Vancouver Island University - This weekend, the three day 2018 PACWEST Provincial Tournament, hosted by Vancouver Island University, will kick off in Nanaimo. Both Men’s and Women’s brackets feature the top six teams from regular season play, with the top two teams earning a first round bye, and the other four playing for a spot in the semi-finals.
On the men’s side, host VIU is currently ranked #3 in Canada and finished with a league best 17-1 record. Earning the other first round bye was Langara, currently ranked #15 in Canada who finished with a 12-6 record. The last time VIU hosted provincials was in 2010. Assistant Coach Avneet Brar of the VIU Men’s team had this to say about the importance of hosting:
“We are so excited to host in our gym and have our fans pack the gym as we compete for a provincial championship. There have been years where we are on the road, staying in hotels and that can be tough to get into rhythm. We are very excited to host this high level of Pacwest basketball in Nanaimo.”
The VIU Men’s team has the longest active streak of top-3 finishes (nine years) and is looking for their fourth consecutive PACWEST title. Historically, a powerhouse program, the VIU culture has been in part built by Matt Kuzminski, who earlier this year celebrated his 100th win, taking only six seasons and 113 games to accomplish the feat. Avneet Brar added:
“I think the active streak of top 3 finishes speaks to the culture that has been created at Vancouver Island University of high performance. To not only expect to perform well but to do everything it entails to perform well. We pride ourselves on having a year round effort to develop individually and as a team in hopes of playing our best basketball come post-season.”
On the Women’s side the Douglas Women earned the top seed after a 14-4 record good enough for #7 in Canada while Capilano was close on their heels with 13-5 record good for #13 in the country and beating out VIU for the first round bye with the head-to-head regular season advantage. History is being made on the Women’s side as this is the first time qualifying provincials for the CBC Bearcats.
Additionally, this will be the final run for both Quest University teams as their Athletic Department is folding at the conclusion of the basketball season.
Women's Bracket
Quarter Final #1 - 1:00pm
#3 VIU vs #6 Quest
Winner plays #2 Capilano
Quarter Final #2 - 6:00pm
#4 Camosun vs #5 CBC
Winner plays #1 Douglas College
Men’s Bracket:
Quarter Final #1 - 3:00pm
#3 Douglas College vs Quest
Winner plays #2 Langara
Quarter Final #2 - 8:00pm
#4 Camosun vs #5 Capilano
Winner plays #1 VIU
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