CALGARY – With a lengthy but successful preseason behind them, the University of Calgary Dinos finally open Canada West play as they visit the UBC Thunderbirds for a two-game set in Vancouver this weekend.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. MT Friday, followed by a 6 p.m. MT start Saturday at War Memorial Gym. CanadaWest.tv presented by Co-op will have live streaming coverage.

The Dinos, with a 10-1 record in their 11-game non-conference and exhibition schedule, have their sights set high for the 2019-20 season after finishing a strong second in the Canada West preseason coaches poll and opening at No. 3 in the national rankings.

The match-up with UBC is a marquee early-season clash, with the Thunderbirds finishing just behind the Dinos in the conference voting, projected to finish third. And while Calgary had the opening-week bye last weekend, UBC got its season off to a solid start with a two-game sweep of Regina on the road.

The core of the Calgary lineup returns intact from 2018-19, led by fifth-year local product Erin McIntosh, the team's leading scorer and rebounder from a year ago. She comes into her final varsity season after spending part of her summer representing Canada at the FISU Summer Universiade in Naples, Italy, and represents the veteran talent that has the Dinos hoping to fulfill expectations.

"We are certainly happy with the expectations people may place upon us," said Head Coach Damian Jennings. "Ultimately it is no different to what we believe we can achieve every season. That said, we have earned through our 17-3 record from last year and a core group of returnees at least an expectation on paper to be considered worthy of conversations around the latter stages of playoffs."

Calgary's lone setback in the preseason was a home defeat at the hands of Victoria on Oct. 26. Otherwise, they ran the table, including wins over both Carleton and Windsor and a perfect 4-0 record against NAIA teams from Montana.

"It has definitely felt like a long pre-season," said Jennings, "but a later schedule start, coupled with a bye weekend to begin will always add to that. We are pleased to have utilized the game versus University of Providence to stay in rhythm last weekend, and of course finishing the exhibition period 10-1, even after a poor showing through the Canada West tournament, has us confident that we are at least hard to beat come the regular season start."

The first test comes against the Thunderbirds, on an unfamiliar floor: not a single player on the Calgary roster has played a game at War Memorial Gym, which the Dinos will visit for the first time since January, 2015.

After their series at UBC, the Dinos return home for their 2019 home opener next weekend as they host the Brandon Bobcats for a rare Saturday-Sunday series Nov. 16-17 in the Jack Simpson Gym.

-UC-