 23/17; W 98-96 in 1st OT on Feb. 24/17).
Manitoba is on a three game winning streak as they swept the Fraser Valley Cascades (W 67-46 on Feb. 2; W 82-66 on Feb. 3) to end CW regular season and then beat Brandon in the playoffs.
The Herd went 6-3 on the road in the CW regular season and equaled their regular season win total (12) from last season.
Manitoba seeks to advance to their third consecutive conference semi final with a series win versus UBC.
Prior to 2017 playoffs, both teams met in conference playoffs in 2016 as they faced off in the bronze medal match in the Canada West Final 4 in Calgary. UBC won 101-72 on March 12, 2016. The Bisons and Thunderbirds faced off in a playoff series in the 2010-11 season when UBC won 2-0 in games at home in the conference Quarter-final best-of-three series (L 106-75 on Feb. 25/11; L 103-85 on Feb. 26/11).
In this conference men’s basketball regular season, the Bisons were ninth in scoring offence at 80.5 points per game and fourth in scoring defence at 74.7 points per game. In 3-point percentage, Manitoba ended up first at 36.6% and sixth in field goal percentage at 43.9%. In free throw percentage, the Herd was 16th at 62.3. In Canada West steals per game, Manitoba was seventh at 7.6; in assists per game, Manitoba third with 16.4 per game and in rebounds per game, Manitoba sixth in conference at 41.4 while in blocks per game, the Bisons finished third at 3.6.
Individually, co-captain Justus Alleyn was first place in conference scoring at 24.1 points per game while James Wagner is eighth in CW scoring at 18.6. In Canada West minutes played, Alleyn ended up third at 35.6, Rashawn Browne sixth at 34.8 while Wagner was sixth with 33.9. Alleyn finished fourth at 42.3% while Brown is tenth at 41.7 and Wagner was eighth at 41.5% in 3-point percentage. In rebounds per game, Wagner is 11th with 7.6. Browne led the conference in assists per game at 6.8. Alleyn was T-9th with 1.9 steals per game plus in blocks per game, Wagner tied for sixth with 1.1 and Cameron O’Hara was tied for ninth at 0.8 CW blocks per game.
Bison men’s basketball - 2018 Canada West Quarter-final series road schedule
Date - Game - Central Time
Thurs, February 15
Game 1: Manitoba at UBC
6 p.m.
Fri, February 16
Game 2: Manitoba at UBC
6 p.m.
*Sat, February 17
Game 3: Manitoba at UBC
5 p.m.
* if necessary
Bison Notes: In 2018 Canada West playoffs stats so far, Alleyn is first in Canada West with 31.0 point per game and Browne is seventh with 19.0. Alleyn and Wagner are tied for second with 39.0 minutes played per game. O’Hara is tied for second with 13.0 rebounds per game while Wagner is tied for ninth with 8.0 rebounds per game plus Browne is tied for first at 6.0 assists per game.
Source: http://gobisons.ca/news/2018/2/14/general-bison-mens-hockey-team-host-mount-royal-in-canada-west-quarter-final-playoff-series-on-feb-16-18.aspx