CW Men's Basketball Playoffs tip off Thursday

Catch all the action on CWTV presented by Co-op

Brian Swane, special to CW

Canada West’s men’s basketball teams didn’t miss a beat in returning to the hardwood this season following the cancellation of 2020-21. In fact, the calibre of play from B.C. to Manitoba has been so high that half of the latest U Sports Top 10 men’s basketball poll is comprised of Canada West teams.

That also means that at least one of the best teams in the country will have their season come to an end this weekend, as the Canada West playoffs get underway, Thursday through Saturday, with games hosted by the University of Calgary at Jack Simpson Gym and the University of Lethbridge at 1^st Choice Savings Centre.

Beginning with 17 teams, the field will be narrowed over the preliminary rounds, before a quartet of quarter-final matchups determine who advances to the 2022 Canada West Final Four, March 18-20.

Teams seeded 10 through 17 will tip off in the first round Thursday, before seeds four through nine join the fray Friday in the second round. The top three seeds, the Alberta Golden Bears, Victoria Vikes and Regina Cougars, have byes through to Saturday’s quarterfinals.

The Golden Bears, who will host the 2022 U Sports Men’s Final 8 next month, are currently the No. 2 ranked team in U Sports. Victoria is fifth, while the defending Canada West champion UBC T-Birds are sixth. The Saskatchewan Huskies sit ninth, and the Cougars round out the rankings at No 10.

Here’s a look at each team’s path to the Final Four:

1. Alberta (16-0, 1^st Central Division)

First Round: bye

Second Round: bye

Quarter-Final: vs. TBD (UFV vs. Winnipeg), 6 p.m. MST Sat. at Jack Simpson Gym

2. Victoria (17-1, 1^st West Division)

First Round: bye

Second Round: bye

Quarter-Final: vs. TBD (Manitoba/UBC Okanagan vs. Lethbridge), 7 p.m. MST Sat. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

3. Regina (12-4, 1^st East Division)

First Round: bye

Second Round: bye

Quarter-Final: vs. TBD (MacEwan/Trinity Western vs. Calgary), 8 p.m. MST Sat. at Jack Simpson Gym

4. Saskatchewan (11-5, 2^nd East Division)

First Round: bye

Second Round: vs. TBD (Brandon vs. UNBC), 4 p.m. MST Fri. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

*Quarter-Final: vs. TBD (Mount Royal/Thompson Rivers vs. UBC), 5 p.m. MST Sat. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

5. UBC (16-2, 2^nd West Division)

First Round: bye

Second Round: vs. TBD (Mount Royal vs. Thompson Rivers), 6 p.m. MST Fri. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

*Quarter-Final: vs. TBD (Brandon/UNBC vs. Saskatchewan), 5 p.m. MST Sat. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

6. Calgary (9-7, 2^nd Central Division)

First Round: bye

Second Round: vs. TBD (MacEwan vs. Trinity Western), 8 p.m. MST Fri. at Jack Simpson Gym

*Quarter-Final: vs. Regina, 8 p.m. MST Sat. at Jack Simpson Gym

7. Lethbridge (8-8, 3^rd Central Division)

First Round: bye

Second Round: vs. TBD (Manitoba vs. UBC Okanagan), 8 p.m. MST Fri. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

*Quarter-Final: vs. Victoria, 7 p.m. MST Sat. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

8. UFV (9-9, 3^rd West Division)

First Round: bye

Second Round: vs. Winnipeg, 6 p.m. MST Fri. at Jack Simpson Gym

*Quarter-Final: vs. Alberta, 6 p.m. MST Sat. at Jack Simpson Gym

9. Winnipeg (8-8, 3^rd East Division)

First Round: bye

Second Round: vs. UFV, 6 p.m. MST Fri. at Jack Simpson Gym

*Quarter-Final: vs. Alberta, 6 p.m. MST Sat. at Jack Simpson Gym

10. Manitoba (7-9, 4^th East Division)

First Round: vs. UBC Okanagan, 8 p.m. MST Thurs. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

*Second Round: vs. Lethbridge, 8 p.m. MST Fri. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

**Quarter-Final: vs. Victoria, 7 p.m. MST Sat. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

11. Trinity Western (8-10, 4^th West Division)

First Round: vs. MacEwan, 6 p.m. MST Thurs. at Jack Simpson Gym

*Second Round: vs. Calgary, 8 p.m. MST Fri. at Jack Simpson Gym

**Quarter-Final: **Quarter-Final: vs. Regina, 8 p.m. MST Sat. at Jack Simpson Gym

12. Mount Royal (7-9, 4^th Central Division)

First Round: vs. Thompson Rivers, 6 p.m. MST Thurs. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

*Second Round: vs. UBC, 6 p.m. MST Fri. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

**Quarter-Final: vs. TBD (Brandon/UNBC vs. Saskatchewan), 5 p.m. MST Sat. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

13. UNBC (6-12, 5^th West Division)

First Round: vs. Brandon, 4 p.m. MST Thurs. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

*Second Round: vs. Saskatchewan, 4 p.m. MST Fri. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

**Quarter-Final: vs. TBD (Mount Royal/Thompson Rivers vs. UBC), 5 p.m. MST Sat. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

14. Brandon (2-14, 5^th East Division)

First Round: vs. UNBC, 4 p.m. MST Thurs. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

*Second Round: vs. Saskatchewan, 4 p.m. MST Fri. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

**Quarter-Final: vs. TBD (Mount Royal/Thompson Rivers vs. UBC), 5 p.m. MST Sat. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

15. Thompson Rivers (4-14, 6^th West Division)

First Round: vs. Mount Royal, 6 p.m. MST Thurs. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

*Second Round: vs. UBC, 6 p.m. MST Fri. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

**Quarter-Final: vs. TBD (Brandon/Saskatchewan/UNBC), 5 p.m. MST Sat. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

16. MacEwan (0-17, 5^th Central Division)

First Round: vs. Trinity Western, 6 p.m. MST Thurs. at Jack Simpson Gym

*Second Round: vs. Calgary, 8 p.m. MST Fri. at Jack Simpson Gym

**Quarter-Final: vs. Regina, 8 p.m. MST Sat. at Jack Simpson Gym

17. UBC Okanagan (3-15, 7^th West Division)

First Round: vs. Manitoba, 8 p.m. MST Thurs. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

*Second Round: vs. Lethbridge, 8 p.m. MST Fri. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

**Quarter-Final: vs. Victoria, 7 p.m. MST Sat. at 1st Choice Savings Centre

You can catch all the action on CWTV presented by Co-op. For complete updates and results, visit the playoff page.