For the second time in the last three seasons, the path to nationals runs through Investors Group Athletic Centre. The 16-4 Manitoba Bisons begin their post-season journey tonight against the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack, a team they beat 88-76 in the pre-season.

The 10-10 Wolfpack earned the right to play Manitoba following a 78-63 win over the Alberta Golden Bears yesterday. Four Wolfpack players scored in double figures in the win, led by home town product Dami Farinloye and Denys Bachurin's 15 points.

The Wolfpack are a well-balanced squad who play with pace, as do their opponents the Bisons. The Herd finished second in Canada West, giving up just 70 points per game, and they use an aggressive man defence to force turnovers and capitalize in transition.

Bisons guard Mason Kraus finished second in Canada West with 55 steals, while six different members of the Herd had at least ten steals overall. Forward Cieran O'Hara is one of those six players, finishing with 15 steals. He finished second in the conference with 33 blocks, and fourth in rebounds, with a career-high 192. 

Offensively, O'Hara's field goal percentage of 58.8 was third in Canada West, while Kraus and wing Daren Watts were Manitoba's two leading scorers, with 18.4 and 14.6 points per game.

The Herd will play an eight-man rotation, and every member of their roster has stepped up this year. Brandt Lenz and Manyang Tong will start alongside Kraus, Watts and O'Hara, while Tito Obasoto, Samuel Jensen and Taven Vigilance will also come off the bench for the Bisons.

Manitoba is coming off a sweep of Mount Royal which helped them secure first place in Canada West's Prairie Division. In the win, the Herd had 24 assists, showing their depth. Eight different players recorded an assist, while Kraus had a career-high 11 the night before.