Now, the race really begins.
The University of Victoria Vikes men鈥檚 basketball team is finally at full strength, and it couldn鈥檛 have come at a better time.
The Vikes (7-3) kick off the second half of the sa国际传媒 West season tonight, (6 p.m. PT) in Winnipeg and they enter the contest just one game back of the Pacific Division-leading UBC Thunderbirds (8-2).
Back to full health are big men Chris McLaughlin and Pierce Anderson, as well as veteran guard Brandon Dunlop.
All three missed several games in the first half of the season. And they can thank the mid-season break for their return to health.
The Vikes last saw sa国际传媒 West action in late November. After a few weeks to heal, UVic trekked to California for their annual winter tune-up. Now, it鈥檚 all systems go.
鈥淲e are healthy now, so that鈥檚 good. And we鈥檝e really been working on getting our game speed back, so those games in California really helped,鈥� Vikes head coach Craig Beaucamp said of the trip to Los Angeles that saw UVic beat Biola University, but drop a close one to the defending NAIA champs, Concordia University.
鈥淲e had two good games [in California], and the Concordia game, especially, was a good test for our guys. [Concordia] is an excellent team and we competed very well against them.鈥�
Now, the Vikes turn their attention to a Wesmen team whose 8-3 start has surprised a lot of people. They are in second place in the Prairie Division, behind only the conference leading 9-1 Alberta Golden Bears. The Wesmen have also proved tough on teams visiting the Duckworth Centre. Winnipeg is a perfect 7-0 on its home floor.
鈥淭hey have a good record at home because they play you real tough there,鈥� Beaucamp said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e very much improved over last year so we will have our hands full and will have to play a solid game at both ends of the floor.鈥�
The Wesmen, who average 80 points a game 鈥� good for sixth in sa国际传媒 West, are led by Steven Wesley, who is 10th in the conference in scoring with 17 points a game.
The Vikes will counter with the conference鈥檚 third best defence and sharp-shooting veterans Terrell Evans and Michael Acheampong. Evans is 15th in the conference in scoring, averaging 16.4 points per game, while Acheampong averages 13.
After tonight鈥檚 game, the Vikes will head across town to the University of Manitoba to face the 7-4 Bisons, led by the conference鈥檚 fourth best scorer, Stephan Walton, and his 18.4 points a game.
n The UVic women enter today鈥檚 game (4 p.m. PT) in Winnipeg needing some wins to stay in the playoff hunt.
The 6-4 Vikes are fourth in the Pacific Division and could use a sweep of their two games in the Manitoba capital against the 5-6 Wesmen and 2-9 Bisons.
The Vikes are coming off a pair of losses on their mid-season California trip, and associate coach Dani Sinclair knows her team will have to be a lot better starting this weekend.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 perform as well as we would have liked in California so it鈥檚 important we get back to playing good basketball,鈥� Sinclair said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 shoot very well, even missed a lot of easy ones. So we鈥檝e got to be better.鈥�
The weekend is a homecoming for Vikes veteran Debbie Yeboah, who graduated from Sisler High School in Winnipeg. And the Vikes will need Yeboah鈥檚 18.4 points a game, fourth best in sa国际传媒 West, to help break down a Wesmen defence that is fifth best in the conference, allowing just 61 points a game.
鈥淭hey play tough in their own gym and they use a zone defence, which throws a lot of teams off, so we鈥檙e going to have to be patient on offence and capitalize on our chances,鈥� Sinclair said.
On Saturday, Sinclair鈥檚 squad will likely have an easier time as the last-place Bisons are the lowest scoring team in sa国际传媒 West, averaging just 41.3 points a game.
After this weekend, the Vikes return home to face Regina and Brandon next week.
