MBB: Provincial rivalries renew in CW Final Four
Your complete 2023 Men's Basketball Final Four preview
by Brian Swane, special to CW
It’s a Manitoba Melee and Battle for British Columbia in the semi-final round of the 2023 Canada West men’s basketball playoffs.
On Friday, the UBC Thunderbirds visit the Victoria Vikes, then the Manitoba Bisons host the Winnipeg Wesmen on Saturday, with the victors punching their respective ticket to the Canada West championship game.
The final four teams advanced to this weekend’s semi-finals after winning quarterfinal round games last weekend in thrilling fashion.
To stay up-to-date on all the action, visit Championship Central.
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MATCH-UPS
Victoria Vikes vs. UBC Thunderbirds
Friday, 7 p.m. PST at CARSA Performance Gym (Victoria, B.C.)
UBC was the only road team to win in the quarterfinal round of Canada West men’s and women’s basketball last Saturday, with the men knocking off the higher-seeded Alberta Golden Bears 76-65 in Edmonton. The T-Birds’ reward is a date with the Vikes, who are the reigning Canada West champions and top-seeded team in the 2023 playoffs.
Victoria began its defence of the Stan Border Trophy by topping the Regina Cougars 88-70, finishing the game on a 16-1 run to seize victory in what had been a seesaw contest at the CARSA Performance Gym.
If history is any indication, these teams have a thriller in store. In their latest meeting, the Vikes and UBC went to overtime before Victoria won 94-92 at home on Feb. 11. And the last time they played in the Canada West playoffs, the 2013 championship final, the T-Birds won 72-69 but not before the Vikes had a shot to tie the game as time expired.
Manitoba Bisons vs. Winnipeg Wesmen
Saturday, 7 p.m. CST at Investors Group Athletic Centre (Winnipeg, Man.)
The Bisons and Wesmen both had their best-ever regular seasons in Canada West men’s basketball, each setting their school’s record for wins, with 18 and 15, respectively. Now they meet with an opportunity to advance to the Canada West championship game and lay claim to what neither has possessed before: the Stan Border Trophy.
Each has already fought for survival just to get to the semi-final round: Manitoba held off the Calgary Dinos for a 75-72 quarterfinal victory at Investors Group Athletic Centre last Saturday, while the Wesmen topped Brandon 87-84 in triple overtime thanks to a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Donald Stewart that finally ended one of the longest games in Canada West history.
The Bisons and Wesmen split a pair of regular season games in Winnipeg at the beginning of the month: Manitoba won 71-61, while the Wesmen won 80-69 in what is the Bisons’ only loss since November. These teams have just one prior Canada West postseason meeting, won 92-79 by Winnipeg in 2019.