You can鈥檛 oversell the University of Victoria-University of British Columbia rivalry in sa国际传媒 West basketball, which will be renewed Thursday night at UVic鈥檚 CARSA gym and Friday night at the venerable UBC War Memorial Gymnasium.
Through good years and bad, the UVic players especially have circled this annual home-and-home fixture first on their schedules. It鈥檚 more than a cross-strait rivalry for the Vikes. It鈥檚 the chance to take on the province鈥檚 big-metropolis university and more than hold their own, especially during the UVic dynasty years. The rivalry has included Canadian national team players on both Vikes and Thunderbird men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 rosters.
鈥淚t goes back to the history of sa国际传媒 West when UBC and UVic were the only two schools in the conference; and the third school, Simon Fraser, played in NAIA,鈥� said Vikes head coach Craig Beaucamp.
鈥淭hat has sparked this rivalry . . . and it helped that both UVic and UBC have had good teams over the years.鈥�
The upper hand has ebbed and flowed over time as players came and went. It is UBC, led by the splendid Island-product and defending sa国际传媒 West MVP Conor Morgan, which is in a dominant phase at the moment on the men鈥檚 side. The Thunderbirds are 15-3 in sa国际传媒 West and ranked No. 4 in the U Sports national top-10 poll. The Vikes are 10-8 in conference and in a wild scramble among nine teams vying for the remaining eight of 12 playoff positions. Four teams, including UBC, have clinched playoff berths.
Morgan is a sleek six-foot-nine forward who plays like a shooting guard and he will again be a handful for the Vikes as he makes his final regular-season sa国际传媒 West appearance in his hometown. The Mount Douglas Secondary Rams graduate is an international and represented sa国际传媒 last summer at the World University Games and Jones Cup in Taiwan. His fluid inside-outside game is classically European and Morgan looks to have a big-money pro career in the offing overseas.
Morgan鈥檚 UBC career, however, has been marked by regular-season domination by the Thunderbirds followed by post-season heartbreak. That included an emotionally crushing first-round loss at home in 2016 when UBC hosted the U Sports national championship tournament, and also last season, when the clearly hobbled Morgan was far less than 100 per cent in a stunning first-round playoff loss to the Manitoba Bisons. The fifth-year standout is currently second in both conference scoring and rebounding (23.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per-game-average) and would like nothing more than to finish off his otherwise-splendid UBC career with that U Sports national title that has so far eluded him.
鈥淯BC has length and athleticism and is the top rebounding team in the conference,鈥� said Beaucamp, of the daunting task facing the Vikes over back-to-back nights on both sides of the strait.
Plotting on the other bench will be Beaucamp鈥檚 nemesis of many seasons, and UBC head coach, Kevin Hanson. He is supported by Thunderbirds assistant coach Spencer McKay, a former Vikes great and member of the UVic Sports Hall of Fame.
鈥淥ur defence and rebounding will be the keys for us. They are what has separated us from the top teams in the conference and from winning close games and gaining consistency,鈥� added Beaucamp, of what has limited UVic this season.
Conversely, offence hasn鈥檛 been an issue for the Vikes. These guys can score and average 83 points per game.
鈥淎nd we do that with balance, with four to six guys in double digits scoring each game,鈥� said Beaucamp.
The women鈥檚 UVic team (14-4) puts its 10-game winning streak on the line in the sa国际传媒 West set against UBC (10-8 ), which is on a six-game victory roll of its own.
Third-place UVic has clinched at least a first-round playoff series at home but has set its sights on the first-round byes that go to the top-four teams in the regular season. As important as the UBC games are for that, there is that added subjective dimension of playing the T-Birds.
鈥淭his rivalry is a thing in and of itself. It鈥檚 always fun to play UBC,鈥� said Vikes head coach Dani Sinclair.
鈥淨uite a few of the players on both teams have grown up together and that adds to the emotion on both sides. This annual home-and-home always attracts great support for both teams in both gyms.鈥�
UVic has overcome injuries this season that would have severely hampered most teams.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had the ability to focus on the task at hand and not look too far ahead,鈥� said Sinclair.
鈥淥ur players have been understanding and accepting of their roles and have performed in them.鈥�
Those roles have shifted with the downing of important players, including the season-ending ACL injury to two-way forward cog Marissa Dheensaw.
鈥淧layers have had to step into different responsibilities, including some younger players,鈥� said Sinclair.
鈥淏ut the load has not fallen on two or three players. Everybody is contributing. Nobody cares who gets the attention.鈥�
Two veterans, however, have notably stepped up to take command. Amira Giannattasio and Kristy Gallagher combined for two-game totals of 54 and 45 points, respectively, in a sweep of the Mount Royal Cougars last weekend at CARSA Gym.
鈥淜risty and Amira have shouldered a lot of the leadership responsibilities,鈥� said Sinclair.
The Vikes-Thunderbirds women鈥檚 game Thursday is at 6 p.m. followed by the men鈥檚 game at 8 p.m.
