CALGARY – 2018 will kick off with a bang as the No. 2 University of Calgary Dinos men's basketball team takes on No. 5 Alberta Golden Bears this weekend. The Calgary leg of the home-and-home tips off Thursday, before both teams travel to Edmonton to close out the series on Saturday.
DETAILS:
Dates: Thursday, Jan. 4 and Saturday, Jan. 6
Times: 8 p.m. MT Thursday and 7 p.m. MT Saturday
Venues: Thursday - Jack Simpson Gym, Calgary; Saturday - Saville Community Sport Centre, Edmonton
HEADLINES:
- Alberta should welcome the opportunity to play at the Jack Simpson Gym. During their last visit to Calgary, the Golden Bears captured the Canada West Gold Medal and booked their ticket to the 2017 U SPORTS Men's Final 8.
- Calgary was able to supplant Alberta as the highest seed in Canada West going into the Christmas break. The Golden Bears suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of the Victoria Vikes in their final game of the fall.
No. 2 CALGARY DINOS: 9-1
- Mambi Diawara will look to start 2018 how he finished 2017. The fourth-year guard leads the conference with 25.0 points per game and has developed into one of the strongest two-way players in the conference.
- Calgary's vaunted defence will face a difficult test against the third-ranked offence in Canada West. David Kapinga and Mambi Diawara will be tasked with disrupting Alberta's frenzied ball movement as both are top five for steals per game.
- Calgary and Alberta used the Christmas break to play out of conference opponents, with Calgary dropping two close games to Carroll College in Helena, Montana. Alberta visited Santa Barbara, California, where they were defeated by the TMC Mustangs and WEST Warriors.
No. 5 ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS: 9-1
- The Golden Bears balanced attacked leads Canada West in offensive rebounds and has the lowest turnover rate. In addition to holding onto the ball, they also distribute it extremely well. Alberta ranks second in the conference in assists per game.
- Ten players average more than 10 minutes per game for the Golden Bears. This depth translates into defensive energy, as Alberta carries the No. 1 defence in the conference.
- The highly decorated Golden Bears squad features 2016-17 Canada West First Team All-Star Brody Clark, 2016-17 CW Second Team All-Star Austin Waddoups, and 2016-17 CW All-Rookie Andre Kelly. These three are joined by Mamadou Gueye, their leading scorer and two-time defending team MVP, to form one of the conference's strongest teams.
