It’s now or never for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s basketball team. Sitting six points out of a playoff spot with just four games remaining, the Dogs need wins more than ever and will host the University of Alberta Golden Bears in a massive weekend series.
In the Canada West Pioneer Division, the top seven teams qualify for the post-season. The Huskies currently find themselves in ninth, but being matched up against the seventh place Golden Bears gives them an opportunity to get back into the thick of the playoff race. Alberta, Winnipeg and Lethbridge sit fifth through seventh in the standings and all have nine wins on the season, while the Huskies only have six. Though the chance of a playoff appearance is slim, it is by no means impossible.
Although the season hasn’t gone according to plan thus far, the Dogs can right the ship with a solid weekend of basketball. After winning both games versus the Brandon University Bobcats, the squad has to be feeling good heading into their biggest games of the season. A sweep of Alberta would go a long way in their quest for the post-season.
With a pair of hard-earned victories at home over Brandon, head coach Barry Rawlyk hopes the team can use the winning streak as something to build off and rally around as the regular season winds down.
“I was particularly pleased with the way we played on Saturday night, both offensively and on the defensive end. I thought we played better team basketball and hopefully we can carry that on into this weekend against Alberta,” Rawlyk said. “Those guys will be a stiff challenge for us, we’re great rivals so we’ll have to play well in order to win.”
Alberta will come to town with a 9–8 record and boasting one of the top defences in the conference. They are led by star forward Mamadou Gueye, who ranks in the top 10 in the CanWest in both points and rebounds per game, scoring 17.9 and adding 7.3 boards per contest.
While shutting down the talented Gueye will be a factor in determining the outcome, Rawlyk knows just stopping him doesn’t guarantee anything.
“He’s a very gifted player, but I mean every team has those guys — you have to put some focus on them. But this is the CIS level and every player that’s on the team is a star in their own right,” Rawlyk said. “So everybody is very capable of playing and your peril can sometimes come from focusing on one guy too much and other guys hurt you. There has to be some balance in terms of your focus,” Rawlyk said.
Playing great team defence has always been a key for the Huskies’ success. They can score with any team in the conference, but getting timely stops and limiting runs by the opposition is what can turn close games into victories. The Golden Bears aren’t a top team in any regard when it comes to offensive prowess, so tough team defence and limiting second chance points will go a long way for the Huskies if they hope to pick up a couple huge wins in the standings.
Aside from the defensive aspect, coach Rawlyk spoke of one major factor that the Dogs could use to their advantage: tempo.
“Basketball is a game of tempo — whoever controls the tempo usually tends to come out on top. Obviously we’re going to have to do something to control the tempo of the game and create some scoring opportunities for ourselves,” Rawlyk said. “I don’t think it’s a game we want to slug it out in the half-court with them the whole time, I think we need to create a bit more of an up-tempo style. Part of that will come from our defence and part of that will come from our offence.”
With Alberta allowing the least points per game in the CanWest conference, the Dogs will need a strong offensive gameplan to attack the Golden Bears and get them in foul trouble. Using a variety of weapons on offence, it will be a matter of who will step up for the green and white.
The Huskies will need a great performance out of big men Shane Osayande, Mack Burns and Joe Barker, as shutting down Gueye will be a top concern. Rebounding and boxing out will be essential, with scoring not being a top priority. With athletic guards like Chan de Ciman, Evan Ostertag and Alex Unruh who can drive the lane and still score from the perimeter, the Dogs will need a big weekend from a couple players — if not all of them — to knock off their rival Alberta and keep their playoff dreams alive.
The pivotal matches are set for Feb. 12 and 13 at the PAC, with tip-off set for 8:00 p.m. both nights.
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Image: Jeremy Britz / Graphics Editor