NOTE: Previous edition of this report had Saskatchewan and Alberta playing tonight - the game is actually this afternoon at 5 PM Eastern time (3 PM local in Edmonton)
UBC clinched their 4th Pacific Division title in the past 5 years by sweeping UVic at home after last night's 88-82 victory. The T-Birds have taken 4 of 5 games from the Vikes this season but the teams may meet again; Victoria is the favorite to capture the wild card berth to the Canada West Final Four next weekend T-Birds Vanquish Vikes... For Now From Victoria Vikes web site T-Birds Use Three Ball to sweep Vikes From Victoria Times-Colonist report T-Birds Clip Vikes to sweep series also from Canada West web site Box Score 
Also, Saskatchewan used a solid perimeter defense to defeat Alberta in Edmonton Bears Offense Goes Missing also an article by John Short from the Edmonton Sun Bears Dominated PLUS from Saskatoon Star-Phoenix highlighting the great work of Huskies Rejean Chabot Chabot Money Player for Dogs from Canada West site Box Score Brandon used their turnover-creating defense to grab a nice lead and then held off a Regina rally led by Jamal Williams to claim the Game One Great Plains division win Box Score
PREVIEW OF TODAY'S ACTION IN THE CIS (OUA & CANADA WEST PLAYOFFS, AUS & QSSF REGULAR SEASON'S WIND DOWN
AUS4 PM Eastern/5pm Atlantic UNB (5-12, 10 pts.) at Saint Mary's (8-9, 22 pts) St. Mary's needs a victory to maintain their edge over Dal for fifth place as they currently are 4 points ahead of the Tigers. With their loss against UPEI this past Wednesday, the Varsity Reds were eliminated from the AUS playoffs from the first time since 1996-97 (10 seasons). Huskies coach Ross Quackenbush used only 6 players the entire night in St. Mary's overtime loss to St. FX on Tuesday.
7 PM Eastern/8 PM Atlantic Memorial (5-13, 10 pts) at St.FX (11-6, 32 pts) 4 POINTS The X-Men look to overtake Acadia for second place and a first round bye with the first of two 4 point games in Antigonish this weekend against the Seahawks, officially eliminated from the AUS tournament. X Live Video webcast
7 PM Eastern/8 PM Atlantic Cape Breton (14-3, 40 pts) at Dalhousie (8-10, 18 pts) 4 POINTS The Capers officially clinch first place with a victory in this four point game while a Dal win at home at Dalplex, where they are 7-1 in league play this season, combined with a St. Mary's loss will put the two teams tied in 5th place. Dal needs to get off to a better start than in many recent games as early double digit deficits have been the norm.
QSSF
8 PM Bishop's (4-11) at UQAM (4-11) This game decides the final playoff spot in the "Q". The Gaiters have taken 2 of the 3 league meetings this season and hold a +11 lead in the point spread. Preview from Bishop's web site Gaiters Season on the Line Audio for the game is available en francais on CHOQ FM.
OUA EAST Semi-Finals
8 PM York (15-7) at Carleton (19-3) Many will remember the 61-29 advantage the Lions took to the intermission, en route to a double digit win, the last time these teams met at the Raven's Nest. Coming off a big comeback win against U of T the night before, the Ravens were listless off the opening tip but ralled to close a 40 point deficit to single digits late with a strong second half. Two weeks prior to that in North York, the Ravens played possibly their best half of basketball of the season and rode to an easy win over York. The Ravens have had a full week to mend some minor injuries and prepare for the rubber match of the season series while York just played on Wednesday. The Lions are even more dangerous with 6'3" Tut Ruach back in top form after sitting out the first half of the season and fifth-year seniors Dan Eves and Jordan Foebel face potentially the final games of their career each time out. York is collectively a streak shooting team that can score in bunches in a hurry and the Lions do have a size advantage inside with Foebel although 6'8" Kevin McCleery continues to emerge as a solid offensive threat inside. For Carleton, big games are required from their two OUA East First Team All-Stars: 6'2" Osvaldo Jeanty (also facing potentially his final game) and 6'7" Aaron Doornekamp - both players have played through injury during the stretch run. The game is available on Rogers Cable TV on semi-tape delay in Ottawa, Toronto, Brampton, York Region and Mississauga beginning at 9:30 PM.
