Thursday, Feb. 20: Cascades (17-4, No. 5 seed in Canada West) vs. No. 9 Alberta Pandas (16-4, No. 4 seed in Canada West), CW quarter-finals, 7 p.m. PT
Friday, Feb. 21: UFV-Alberta winner faces Calgary-UNBC winner, CW semifinals, 3:30 p.m. PT
Jack Simpson Gym, Calgary, Alta.
Webcast: CanadaWest.tv presented by Co-op

THE MATCH-UP

The Cascades and Pandas posted matching 16-4 records during the regular season, but have not faced each other head-to-head in 2019-20. The last time the two teams met was last season in Abbotsford, with Alberta winning both games, but the two teams have changed so much since then it's hard to put much stock in those results. The winner of Thursday's game advances to the semifinals to face the Calgary-UNBC quarter-final winner.

RECENT FORM

The Cascades are the hottest team in U SPORTS – their 12-game win streak is the longest in the nation, and they got any playoff jitters out of the way last Friday with a 76-54 first-round win over Thompson Rivers. The Pandas had a first-round bye, and while they posted a seemingly modest 2-2 record over their last two regular-season weekends, those results were highly impressive as they earned weekend splits with the Saskatchewan Huskies and Calgary Dinos – currently ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the nation. Alberta is No. 9 in the U SPORTS national rankings. Bottom line: Both teams are playing high-level, winning basketball.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Taylor Claggett, UFV – If the Cascades are to make a run this week, senior star Claggett will be influential. CW's leading rebounder (10.4) and second-leading scorer (19.6) is also an underrated playmaker – she ranked ninth in the conference in assists (3.4).

Vanessa Wild, AB – The 5'9" guard has had a dynamic senior campaign, pacing the Pandas in scoring at 18.0 points per game, tied for fifth in Canada West. Wild is a threat from outside, shooting 35.4 per cent from beyond the arc, and chips in on the boards with 6.0 rebounds per game.

QUOTABLE

"We know they've beaten some really good teams in Saskatchewan and Calgary, so obviously they're doing a lot of things right. But we've watched some film, and we have a better idea now of what to expect. We feel we're pretty prepared heading into the weekend." – Claggett, on the match-up with Alberta