CALGARY – Both University of Calgary Dinos basketball teams find themselves on the outside looking in to the Canada West playoff picture with 10 games remaining in the 2010-11 season. With tough schedules down the stretch on both sides, wins are at a premium if the Dinos are to advance to post-season play – and they get their first opportunities this weekend as the Trinity Western Spartans roll in for weekend series in the Jack.

The Spartans provide different challenges for the Dinos men and women, who are coming off respective sweeps at the hands of the UBC Thunderbirds last week in Vancouver. TWU's men are tied for first place in Canada West at 14-2 and are ranked No. 5 nationally, so Dan Vanhooren's squad has its work cut out for it to come away with victories this weekend – its second straight against a top-five opponent. On the flip side, the Spartan women have managed just a single victory in 16 tries – that against the Lethbridge Pronghorns – and are well out of the playoff picture.

It's a pretty simple scenario for the Dinos women. Sitting ninth with a 4-10 record and two games out of the eighth and final playoff spot, Calgary probably needs six or seven victories in its last 10 games to have a good shot at the post-season. The good news is that six of their final 10 contests are against teams near or below them in the standings, including home weekends against Trinity Western and Manitoba (3-11).

Calgary's offence was strangulated by a blanket UBC defence last week at War Memorial, managing just 99 points over the two games. While the Dinos did manage to hold the Thunderbirds under 70 points each night, they also committed 28 and 21 turnovers on the respective two nights and shot just 38-117 (.325) from the field on the weekend.

All four of the Dinos' victories this season have come in the friendly confines of their home court, where they hold a 4-2 record, and a sweep of the Spartans is vital to their continued play into late February.

Fifth-year forward Ashley Hill has the chance to pass a legend in Dinos women's basketball history this weekend. Hill comes in with 1,430 career points, fourth on the Dinos' all-time list and just 28 in arrears of Janis (Paskevich) McDonald, who starred from 1978-82. With 29 points down the stretch, Hill will take over third spot by herself on the all-time list – trailing only Meagan Koch (1992-96) with 1,644 and Leighann Doan (1997-01), the two-time CIS MVP whose 1,958 career points sets the standard.

While the Spartans have been somewhat respectable defensively, averaging less than 70 points against on the season, first-year head coach Cheryl Jean-Paul has struggled to get her team going offensively. TWU averages just 53.5 points per game, second-worst in the conference.

The Dinos men (5-9), meanwhile, can't seem to buy a break. With sophomore point guard Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson finally back in the lineup after missing the first half of the season with an injury, Coach Vanhooren was looking for him to spark the team on a run down the stretch. Last Friday night in Vancouver, things seemed to be clicking - Ogungbemi-Jackson was scoring, the Thunderbirds seemingly had no answer for Tyler Fidler, and the Dinos looked set to give the No. 2 team in the nation a run.

Late in the first quarter, however, Ogungbemi-Jackson chased after a loose ball and was involved in a collision. He re-injured the same ankle, likely ending his season. The Dinos responded well to the adversity and played with heart and tenacity for the rest of that night and for Saturday's rematch, but they couldn't overcome the depth of the Thunderbirds and dropped a pair of decisions by 11 and eight points.

Freshman post Matt Letkeman was solid both nights for the Dinos, while Trevor Debolt came off the bench Saturday and put up a career-high 18 points. Fidler also had good outings both nights before running into foul trouble.

So, it seems the Dinos will be shorthanded for the rest of the season, and the hill is steep with an unkind schedule down the stretch. Including last weekend at UBC, eight of Calgary's last 12 games of the year come against the teams currently sitting first through fourth in the conference standings. The only reprieves come in the next two weeks: a trip to Thompson Rivers (3-13) and a visit from Manitoba (7-7).

Calgary's chances now will largely depend on Fidler, who has the capacity to win games by himself – and they'll need a significant effort.

The Spartans are a formidable foe for Calgary, boasting significant size and depth down low along with dangerous threats from the perimeter. They average better than 93 points per game, hold the best three-point percentage in the conference, and are led by the 2009 CIS player of the year, Jacob Doerksen.

Doerksen currently sits third in Canada West, averaging 22.6 points per contest. He's joined by 6-5 guard Calvin Westbrook and NCAA transfer Tyrell Mara as the offensive leaders for TWU, averaging double digits in scoring.

Following a trip to Kamloops to play Thompson Rivers next week, the Dinos return home to face Manitoba Feb. 4-5.

-UC-