CALGARY – Saturday is Fan Appreciation Night in the Jack Simpson Gym, capping what should be a fantastic weekend of hoops action as a pair of Pacific powers take centre court.

The tendency might be to look to Saturday night as the marquee event of the weekend. However, while the Dinos and T-Birds have built quite the heated rivalry over the past two seasons, Victoria is one of those teams that has pushed the Dinos to the brink in their recent history.

Both Calgary and Victoria head into Friday night's weekend opener smarting from unexpected losses at home last Saturday. Thompson Rivers recorded just its second win of the season at UVic's McKinnon Gym with an 80-69 upset after putting up 48 points in a big first half. The Dinos, meanwhile, dominated Alberta last Friday but couldn't get it together Saturday in dropping an 82-80 decision.

With much on the line for both teams, the Dinos-Vikes game could also be a preview of a first-round playoff match-up in the new crossover post-season structure that makes its debut in Canada West this season. The Dinos hold a 2.5-game lead on Saskatchewan for top spot in the Prairie Division and, should they finish the season in first place, would host the fourth-place team in the Pacific. Victoria currently sits third in that division, two games behind Simon Fraser with Trinity Western and Fraser Valley hot on their heels.

Jeff Cullen is the lone Vike in the Top 30 in conference scoring, sitting 26th with 12.2 points per game, while Cyril Indome sits just behind him at 11.8 with Ryan MacKinnon at 11.3.

Calgary has won its last two games against the Vikes, both in dramatic, last-minute fashion. In 2007 Henry Bekkering had to make a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer to give the Dinos a 64-62 win, while last season the teams combined for 57 points in the fourth quarter in an 86-81 Dinos win.

All of which leads us to Saturday night's showdown with the undefeated, No. 1-ranked UBC Thunderbirds who, barring an upset Friday night in Lethbridge, should face their stiffest test of the season against the Dinos in what will also be a stiff test for Calgary.

If recent history is any indication, the No. 1 vs. No. 5 match-up could be a classic and might just be the single most anticipated regular season game in all of CIS basketball this season.

Since Calgary's resurgence began in the 2007-08 season, the Dinos and T-Birds have met five times – including three post-season matches. The teams have split the conference games, each winning in their respective home gyms, while their two Canada West Final Four tilts were won by the visiting team. In 2008 UBC dashed the Dinos' perfect home record and kept them from advancing to the national championships with their semi-final win, while Calgary exacted some revenge last season thanks to Robbie Sihota's clutch three-pointer late to win the conference title with an 80-76 win at War Gym.

The last time the Dinos and T-Birds met was the CIS semi-final March 14, 2009 at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, with UBC emerging triumphant with a 79-74 win before falling to Carleton in the national championship game.

Much like the Victoria women, the UBC men are led by a Calgary native in fourth-year guard Josh Whyte, who is seventh in conference scoring with 17.8 points per game. Whyte has a solid supporting cast around him with Brian LaBranche and Nathan Yu also averaging in the double digits, giving UBC the highest-scoring offence in the conference.

The Birds will have their hands full with the fourth- and fifth-place scorers in Canada West, Ross Bekkering (19.3 points/game) and Sihota (18.8).

The Pack the Jack Six Pack wraps up next weekend when the Dinos host the Regina Cougars.
 
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