Friday, Nov. 5: Cascades (2-0, T-1st in West Division) at UBC Thunderbirds (2-0, T-1st in West Division), 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 6: Cascades at Thunderbirds, 7 p.m.
Vancouver, B.C. / War Memorial Gym
Webcast: CanadaWest.tv presented by Co-op

THE MATCH-UP

It's a first-place showdown of sorts, albeit just one week into the regular season, as the Cascades and Thunderbirds both look to preserve undefeated conference records at the expense of the other.

The last time these two teams clashed, Jan. 3-4, 2020 in Abbotsford, UBC head coach Kevin Hanson tied the Canada West all-time head coaching wins record in the opener, but the Cascades denied him the opportunity to break the record the next night, prevailing 84-82. Hanson has long since made that record his own, eclipsing the previous mark of 313 wins set by former Alberta Golden Bears bench boss Don Horwood.

RECENT FORM

The Cascades went 2-0 on their home court on opening weekend, showing flashes of how strong this group could become as they solidify a growing chemistry. They blew out UBC Okanagan 85-63 on Friday, and outlasted UNBC 95-93 in an overtime thriller on Saturday.

The T-Birds, meanwhile, earned a pair of blowout wins to open the campaign, topping Trinity Western 97-80 on Thursday and UVic 94-76 on Saturday.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Vick Toor, UFV – The fourth-year point guard from Kent, Wash. is the reigning Canada West men's basketball athlete of the week. The 6'0" point guard emerged from the weekend leading Canada West in steals (4.5 per game) and ranking top-10 in scoring (19.0, T-10th), assists (6.0, second), blocks (1.5, T-fourth) and rebounds (9.0, ninth) on a per-game basis.

Grant Audu, UBC – The versatile 6'5" fourth-year guard from Toronto is a two-way standout for the T-Birds. He's UBC's co-leading scorer with James Woods, pouring in 20.3 points per game.

QUOTABLE

"We felt physically and mentally strong on opening weekend – we've gone through a tough strength and conditioning program with Matt Chapdelaine that's really paying off. We also learned that in Canada West, every team is really solid. Even with a 20-point lead early in the game (on Saturday vs. UNBC), the game is never over. We took our foot off the gas pedal, we started taking quick shots, got lackadaisical on defence. We've got to stay engaged for the full 40 minutes, and that's what we've talked about as players and coaches." – Vick Toor, on what the Cascades took away from opening weekend

"We know it's going to be a good environment over there, and we know a few of their players including one of my former teammates in Sukhman Sandhu. We've gotten into their scout a little bit . . . they've got some shooters, some older players. It should be a fun couple of games – we're looking forward to it." – Toor, on the UBC T-Birds