Victoria basketball fans have a lot to look forward to this weekend as the 2025 Canada West men鈥檚 basketball tournament kicks off Friday, Feb. 21.
The hometown University of Victoria Vikes enter the single-elimination tournament as the No. 1 seed following an undefeated 20-0 season.
The Vikes will take on the winner of Friday's play-in game between the Lethbridge Pronghorns and the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades. The matchup could be close as the Pronghorns hold an 11-9 record, while the Cascades enter the tournament 9-11 this season, however, the team has won four of their last six games and defeated the Pronghorns in their past two meetings.
The winner will advance to play the Vikes in the Canada West quarterfinals on Saturday. It's an intimidating matchup as the Vikes are not only the No. 1 team in the tournament but ranked as the top U-Sports team in the nation. The Vikes dominated this past season winning each game of their undefeated campaign by an average of 20 points.
The Vikes are also three-time defending champions of the Canada West title and have toppled each of their potential opponents in previous matchups this season.
The impressive season earned the Vikes home-court advantage with both the play-in and quarterfinals games hosted at UVic鈥檚 CARSA Performance Centre, a venue that has yet to see its home team lose a playoff game since it opened in 2015.
A win on Saturday would see the Vikes host the Canada West semifinals held Feb. 28 and March 1.
Lethbridge and UFV will face off at CARSA, Friday, Feb. 21 at 5 p.m. ahead of the quarterfinals Saturday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.