8 PM Toronto (15-7) at Ottawa (18-4) Both games between these two emerging rivals came down to the last second with Blues 6'9" Mike Williams instrumental in both outcomes, knocking down a short shot from the right baseline with under 2 seconds left in Toronto for a 2 point win offsetting a pair of missed free throws with no time remaining in Ottawa resulting in a one point Toronto loss. The Blues could have easily swept Ottawa save for a complete meltdown defensively and at the foul line, allowing Josh Gibson-Bascombe to lead a comeback. Toronto is one of the toughest defensive teams in Canada and can aggressively pressure the ball and the passing lanes with the huge presence of Williams defending the paint when needed. The Gee-Gees enjoy pressuring the ball as well with their array of athletic guards and wings creating momentum-changing turnovers for easy scores. Ben Katz is the offensive key for the Blues, making open looks and creating for his teammates as a Paul Pressey/Warren Newberry-like point forward. Second-year guard Nick Magalas has rounded into a solid offensive threat, knocking down 3's and creating in the lane. Gee-Gees 6'5" Curtis Shakespeare has taken the next step offensively in his fifth season scoring in a variety of ways including facing up from 20 consistently, getting to the rim off the bounce and posting up when the matchup dictates. Gibson-Bascombe remains the key for Ottawa however showing again last week that he deserves merit for First Team All-Star consideration, playing the last 30 minutes of the game with an ankle injury in leading Ottawa to their second victory of the season over Carleton. This game will be a war as both coaches have already described it and expect it to come down to the final minutes again. You can follow along with Neate Sager's live game blog LIVE! game blog from Neate Sager OR the game is also available via live web cast Gee-Gees Streaming Sports Network Web Cast
OUA WEST Quarter-Finals
3 PM Laurier (9-13) at McMaster (13-9) #6W @ #3W The Hawks hope to replicate their effort the last time these teams met at Laurier, when 6'5" OUA West All Star Matt Walker put on an offensive display and 6'8" freshman Andrew Pennycook rejected 8 shots in an emotional victory. The Marauders will look to attack inside with 6'8" fifth-year forward Adam Steiner, a solid finisher and creative passer out of the low block but versatile enough to put it to the deck and get to the rim when facing up from the perimeter. 5'9" Martin Ajayi has been a much more consistent shooter, making his fearless drives to the rim that much more effective. 6'4" John Obrovac has come all the way back from his foot injury that sidelined him in the first half and his ability to knock shots down should keep the paint open for Steiner to operate. Laurier's point guard Omar Miles will be tasked with controlling Ajayi and adding some offense himself which he did during the last meeting. Laurier's sophomore off guard Jesse Macdonald has matured rapidly into a solid mid-range scorer while 6'6" Justin Golob emerged as one of the better freshman in the OUA West. Expect another spirited affair as a pair of veterans coaches with championship experience and results face off yet again. Tune in to the audio of the game with Bill Malley and friends at CFMU radio and/or follow the game on the Mac web site using McMaster LIVE STATS!
3 PM Western (11-11) at Guelph (12-10) #5W @ #4W The Gryphs had a large come-from-behind win at Mac on Wednesday to claim the important home court advantage which in year's past has been a big advantage for Guelph, although less so this season thus far. Consistency on the defensive end has been the Gryphs biggest issue although recent efforts have been more in line with historical norms. The matchup inside between 6'10" J.R. Bailey and Western's front line including 6'8" Alan Paron, 6'6" Brad Smith and 6'7" Adam Ruickbie will be interesting. 6'7" Duncan Milne has emerged as a solid forward up front for Guelph in the rotation. A pair of Hamilton products who went at each other through high school face off again in maybe the most important games of their careers thus far as Guelph's 6'4" Nick Pankerichan and 'Stangs 6'2" Matt Curtis lead their respective teams from the point. The game could be decided beyond the arc as Western's 6'1" Jason Milliquet anchors the Mustangs perimeter game while 6'4" Jay Mott and 6'3" Aron Bariagbre provide Guelph with the bulk of their outside scoring. Western can be explosive offensively but Guelph at home in a big spot always seems to be able to lock people down when it counts so Western's ability to defend could be the difference tomorrow.
CANADA WEST PLAYOFFS
5 PM Eastern/ 3 PM local Saskatchewan at Alberta - Game 2 Best-of-3 Central division final; U of A campus radio CJSR The Huskies came up with a solid defensive effort aided by an 0-11 effort from 3 by the Bears to pick up the tight road win.
8 PM Eastern/ 7 PM Local Regina at Brandon - Game 2 Best-of-3 Great Plains division final; Brandon leads 1-0. Brandon held off a late Cougar rally to win by 8 on Friday night.
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