CALGARY – Under the new crossover playoff structure in Canada West, divisional opponents are far less likely to face each other in the first round. In the other three series this weekend, that holds true: Alberta is visiting UBC, Regina is headed to Simon Fraser, and Fraser Valley will be guests of Saskatchewan. But the Calgary Dinos get to face off against a divisional rival that gave them fits during the regular season: the Lethbridge Pronghorns.

The series kicks off Friday night in the Jack Simpson Gym at 8 p.m., continuing Saturday at 7. If necessary, the rubber match will go Sunday at 5 p.m., with all games webcast live at www.educationcdn.com/schools/dinos.

Calgary fans will be hoping that history repeats itself as long as that history isn't all that recent. The Horns haven't made the playoffs since 2003, when they were dispatched by the Dinos 2-0 in a best-of-three series in the Jack Simpson Gym – a result the Dinos are eager to repeat. However, the Dinos-Horns games this season have been hotly contested with each team emerging with one victory.

Both teams' last outing was back on Feb. 13 in Lethbridge, with the Horns in a must-win situation and the Dinos having already sewn up top spot in the division. That perfect storm resulted in a 56-54 win by the home side after Calgary's worst shooting night in recent history and Ross Bekkering's only foul-out of the season.

Bekkering was the story in the teams' previous meeting in January, also in Lethbridge, when he hit two late free throws in an 88-86 overtime win for Calgary. The fifth-year native of Taber finished second in the nation in free throw attempts this season but didn't head to the line once in the final game – a key factor in the Dinos' loss.

Both those games took place in Lethbridge, however, and the Dinos will look to establish themselves on their home court as they host a playoff series for the third consecutive season with an eye to advancing to next weekend's Final Four, to be hosted by the highest remaining seed after the four quarterfinals.

The resurgence of the Lethbridge program, which posted a respectable 10-10 record and ended up in a three-way tie for third place in the division, begins and ends with new head coach Dave Adams and point guard Jeff Price. Price will be making his first appearance in the Jack Simpson Gym since a forgettable Dinos performance in the 2008 Canada West Final Four where they went 0-2 at home. The Lord Beaverbrook grad jumped ship later that summer and resurfaced with the Horns this season, where he instantly became the team's best player, averaging nearly 17 points per game.

Price and Danhue Lawrence (15 ppg) represent the bulk of Lethbridge's offensive attack and are the only Horns in the top 30 in conference scoring.

The Lethbridge man defence caused the Dinos fits in their two regular season games, making things tough inside for the Bekkering-Robbie Sihota tandem. To combat this, Calgary will look to solid shooting on the perimeter from guards Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson, Jamie McLeod, and Tyler Fidler.

As mentioned, the winner of this series advances to next weekend's Final Four, and from there the two semi-final winners will advance to the CIS Final 8 at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa March 19-21.

-UC-