Huskie men battling for playoff lives, women aiming for top spot

While their current situation might not be exactly what the green and white had in mind entering the season, considering they finished second in the country last year, head coach Jamie Campbell told HuskieFAN all they wanted was a chance, especially after their 1-9 start.

“The message is that we get to control what we can control and that’s a great spot to be in, especially coming off of a bit of a tougher start, early in the year,” he said.

“The way we’ve played over the last four or five weeks to kind of put ourselves in this position to be able to go on the road and play the team just ahead of us and the fact that if we win both games and get just a tiny bit of help, we have a chance to make playoffs, is something I’m sure five or six weeks ago, nobody else in Canada West would have believed except for maybe us.”

Saskatchewan has since gone 4-4, giving them a record of 5-13, as they face a 7-11 Fraser Valley squad.

Should they go into Abbotsford and take both contests, the two clubs would finish with the same record, however, the U of S would have the better record head-to-head.

For the Huskies, that’s the only priority on their mind, as that’s the only thing in their control.

They do also need a bit of luck on their side, as they are currently a game behind the Lethbridge Pronghorns and tied with the Thompson Rivers WolfPack (however, TRU has the head-to-head tiebreaker).

Because of this, they need both teams to split or lose their last series.

The 6-12 Pronghorns will face the 13-5 University of Alberta Golden Bears, who are currently fourth in the Standings, in Edmonton, and the WolfPack will host the Canada West leading Manitoba Bisons, who hold a record of 16-2, in Kamloops.

Campbell added there are a lot of moving parts this weekend, and that at the end of the day, regardless if they move on to playoffs or not he hopes his team can at least say they gave it their best shot.

And while it’s always nice to do at home, road games can provide the feeling of us against the world, and give his group the togetherness that may just push them over the top.

“I’ve always felt like there’s a little bit more of a sense of control in the environment when you’re on the road,” Campbell said.

“Everybody’s in the same place, we’re all in the same hotel, we travel to the games together, and we’re picking up the meals. Obviously, being at home is always nicer, but once you kind of get there it’s kind of nice to know that all 16 of us will be under the same roof.”

Game time on Friday is 10 p.m. (Saskatchewan time) and 9 p.m. on Saturday (Saskatchewan time).

Women’s Basketball

Meanwhile, the women’s squad is in a bit of a different situation, as they knew they were playoff bound a couple of weeks ago.

They currently lead all of Canada West, with a 16-2 record, and haven’t lost a game since Nov. 12.

The women are riding a 14-game win streak and have the chance to push that to 16, this weekend, which would give them the top spot and home-court advantage through the rest of the playoffs (should they make it that far).

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team take on the University of Alberta Pandas at the Pac on the University of Saskatchewan campus in Saskatoon, SK, February 4, 2023 (Photo Electric Umbrella/Derek Elvin)

Head Coach Lisa Thomaidis said it would be a privilege to be able to secure home court throughout, however, what’s most important, is that this team is at the top of its game.

“We love playing at home in front of our crowd, I think we probably have the best fans in Canada West for sure, if not the entire country, so anytime we get a chance to be in playoff games on our home court, I think it’s just such a big advantage for us,” she said.

“It means a lot for us to be able to perform in front of our family and friends and university, so you know any chance we get to ensure that we can keep that home playoff situation alive, it’s important to us. I think more importantly though, is that we just continue to play well and continue to improve each weekend.”

The women will play two hours before the men, as tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday and 7 p.m. on Saturday (both Saskatchewan time).

Playoffs begin next week (Feb. 17 & 18), with single elimination play-in games beginning on Friday between the 5-12 seeds, and the top four seeds hosting the winners of those games on Saturday.

Thomaidis added with so much on the line, it’s nice that both groups will be travelling together and will have the chance to cheer each other on.

“It’s a really great space that we’re in right now with our two teams, I think both teams have always been really supportive of the other… when you’re a husky, you want all the Huskie teams to do well, and when you’re on the road, you certainly want to provide that support to the other team that’s playing, whether you’re finished or you haven’t started yet,” said Thomaidis.

“For the guys, we want to see them sweep and get into the playoffs… we’re in the gym every day, and we see them working hard, and they see us, so you want the best for them. They’re a great group of guys, and hopefully, we can all pull it off this weekend.”

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8

by Ben Tompkins

Huskie men battling for playoff lives, women aiming for top spot

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