The Manitoba Bisons (regular season: 12-8; playoffs: 2-0) advanced to the Canada West men's basketball Quarter-Final, for the second consecutive season, after a home sweep of Regina in the play-in best-of-three series on Feb. 16-17.
Manitoba, the fifth seed, travel to play #2 and fourth seed UBC Thunderbirds (19-1) in the Canada West Quarter-final best-of-three playoff series played on the February 23-25 weekend.
The best-of-three playoff series commences on Thursday, February 23 with a start time of 9 p.m. CT for game one. Game two commences on Friday, February 24 at 9 p.m. CT and, if necessary, game three will be play on Saturday February 25 at 9 p.m. CT. All playoff matches will be played at UBC.
During this season, Manitoba and UBC met twice in conference action as the Herd were swept in two close games on the road (L 96-89 on Nov. 18/16; L 75-72 on Nov. 19/16).
In the 2015-16 season, the Bisons hosted a playoff round for the first time since the 2003-04 season and then earned their first playoff series win since 2000-01 when the Herd won the conference quarter-final best-of-three series at Manitoba over Fraser Valley in two games.
The Herd had an impressive second half of the conference season as they won ten of the last 12 consecutive regular season games (13 out of 15 counting non-conference contests). Manitoba has beaten a U SPORTS ranked team (at Calgary).
Manitoba seeks to advance to their second consecutive conference Final Four with a series win versus UBC.
Both teams met in conference playoffs last season as they faced off in the bronze medal match in the Canada West Final 4 in Calgary. UBC won 101-72 on March 12, 2016. The last the Bisons and Thunderbirds faced off in a playoff series was in the 2010-11 season when UBC won 2-0 in games at home in the conference Quarter-final best-of-three series (L 106-75 on Feb. 25/11; L 103-85 on Feb. 26/11).
In the 2016-17 conference men's basketball regular season, the Bisons finished third in scoring offence at 82.8 points per game and tenth in scoring defence at 79.2 points per game. In 3-point percentage, Manitoba was third at 37.3% and third in field goal percentage at 45.1%. In Canada West steals per game, Manitoba was seventh at 7.8; in assists per game, Manitoba in ninth with 14.3 per game and in rebounds per game, the Herd tied for fifth at 39.8 plus in blocks per game, the Bisons were 13th at 2.3.
Individually in regular season, co-captain Justus Alleyn was tied for ninth in conference scoring at 17.4 points per game while co-captain A.J. Basi was tied for 28th at 13.6 point per game and Keith Omoerah was T-32nd at 13.2. Omoerah was tenth with 31.3 minutes played per game while Alleyn (30.6) in T-16th and Basi (29.6) in T-23rd. Omoerah was fifth with 8.7 rebounds per game. Basi was tied for sixth with 1.9 steals per game. Ilarion Bonhomme was first in Canada West with 4.8 assists per game. Alleyn (42.5) in tenth spot and Omoerah (40.7) in 15th in 3-point percentage plus James Wagner was third at 56.8% field goal percentage.
Bison men's basketball - 2017 Canada West Quarter-final series road schedule
Date Game Central Time
Thurs, February 23 Game 1: Manitoba at UBC 9 p.m.
Fri, February 24 Game 2: Manitoba at UBC 9 p.m.
*Sat, February 25 Game 3: Manitoba at UBC 9 p.m.
* if necessary
Bison Notes: In 2017 Canada West playoffs stats so far, Basi is fourth in Canada West with 21.0 point per game and Alleyn is sixth with 19.0. Alleyn and Basi are tied for seventh with 34.0 minutes played per game. Omoerah is tied for third with 10.0 rebounds per game while Bonhomme is first with 8.0 rebounds per game plus Omoerah is tied for fourth at 4.5.
