CIS basketball: Regular season gets under way Friday out West

OTTAWA (CIS) – The regular season gets under way this weekend in CIS basketball.
 
Teams from the Canada West conference are the first to take the floor with five women’s and men’s doubleheaders scheduled for Friday night and four more on Saturday evening.
 
In the three other regional associations, conference play kicks off in Ontario on Oct. 30 (women) and Nov. 5 (men), in the AUS on Nov. 4 and in Quebec on Nov. 11.
 
Highlighting the opening-weekend schedule is a rematch of last year’s men’s national final that saw the University of Saskatchewan Huskies claim their first-ever W.P. McGee Trophy title with a 91-81 win over the UBC Thunderbirds, who have reached the CIS championship game each of the past two seasons.
 
The Huskies visit the T-Birds Friday and Saturday in Vancouver. Both duels at War Memorial Gym are set for 8 p.m. Pacific Time (live webcasts at www.gothunderbirds.ca). 
 
UBC and Saskatchewan were ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in a poll of Canada West coaches released earlier on Thursday. The T-Birds (150 points) earned nine of 13 first-place votes, while the Huskies (129) and Trinity Western Spartans (128) received two apiece.
 
In women’s hoops, new CIS champions will be crowned this winter following the departure of two-time reigning gold-medallist Simon Fraser for the NCAA.
 
The women’s basketball season will feature a new-look playoff format in 2010-11 as it will culminate with an expanded national championship tournament. After battling within the CIS’ four regional associations during the four-month campaign, some of the top teams in the country will have to survive an extra round of sudden-death action in order to make their way to the University of Windsor, which will host the traditional CIS Final 8 from March 18-20.
 
On the men’s side, the Final 8 returns to Halifax in 2011. The tournament, hosted by Atlantic University Sport, is set for March 11-13 at the Metro Centre. 
 
NOTE (1): Complete season previews of Canada West basketball can be found at www.canadawest.org.
 
NOTE (2): The first CIS Top 10 national rankings of the season will be released on Tuesday, Nov. 2.
 
CIS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE (all times local)
 
October 22
18:00   Thompson Rivers at Brandon 
18:00   Winnipeg at Manitoba
18:00   Trinity Western at Lethbridge
18:00   Saskatchewan at UBC
18:00   Calgary at Victoria
 
October 23
17:00   Calgary at Victoria
18:00   Thompson Rivers at Brandon 
18:00   Trinity Western at Lethbridge
18:00   Saskatchewan at UBC
 
Opening night in other regional associations: 
OUA: Oct. 30
AUS: Nov. 4
QSSF: Nov. 11
 
CIS MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE (all times local)
 
October 22
20:00   Thompson Rivers at Brandon 
20:00   Winnipeg at Manitoba
20:00   Trinity Western at Lethbridge
20:00   Saskatchewan at UBC
20:00   Calgary at Victoria
 
October 23
19:00   Calgary at Victoria
20:00   Thompson Rivers at Brandon 
20:00   Trinity Western at Lethbridge
20:00   Saskatchewan at UBC
 
Opening night in other regional associations: 
AUS: Nov. 4
OUA: Nov. 5
QSSF: Nov. 11
 
CIS BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS (last 10 years)
 
2009-2010       Simon Fraser (W) / Saskatchewan (M)
2008-2009       Simon Fraser (W) / Carleton (M)                                                                     
2007-2008       UBC (W) / Brock (M)                         
2006-2007       Simon Fraser (W) / Carleton (M)                                                         
2005-2006       UBC (W) / Carleton (M)                                                                                 
2004-2005       Simon Fraser (W) / Carleton (M)                                                         
2003-2004       UBC (W) / Carleton(M)                                                                                 
2002-2003       Victoria (W) / Carleton (M)                                                                 
2001-2002       Simon Fraser (W) / Alberta (M)
2000-2001       Regina (W) / StFX (M)
 

 
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