Lethbridge – The Lethbridge Pronghorns men's basketball team will travel to hostile territory this weekend to take on the UBC Thunderbirds in Canada West basketball quarterfinal action.
 
The action tips off on Thursday, at 8:00pm Mountain time. Games 2 and 3 (if needed) go Friday and Saturday, at the same time of 8:00pm MT.
 
The Thunderbirds finished the regular season with a 16-4 record, slotting them with the #2 rank in the Pioneer Division. The 'Horns went 12-8, placing 4^th.
 
Based on the head to head record, and the 'Horns road record, the T-Birds are the favourites in this series. The 'Horns struggled on the road this season, going 3-7, including losing both contests to the T-Birds in their barn, 95-73 and 85-79. The T-Birds sport a stellar 8-2 record at home.
 
On paper, though, the matchup is much closer. Both teams are riding high into the playoffs on winning streaks. The 'Horns have won two straight, the T-Birds six.
 
When it comes to the objective of the game, scoring more points than the other guys, the 'Horns take that category, outscoring the T-Birds 85.7-83.6, on average.
 
Shooting percentages are almost dead even, too. The T-Birds take the slight, and I mean slight edge, in shooting from the field, 46.9% to the 'Horns 46.1%. The 'Horns counter by shooting a better long ball. They go 37.3% from the three-point line and beyond, while the T-Birds shoot 32.9%.
 
The rebounds part of the game is owned by the T-Birds taking 44.0 to the 'Horns 38.7 per game.
 
The T-Birds are led by their veterans. Fourth- year guard Jordan Jensen-Whyte leads with an average of 15.0 PPG, and shooting 48.1% from the field and 26.7% on three-pointers. He averages 5.0 rebounds per game.
 
Conor Morgan, a third-year guard/forward for the T-Birds, is a monster when it comes to collecting rebounds. He accounts for 16% of all his team's rebounds, averaging 7.3 per game. He also averages a solid 14.8 PPG.
 
David Wagner, a fifth-year forward, pretty much hits every shot he takes, or so it seems. He averages 56.8% from the field and nets 12.1 points per game. He collects 5.5 rebounds a game, as well.
 
It's a similar story for the 'Horns, as they too are led by their vets.
 
Fifth-year forward Brandon Brine crushes the points per game category, averaging 19.0. He shoots 50.4% from the field and 40.0% when shooting from a distance. He averages 6.7 rebounds a contest.
 
Rob Olsen, the 'Horns' fifth-year guard, averages 14.9 points per game, and shoots 46.1% from the field, and 41.8% on three-point attempts. He averages 4.7 rebound per game.
 
Dejon Burdeaux is sneaky good with steals, and averages 3.4 a game. The third-year guard also puts up solid points, averaging 12.4 and shooting 50.0% from the field.
 
But those are regular season numbers. It's the post-season now, a blank canvas for all teams in the playoffs.
 
All three games will be webcast on www.canadawest.tv and Pronghorn Athletics will be streaming the game live in the SU Zoo, Thursday and Friday and if game three is needed the game will be streamed in PE250.