EDMONTON – Led by veteran forward Mamadou Gueye, who posted 15.9 points per game a year ago, the Alberta Golden Bears enter the season poised for another strong Canada West men's basketball campaign. Manitoba Bisons are ranked eighth after making the CW Final in 2016-17 season.
When the season tips off Friday night, Alberta will sport the same starting five that led the Green and Gold to the program's 12 Canada West banner a year ago.
The Golden Bears are searching for back-to-back conference titles – something the Bears have done twice in program history (1972-73 & 1973-74, 1998-99 & 1999-00). The likes of Gueye, guard Austin Waddoups, and forward Brody Clarke make Alberta a formidable opponent.
Looking to push the Bears, who earned 14 of a possible 16 first-place votes, will be a pair of familiar faces atop the conference, as both the UBC Thunderbirds (242 pts. and three first-place votes), along with the Calgary Dinos (223 pts.) are expected to have strong seasons.
UBC enters the new season looking to erase the sting of last spring's playoff setback. Despite a 19-1 regular season record, UBC finished fourth in the conference's new ratings percentage index (RPI), which was used for playoff seeding. Slotting in fourth resulted in a draw against the Manitoba Bisons in the conference quarters, where Manitoba earned a two-game sweep, sending the T-Birds' near perfect regular season up in smoke.
UBC's playoff setback was due in no small part to CW MVP Conor Morgan playing hurt. He returns for his fifth and final season beginning this weekend as the pre-season favourite to earn the conference's top individual honour.
Also expected to be in the hunt this season are the Lethbridge Pronghorns, who finished fourth in the poll with 208 pts. Fifth-year guard Dejon Burdeaux was a second team CW all-star in 2016-17 after averaging 17.1 PPG and finishing fourth in conference assists with 81.
REVISED RPI FORMULA
RPI was used a season ago for playoff seeding purposes in both CW men's and women's basketball. Again this season, RPI will be used to seed playoff teams, while win/loss records will be used to determine playoff qualification – just as it was a season ago. The CW RPI was implemented for the 2016-17 campaign to account for varying strengths of schedules, resulting from the conference's unbalanced schedule.
While RPI remains, the formula used in 2016-17 doesn't. Alterations have been made to the RPI formula, following review by Canada West's sport committee. The new formula, listed below, has been amended to both increase the value of a team's win/loss record, while reducing the value assigned for away wins and increasing the value for home wins.
RPI formula
The formula used in 2016-17 was:
RPI = 25% team winning percentage (WP) x 1.2 away win + 0.8 home win, 50% opponents' average winning percentage (OWP), and 25% opponents' opponent's average winning percentage (OOWP).
The formula that will be used in 2017-18, with changes in bold, is:
RPI = 35% team winning percentage (WP) x 1.1 away win + 0.9 home win, 40% opponents' average winning percentage (OWP), and 25% opponents' opponent's average winning percentage (OOWP).
NEW PLAYOFF FORMAT
In addition to the altered RPI formula, a new playoff format is also coming to CW basketball this season, as the conference eliminated the CW Final Four tournament in favour of a one-game championship hosted by the highest remaining seed.
The number of playoff teams (12) has not changed from last season. The first round of conference playoffs will see the top four seeds earn byes, while the remaining eight teams will play single-elimination games (12 @ 5, 11 @ 6, 10 @ 7, and 9 @ 8) between February 8 and 11.
The conference quarter-finals (best-of-threes) are set for February 15-18, the CW semis (best-of-three) February 22-25, and finally the CW Finals (and bronze medal games if necessary to determine national tournament berths) March 2 or 3.
The U SPORTS Final 8 tournaments are slated for March 8-11 this season, with the University of Regina set to host the women's event, and the Halifax Metro Centre set to welcome the men's event. Canada West is guaranteed three women's berths, with the host Regina Cougars welcoming two additional CW teams, while two men's teams are guaranteed a trip to the Maritimes for a shot at national glory.
Once again this season, every CW regular season and playoff basketball game will be available online at Canada West TV. You can watch the games by purchasing a Canada West TV pass here.
2017 CW men's basketball pre-season coaches poll
Place / Team / Points (First-place votes)
- Alberta / 254 (14)
- UBC / 242 (3)
- Calgary / 223
- Lethbridge / 208
- Winnipeg / 170
- Regina / 169
- Victoria / 162
- Manitoba / 152
- Brandon / 138
- Thompson Rivers / 133
- Saskatchewan / 115
- Fraser Valley / 95
- Mount Royal / 81
- UNBC / 67
- MacEwan / 47
- UBC Okanagan / 29
- Trinity Western / 27
NOTES: First-place vote worth 16 pts., second-place worth 15 pts. etc.
MANITOBA BISONS MEN'S BASKETBALL - 2017-18 SEASON PREVIEW
2016-17 CW regular season record: 12-8, 6th (5th in RPI)
2016-17 post-season record: 5-3, lost to Alberta in CW championship game, lost to Calgary in U SPORTS consolation semifinal
Last CW championship / total CW championships: /
Last U SPORTS championship / total U SPORTS championships: 1975-76 / 1
2016-17 CW regular season ranks:
Offence: 82.8 PPG, 3rd
Defence: 79.2 PPG, 10th
2016-17 CW regular season leaders:
Points per game: 17.4 – Justus Alleyn, G
Assists per game: 5.0 – Ilarion Bonhomme, G
Rebounds per game: 8.7 – Keith Omoerah, G
Blocks per game: 0.5 – Keith Omoerah, G
Key additions (name / position / eligibility / hometown / last team):
Rashawn Browne / G / 3 / Toronto, Ont. / California University of Pennsylvania Vulcans
Wyatt Tait / F / 1 / Winnipeg, Man. / Oak Park Raiders
Isaac Miller-Jose / F / 1 / Wellington, New Zealand / Porirua Rep
Key losses (name / position / hometown / years with program):
Keith Omoerah / G / Winnipeg, Man. / 4
AJ Basi / G / Winnipeg, Man. / 5
Ilarion Bonhomme / G/ Washington, D.C. / 3
Brett Jewell / F / Winnipeg, Man. / 5
Jonathan Alexander / F / Toronto, Ont. / 3
Key performer:
Justus Alleyn
Guard
5th-year
Montreal, Que.
On a Bison team that lost seven players from last season, Bison fifth-year guard and team captain Justus Alleyn returns as the team's leading scorer (ninth in conference with 17.4 point per game) and a leader on and off the court for the Herd.
Alleyn had a busy summer as he was part of Team Canada team at the 2017 Summer Universiade in Chinese Taipei, following a 2016-17 campaign that had him become a conference all-star for the first time while being a big part of the program's first visit to the U SPORTS national championship since 1985-86 season.
The 6'3", 200 lbs. guard is expected again to be a key cog on a team that has numerous rookies. He will be expected to fill the basket again while also playing his tenacious defence.
In his final ride with the Bisons, Alleyn is poised for another very strong season as he has continually been one of top players in the conference. Alleyn will showcase the two-way play, which makes him a scoring threat and defensive shutdown guard every time he is on the court.
