CALGARY – It's always a big deal when Calgary and Alberta hook up on the basketball court, but for a pair of Dinos men's basketball players, this weekend should bring about some important career milestones.

The Dinos take on the Alberta Golden Bears in an important two-game series this weekend in the Jack Simpson Gym. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights, and you can catch both games live on CanadaWest.tv.

Boris Bakovic has scored 99 points in just six games in a Dinos jersey after transferring from Ryerson. But if you add those 99 to the 2,068 he scored in his four years at Ryerson, that total becomes 2,167 – just four back of Dinos legend Richard Bohne's career total, and 15 in arrears of Saskatchewan's Andrew Spagrud, who scored 2,182 in his career to become the all-time leader in Canada West.

It's complicated, no question, by the absence of a CIS record book, so it can't be an official national record – but here's the bottom line: in the combined histories of Canada West, Ontario University Athletics, and Atlantic University Sport – the three CIS conferences with men's basketball record books – Bakovic sits just 15 points off the all-time lead. He'll look to surpass Spagrud's total this weekend against the Golden Bears on a weekend that starts an uphill climb to the playoffs for the 4-10 Dinos men.

He's joined on the milestone watch by Tyler Fidler, who has six games remaining in his career with the Dinos. After 16 games this season, Fidler sits No. 7 on the Dinos' all-time scoring list with 1,420 points. He's four points behind Ross Bekkering, 20 behind Robbie Sihota, and 22 behind Ian Minnifee – so by the end of the weekend, there's a good chance he'll move up to No. 4 behind the trio of Bohne (2,171), Karl Tilleman (2,050), and John Riad (1,686).

Milestones aside, the Dinos head into the weekend behind the eight ball in the playoff race after a disappointing sweep at the hands of the Pronghorns last weekend in Lethbridge. It means Calgary will have to win out the season to finish at the .500 mark, and they're three games back of the playoffs with three weeks to go. The permutations are many, but they all include one thing: winning, and lots of it – something that will be a tall order against an impressive-looking Golden Bears squad.

Led by super junior Jordan Baker, who's fourth in scoring and third in rebounding in Canada West, the Bears are ranked No. 7 in the nation and boast a 10-4 record, a mirror image of Calgary's mark. Alberta sits first in the East Division and comes into the weekend after sweeping the Okanagan tandem of Thompson Rivers and UBCO last weekend in Edmonton. The Bears are riding a four-game conference win streak, while the Dinos have lost their last three.

Bear in mind, of course, that two of the Dinos' wins this season have been major upsets of a Top 10-ranked team, at home in the Jack. Two weeks ago the return of Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson propelled Calgary to an 83-79 win over Saskatchewan, while back in November the Dinos managed a 92-85 win over UBC. Calgary will need to recover that magic to keep its playoff hopes alive against Baker and Co. this weekend.

The Dinos hit the road next week to face the Manitoba Bisons in Winnipeg before returning to the Jack Feb. 10-11 when he Winnipeg Wesmen come to town. Saturday, Feb. 11 will be Seniors' Night, when the team will recognize its fifth-year players: Bakovic, Fidler, Keenan Milburn, and Dustin Reding.

-UC-