CW Men's Basketball: 2026 Playoff Preview

Article by Brian Swane, special to CW

Feb. 12, 2026 - Twelve teams are set to begin their quest for the Stan Broder Trophy, as the 2026 Canada West men’s basketball postseason tips off this week, with games at sites across the conference Thursday through Sunday.

The play-in round round will see teams seeded fifth through 12^th look to join the top four seeds in the quarter-finals. The quarter-final winners will compete in the semifinal round next week, with those winners advancing to the championship final. All games are single elimination.

All Canada West playoff games will be broadcast live on Canada West TV – Powered by BioSteel.

CW Men's Basketball - Final Seeding

Note: Top seed alternates between divisions and opposite genders, year to year. In 2026, the first place team in the Prairie Division will be the first overall seed.

Site 1: Hosted by University of British Columbia

Games played at War Memorial Gym in Vancouver, B.C.

#5 University of Manitoba Bisons (13-7) vs. #12 Brandon University Bobcats (8-12)

#4 University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (15-5) vs. #5/#12 winner

Manitoba and Brandon faced each other three times during the regular season, with the host team winning each time, including the Bisons beating the Bobcats twice last week in Winnipeg. Home advantage won’t be a factor this time, as the provincial rivals do battle on a neutral site, more than 2,000 kilometres to the west. Incredibly, Brandon and Manitoba have only met once previously in the Canada West postseason, an 82-76 win for the Bisons in 2018.

This game will feature three of the top five scorers in Canada West: Sultan Haider-Bhatti (20.1 points per game) and Munroop Gill (17.9 points per game) of Brandon, and Manitoba’s Daren Watts (17.6 points per game). With no less than half a dozen players in their fifth year, Manitoba has the edge in experience. Two-thirds of Brandon’s roster comprises players in their first or second year, and a number of Bobcats will be making their Canada West playoff debut.

Taking UBC’s head coaching reins from the legendary Kevin Hanson, Phil Jalalpoor did his mentor proud this season, guiding the T-Birds to their eighth season with at least 15 wins since 2016. UBC ranked second in Canada West in points per game (86.6) and first in rebounds per game (43.9). The T-Birds, who faced neither Brandon nor Manitoba during the regular season, will be looking to erase the memory of their last home playoff game, a 109-96 loss to Calgary in the 2025 championship final.

Site 2: Hosted by University of Alberta

Games played at Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton, AB

#6 University of the Fraser Valley Cascades (13-7) vs. #11 University of Regina Cougars (9-11)

#3 University of Alberta Golden Bears (13-7) vs. #6/#11 winner

After enduring a midseason slump, Regina went 5-1 over its last six games and closed with four consecutive wins to climb into a playoff spot, finishing with the sixth best record in the Prairie Division. Defense was key to the Cougars’ recent success, as they have allowed an average of just 61.8 points against over their current four-game winning streak, a decrease of more than 20 points per game from the rest of the season.

The Cascades are also riding a wave of momentum into the postseason, with a record of 6-1 over their last seven games. UFV is the fifth-highest scoring team in Canada West, with an explosive offence quarterbacked by guard Bennett O’Connor, who averaged 4.8 assists per game with an incredible assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.64. UFV has seven players on its roster who were part of the Cascades’ play-in round victory over Regina two years ago.

Under the guidance of first-year coach Geoff Pippus, Alberta has been one of the strongest defensive teams in the conference, allowing just 74.0 points per game while limiting the opposition to a field goal percentage of 41.6%. The Bears are 2-3 in their last five home contests and split a pair of games against Regina at the Saville Community Sports Centre on Jan. 23 and 24. Alberta did not face UFV during the regular season.

Site 3: Hosted by University of Victoria

Games played at CARSA Performance Gym in Victoria, BC

#7 Mount Royal University Cougars (13-7) vs. #10 Trinity Western University Spartans (9-11)

#2 University of Victoria Vikes (17-3) vs. #7/#10 winner

After setting the program record for most regular season wins in their Canada West history, the Cougars will now look to win a postseason game for just the second time since joining the conference. While the Cougars have scored at least 90 points in four of their last six games, Mount Royal relies on a balanced attack: No one on coach Josh Mullen’s squad has averaged more than 12.2 points, but an incredible seven players who are putting up at least 7.6 points per game.

TWU men’s basketball team had an up-and-down season, but the Spartans have never been hotter than they are now, riding a four-game win streak into the postseason. The Spartans boast the top perimeter offence in Canada West, leading the conference in both three-pointers made (11.2 per game) and three-point percentage (.361). Over 20 games, TWU guard Jack Vandenberg made an incredible 75 triples, 27 more than anyone else in the conference.

Victoria was the class of Canada West during the regular season, finishing with the best winning percentage (.850), while scoring the most points (88.2 per game) and allowing the second fewest (71.9 per game). In the quarter-final, the Vikes will either face an opponent they know quite well (Victoria went 3-0 against TWU during the regular season) or aren’t at all familiar with (Victoria and Mount Royal haven’t played each other since 2022). ​

Site 4: Hosted by University of Winnipeg

Games played at Duckworth Centre in Winnipeg, MB

#8 University of Calgary Dinos (12-8) vs. #9 Thompson Rivers University WolfPack (12-8)

#1 University of Winnipeg Wesmen (16-4) vs. #8/#9 winner

The defending champs from Calgary will have to be road warriors if they are to repeat as Canada West gold medalists, but that shouldn’t be a problem for the Dinos, who had a better record away (7-3) than at home (5-5) this season. The same, however, can be said of the WolfPack, who went 7-4 on the road compared to 5-4 in Kamloops.

The first meeting between Calgary and TRU in more than two years pits the offensively explosive Dinos, who have scored at least 80 points in nine of their last 10 games, against the defensively stout WolfPack, who allow just 71.4 points per game, fewest in Canada West this season. Thompson Rivers is 8-0 when allowing less than 70 points, while Calgary was held to 70 or fewer points in only four games this season, and lost all of them.

Awaiting the winner is the Wesmen, who earned their first ever No. 1 seed after matching last season’s program-best record of 16-4. Winnipeg is a well-rounded squad, ranked third in Canada West for most point scored and fewest points allowed. The Wesmen were 2-0 against the Dinos but did not play TRU during the regular season. Five players average at least 10 points per game for the Wesmen, with the dynamic backcourt of Kato Jaro (14.9) and Alberto Gordo (14.8) leading the way.