VANCOUVER - As Canada West women's basketball gets set to make its return to the court this weekend, the Winnipeg Wesmen are the early favourites to win the conference title.
The conference released its annual coaches preseason poll Thursday, as teams ready to start the 2021-22 regular season. Winnipeg picked up 14 of a possible 16 first-place votes and finished atop the poll with 252 total points.
The defending conference and national champion Saskatchewan Huskies came in second with 227 points. The Fraser Valley Cascades received one first-place vote and finished third in the poll with 219 points with the Calgary Dinos right behind them with 217 points and a pair of first-place selections.
The road to the conference championships begins tonight, with the UBC Thunderbirds hosting the Trinity Western Spartans. On Friday, 14 more teams get their seasons underway with a full slate of conference action available live on Canada West TV Presented by Co-op. Season passes are available for purchase by clicking here.
For a complete look at all 17 CW women's teams, check out the season preview here.
2021-22 CW WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL
Team / Points (First-place votes)
- Winnipeg Wesmen / 252 (14)
- Saskatchewan Huskies / 227
- Fraser Valley Cascades / 219 (1)
- Calgary Dinos / 217 (2)
- Regina Cougars /193
- Alberta Pandas / 191
- Victoria Vikes / 168
- Lethbridge Pronghorns / 133
- UBC Thunderbirds / 120
- Trinity Western Spartans / 117
- UBCO Heat / 116
- Manitoba Bisons / 103
- MacEwan Griffins / 70
- UNBC Timberwolves / 67
- Mount Royal Cougars / 58
- Thompson Rivers WolfPack / 38
- Brandon Bobcats / 23
NOTES: First-place votes worth 16 pts., second-place 15 pts. etc.
Source: https://canada-west.prezly.com/wbb-wesmen-top-preseason-poll
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Golden Bears take top spot in Men's preseason poll
VANCOUVER - The Alberta Golden Bears look to be the team to beat heading into the 2021-22 Canada West regular season after receiving 14-of-16 first-place votes in the conference's annual preseason coaches poll.
The Golden Bears, who finished the 2019-20 regular season 19-1 and finished the campaign with a CW silver medal, received 254 points in the poll released Thursday.
The Saskatchewan Huskies slotted into second place with 232 total points and a first-place vote, while the Victoria Vikes picked up the remaining first-place selection and were third in the poll with 217 points.
The defending CW champion UBC Thunderbirds were fourth in the poll with 212 points.
The road to the conference championships begins tonight, with the UBC Thunderbirds hosting the Trinity Western Spartans. On Friday, 14 more teams get their seasons underway with a full slate of conference action available live on Canada West TV Presented by Co-op. Season passes are available for purchase by clicking here.
For a complete look at all 17 CW men's teams, check out the season preview here.
2021-22 CW MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL
Team / Points (First-place votes)
- Alberta Golden Bears / 254 (14)
- Saskatchewan Huskies / 232 (1)
- Victoria Vikes / 217 (1)
- UBC Thunderbirds / 212
- Calgary Dinos / 202
- Regina Cougars / 184
- Manitoba Bisons / 146
- Trinity Western Spartans / 126
- Mount Royal Cougars / 125
- Winnipeg Wesmen / 114
- UBCO Heat / 97
- Lethbridge Pronghorns / 96
- Brandon Bobcats / 97
- Fraser Valley Cascades / 79
- Thompson Rivers WolfPack / 57
- UNBC Timberwolves / 45
- MacEwan Griffins / 39
NOTES: First-place votes worth 16 pts., second-place 15 pts. etc.
Source: https://canada-west.prezly.com/mbb-golden-bears-take-top-spot-in-preseason-poll