CALGARY - They've clinched a playoff spot and are most likely to play their opening-round post-season series on the road, so the story the rest of the way for the No. 9 Calgary Dinos is simple - peak for the second season. And what better time to start peaking than this weekend's swing through traditional Pacific powerhouses Victoria and UBC.

After a big win over Trinity Western last Saturday, which ended the Dinos' (8-10) streak of nine games with just a single win, Calgary continues its four-game stretch against Pacific Division opponents with this weekend's trip to the West Coast in advance of next week's season-ending Battle of Alberta in Edmonton.

FRIDAY, JAN. 30: Dinos vs. Victoria Vikes, 7 p.m. MT, McKinnon Gym
With their magic number for a home-court playoff series down to two, the red-hot UVic Vikes women's basketball team comes back home looking to lock up second in the Pacific Division.  Standing between the Vikes and their quest for home-court advantage is a pair of schools from Southern Alberta.

VICTORIA VIKES (13-6)
If the rest of the Canada West hadn't already done so, it's time to realize that UVic Vikes are once again a hoops powerhouse. Winners of 11 of their past 12 and riding a five-game winning streak, the Vikes are on the verge of hosting their first playoff series since the 2003-04 season. Coach Brian Cheng has reestablished the work ethic and tenacious defence made famous by the Kathy Shield-led UVic teams of yesteryear that captured a CIS record nine National Titles. The return to national prominence has been spearheaded by the play of forward Kayla Dykstra. Canada West competition has had little answers for the third year post, as she has vaulted to the top of the Canada West in scoring (17.1 p/g) and rebounding (10.1 p/g).

CALGARY DINOS (8-10)
A successful start to the 2008 season saw the Dinos sporting a 6-2 record and a No. 6 ranking in the CIS Polls. However, since the hot start the Dinos have been sputtering, only picking up two victories in their past ten contests.  The fall from grace can be contributed to their play within their own division, as they own a 3-7 record against Central Division foes. Friday's contest will feature the top two scorers in the conference, as Dinos guard Ashley Hill (16.1 p/g) sits second to only Dykstra for the Canada West lead in scoring. Hill has done most of her scoring damage from beyond the arc, as she sits first in the conference in three-point field goals made (2.4 p/g). Despite their disappointing second half of the season, the Dinos are still ranked No. 9 in the CIS polls and have locked up their playoff berth.

HEAD-TO-HEAD
The long time rivals have battled for Canada West hoops supremacy for nearly 40 years, with the Vikes leading the all-time series with 89 wins compared to just 37 losses. Last season the Dinos took two from the Vikes, including a 94-77 victory at the Hopewell Holiday Hoops Tournament.

SATURDAY, JAN. 31: Dinos vs. UBC Thunderbirds, 7 p.m. MT, War Memorial Gym
The UBC Thunderbirds (10-9) have the third-placed TWU Spartans (11-8) between their crosshairs and with just four games left in the regular season, the T-Birds appear to have what it takes to pass the Spartans and move into third place. This weekend they host the Lethbridge Pronghorns (3-15) and Calgary Dinos (8-10).

The T-Birds are now 7-1 in 2009 after struggling to a 3-8 record to start the season. The T-Birds are now within just two points of TWU for third in the division and out of a first-round match up with CIS no.1 ranked SFU.

UBC plays their final four games against teams with a combined 18-56 record, while the Spartans have two more match-ups against SFU on their schedule, as well as a game against no.8 ranked Winnipeg (10-8). The T-Birds also hold the tiebreak over TWU by virtue of their 2-1 victory in the season series.

The T-Birds lone stiff test on the schedule are the Calgary Dinos. Even at 8-10, the Dinos have been ranked in the CIS Top 10 all season and play an aggressive style of defence that can cause problems.

UBC THUNDERBIRDS (10-9)
After their 7-1 start to 2009, the T-Birds finally got above .500 for the first time this season with a weekend sweep of the Fraser Valley Cascades. An improving offence, but one that still struggles from time to time, has been supported by a stingier defence that has held UBC opponents to less than 61 points in all but one game in 2009 (their loss to SFU). Last weekend the T-Birds held the Cascades to just 57 points in Friday's victory and then they gave up a season low 46 in their easy win Saturday. Offensively they won't blow anyone away and sit eighth in the conference with 62.9 points per game, but their scoring defence has moved up to sixth in the league (allowing 61.3 ppg) and UBC now has their first positive scoring margin this year (+1.6 ppg). The T-Birds rank third in field goal percentage (41.3%) and field goal percent defence (allowing just 35.2% from the field). UBC has bought into playing unselfishly, ranking fourth in the league with 13.8 assists per game while having no individual rank in the top 15. Leanne Evans leads the team with 10.4 ppg game and sits second in the CW with 9.9 boards per contest. Zara Huntley teams with Evans up front to give the T-Birds a dominating duo and she averages 9.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Rookie Lia St. Pierre has come on strong as of late, leading all UBC guards with 8.9 ppg on the season.

CALGARY DINOS (8-10)
Calgary started off the season on a hot streak jumping out to 6-2 record but has struggled recently playing against the top teams in the CIS. The Dinos are 0-9 versus teams in the Top 10 this year but have managed to stay ranked the entire season. Ashley Hill leads a Dino offence that ranks third in scoring offence at 70.7 points per game. She is second in the Canada West with 16.1 points per game and leads a starting five that averages 55.1 points per game as a group. Courtney Coyle (11.6 ppg) and Whitney Haswell (10.2) also crack double figures and rank 14th and 22nd in the league respectively. The Dinos like to shoot the ball and rank first in the Canada West in three-pointers made per game at 6.3 with Hill leading the Canada West at 2.6 makes per contest and ranking fifth in the league in three-point shooting percentage (38.3%). The Dinos up-tempo style doesn't lead to great defensive numbers and they are 10th in the league in scoring defence, allowing 68.3 points per game but rank just ahead of UBC in scoring margin at +2.4. They have also struggled taking care of the ball and rank 11th in assist to turnover margin at 0.5 thanks their 459 turnovers (third most in the CW).

-UC-