MBB Championship Preview

Article by Brian Swane, special to CW

The Victoria Vikes’ pursuit of the greatest Canada West men’s basketball dynasty in four decades will take place at one of the largest single-elimination basketball events in Canadian university hoops history.

Twelve teams will compete over five days to determine one champion, when the University of Manitoba hosts the 2024 Canada West men’s basketball championship tournament at Investors Group Athletic Centre in Winnipeg, Feb. 21 to 25.

The tournament tips off Wednesday with play-in games, followed by the quarter-final round on Thursday. After an off day on Friday, the action resumes semi-finals on Saturday, before concluding Sunday with the bronze medal match and championship final.

Victoria enters the tournament seeking to win a third straight conference title. There has not been a three-peat in Canada West men’s hoops since the Vikes won an incredible seven straight gold medals from 1978 to 1984.

Catch all games streaming live or on demand on Canada West TV. 

#7 Alberta Golden Bears (14-6) vs. #10 Mount Royal Cougars (8-12)

• Feb. 21 – 1 p.m. CT

#2 Calgary Dinos (15-5) vs. #7/#10 winner

• Feb. 22 – 1 p.m. CT

On Nov. 10, the Cougars defeated Alberta 90-84 at home for their first ever regular season win against the Golden Bears. But since then, Alberta has gone 13-4 while Mount Royal went 5-12, including a 93-78 Bears victory over the Cougars in Calgary on Nov. 11.

Mount Royal has the third-leading scorer in Canada West, fourth-year guard Keivonte Watts, who’s averaging nearly 20 points per game, but Alberta counters with the No. 1-ranked defence in the conference, allowing just 69.8 points per game.

Regardless of the outcome, it will be a same-province matchup in the quarterfinal, with Calgary set to take on the winner. The Dinos went 2-0 against both of their potential opponents this season. Calgary is led by third-year guard Nate Petrone, who was one of two players in Canada West to average over 20 points in 2023-24. 

#8 Brandon Bobcats (12-8) vs. #9 Saskatchewan Huskies (11-9)

• Feb. 21 – 3 p.m. CT

#1 Victoria Vikes (17-3) vs. #8/#9 winner

• Feb. 22 – 3 p.m. CT

This is a meeting of two programs on the upswing: Brandon is enjoying a return to prominence, having just finished above .500 in consecutive seasons for the first time in 15 years, while the Huskies rebounded in 2023-24, one season after they missed the playoffs for just the second time in 20 years.

These storied programs had never met in the postseason until two years ago, when the Huskies defeated Brandon 101-76 on their way to capturing the Canada West bronze medal. The Bobcats have since won four consecutive regular season games against the Huskies, including a pair of contests in Brandon last month.

The winning team will be rewarded with a date against the two-time defending champion Vikes, who moved up to No. 1 in the U SPORTS rankings on Feb. 13. UVic was 2-0 against both Brandon and Saskatchewan during the 2023-24 season. 

#6 Regina Cougars (13-7) vs. #11 UFV Cascades (8-12)

• Feb. 21 – 6 p.m. CT

#3 Winnipeg Wesmen (15-5) vs. #6/#11 winner

• Feb. 22 – 6 p.m. CT

These teams enter the playoffs on different trajectories, with UFV going 4-2 while Regina was 1-5 over the last six games of the regular season. The Cougars and Cascades played a pair of close contests in Regina at the end of November, with the home side rallying from a second half deficit to win both times. This will be the first ever postseason meeting between Regina and UFV.

Regina is led by Dylan Kinley, who ranked fifth in Canada West with an average of 18.6 points per game. UFV has one of the most balanced scoring attacks, with four players who averaged between 11 and 13 points.

The winner plays the hometown Wesmen, who are looking to get back to the gold medal game after coming up short against Victoria in 2023. Winnipeg is on a six-game win streak, including a pair of victories over the Cougars in Regina to close out the regular season. 

#5 UBC Thunderbirds (14-6) vs. #12 UNBC Timberwolves (9-11)

• Feb. 21 – 8 p.m. CT

#4 Manitoba Bisons (13-7) vs. #5/#12 winner

• Feb. 22 – 8 p.m. CT

One of the most decorated programs in Canada West hoops history meets one of the newest. UBC has won the conference title 11 times, which is equal to the total number of seasons UNBC has been part of Canada West basketball. The T-Birds have won at least one playoff game in 21 of the last 23 postseason, while UNBC has one playoff victory in its Canada West history.

Just a month ago these teams split a pair of games in Prince George, with UNBC winning 88-69 on Jan. 19 before UBC prevailed 85-73 the following night. In their last 10 games against opponents besides each other, UBC is 9-1 while UNBC is 3-7.

Awaiting the winner in the quarterfinal round will be the host Bisons, who will be counting on a raucous crowd inside the Investors Group Athletic Centre. Manitoba did not play UNBC during the regular season but dropped a pair of games to the T-Birds in Vancouver last month.