CANADA WEST QUARTER-FINALS
No. 6 seed UFV Cascades (13-7 regular season, 1-0 playoffs) at No. 3 seed UBC Thunderbirds (17-3 regular season, 0-0 playoffs)
War Memorial Gymnasium
Thursday, Feb. 14: 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 15: 7 p.m.
*Saturday, Feb. 16: 7 p.m. (if necessary)
Webcast: CanadaWest.tv

The No. 6-ranked team in the nation is the obstacle this week for the Cascades men's hoopsters as they seek to punch their ticket to the Canada West semifinals.

The UFV squad, coming off a first-round playoff victory over the UNBC Timberwolves, clashes with the UBC Thunderbirds in a best-of-three quarter-final series on the road, starting Thursday at War Memorial Gym.

The T-Birds, who had a first-round bye, boast an explosive offence which ranks second in Canada West in points per game (93.5) and first in terms of points per possession (1.154). Five T-Birds average double-digit points, led by NCAA Div. I transfers Jadon Cohee (19.3) and Manroop Clair (18.9), and sophomore centre Grant Shephard (16.2, on a CW-best 66.7 field goal percentage).

Moreover, UBC is also a tough team on the glass – their +10.9 per-game rebounding margin tops the conference. The Cascades, for their part, are no slouch in that department, ranking fourth at +5.2, and their defensive metrics are solid across the board.

The UFV squad gained a great deal of confidence and familiarity with the T-Birds by facing them in a closed scrimmage back in September. And in UBC's last regular-season outings, they were swept by the Alberta Golden Bears – a team that UFV split a weekend series with back in November in Abbotsford.

"It's going to take us having a similar defensive effort to what we had against UNBC, but combining that with better offence," Cascades bench boss Adam Friesen said. "We understand we're going to have to score at least in the 80s in order to have our best chance to win. We're going to have to really share the ball and move the ball the best that we have all season. We're not looking to play one-on-one against them. All five guys need to work together to create quality shots."

Players to watch: Family bragging rights will be on the line this week, as the Cascades and T-Birds' programs are connected by a sibling bond. UFV fifth-year senior Andrew Morris's younger brother Cam is a redshirt freshman at UBC. The elder Morris plays a key role for the Cascades, starting every game this season and ranking fourth in team scoring (10.1 points per game). Younger brother comes off the bench for the T-Birds, posting 2.1 points in 9.8 minutes per game in 18 appearances.