The University of Victoria Vikes are in the winter cold right now but the warmth is just one door up.
There are 12 teams that will make the sa国际传媒 West men鈥檚 basketball playoffs and the Vikes are 13th with a 5-9 record. So games tonight and Saturday at CARSA gym against the Trinity Western Spartans, who are 2-12 and pretty much out of the playoff race, couldn鈥檛 come at a more opportune time for the Vikes.
鈥淵ou might look at our record and think we would be well out of it, but actually, we are not,鈥� said UVic coach Craig Beaucamp.
UVic trails Fraser Valley and Regina by two points and Mount Royal, Thompson Rivers and Brandon by four points, with two games in hand on the latter Bobcats. UVic has six games remaining.
鈥淲e control our own destiny. We have to stay healthy [some Vikes are dinged up physically], remain resilient, stay positive, don鈥檛 panic, and keep things simple,鈥� said Beaucamp.
Despite the Spartans struggles, the UVic bench boss remains wary of Trinity Western. The Spartans can鈥檛 seem to stop points going in, having allowed the most in sa国际传媒 West this season, but they can sure put them up.
The Spartans were unable to stop Manitoba from extending its win streak to six games last Saturday but Trinity still put up a ton of points in the 115-91 loss to the Bisons.
鈥淒espite its record, Trinity scores a lot of points. We need to be better defensively than we were last week against Lethbridge,鈥� said Beaucamp.
UVic鈥檚 fifth-year U.S. import swing forward Grant Sitton enters the weekend seventh in sa国际传媒 West scoring with an 18.4 points-per-game average while Pogos Trunyan leads Trinity Western at 15.1.
Meanwhile, the UVic women鈥檚 basketball team brings a six-game winning streak into its set tonight and Saturday against the Spartans at CARSA. The run has pushed the Vikes to 10-4 and clinched a sa国际传媒 West playoff berth.
Trinity Western, led by Tessa Ratzlaff鈥檚 conference second-leading scoring average of 18 points per game and conference-best shooting percentage of 52.2, is not far behind at 9-5 and on a three-game victory streak but has yet to clinch a post-season spot.
The Vikes know they are playing in the 2017 U Sports national championship tournament in March, which they will host on Ken and Kathy Shields Court in CARSA, but they want to march in through the front door.
鈥淥ur players understand the importance of that,鈥� said Vikes coach Dani Sinclair.
鈥淲e want to keep our rhythm going.鈥�
A big part of the Vikes resurgence has been because of rebounding.
鈥淥ur rebounding margin is significantly better,鈥� said Sinclair.
鈥淲e were one of the worst in the conference before Christmas with a rebounding deficit of minus-eight per game and are now almost breaking even. That鈥檚 huge.鈥�
Leading the way has been Jenna Bugiardini. The fifth-year business major from Hamilton, Ont., is five-foot-11 but positions herself well inside and is fourth in sa国际传媒 West rebounding with an average of 9.1 per game.
