These Cougars can claw, especially on a basketball court.
The University of Victoria Vikes women鈥檚 team jumps sneakers first into the sa国际传媒 West regular-season fire tonight and Saturday against the University of Regina Cougars, ranked No. 1 nationally by U Sports.
鈥淩egina can score in so many ways. They have so many answers,鈥� said Vikes head coach Dani Sinclair.
The Vikes have some, too, and are ranked No. 3 in the sa国际传媒 West coaches pre-season poll, behind Regina and the defending national champion Saskatchewan Huskies, the latter coached by Lisa Thomaidis, who also guided sa国际传媒 to the quarter-finals over the summer at the Rio Olympics.
鈥淥ur No. 3 ranking the pre-season coaches poll speaks to our fifth-year players. They have earned that,鈥� said Sinclair.
The Vikes are led by fifth-year inside players Jenna Bugiardini and Nicole Karstein and third-year outside gunner Amira Giannattasio.
UVic is staging the 2017 U Sports women鈥檚 basketball national championship tournament in March on Ken and Kathy Shields Court in the CARSA Performance Gym, and the Vikes are guaranteed a bye as host.
Sinclair said her squad has a goal for the season: The Vikes aim to enter the national tournament as legitimate contenders and not just as hosts.
The Vikes men鈥檚 basketball team is also in Regina to open the sa国际传媒 West regular season tonight and Saturday against the Cougars.
UVic is ranked seventh in the 17-team sa国际传媒 West pre-season coaches poll with Regina rated ninth. Last season鈥檚 national finalist Calgary Dinos are top-ranked by the conference鈥檚 coaches.
鈥淸No. 7] is a relatively fair assessment. We are a young team with quite a few newcomers,鈥� said Vikes head coach Craig Beaucamp.
A stifling defence has held Vikes opponents to just 40 per cent shooting from the field as UVic went 5-3 in the pre-season.
The scoring points have come from perimeter forward Grant Sitton and Greg Kinnear in transition. 鈥淥ther scorers are going to have to step up,鈥� said Beaucamp.
鈥淲e are deeper than we have been. That pays off during two-game, back-to-back conference weekend series,鈥� Beaucamp said.
Meanwhile, gone are the old Pioneer and Explorer Divisions in both sa国际传媒 West men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 hoops. All teams are now in the same mix with the top-12 in each men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 making the post-season.
Each team plays 20 regular-season games in sa国际传媒 West 鈥� four two-game sets each season against geographic or historical rivals, and then against six of the remaining 12 teams each alternating season.
鈥淚t has more of a sa国际传媒 West feel, from Victoria to Manitoba, and not so much just a sa国际传媒 bus league type feel from the past few seasons,鈥� Beaucamp said.
鈥淏ut it is not a balanced schedule [since not all teams play each other every season]. But with 12 teams making the playoffs, it is hoped that balances out any inequities of an unbalanced schedule.鈥�
