BRANDON – The countdown is on to the Brandon Bobcats basketball teams hitting the court for another exciting season of action. The Bobcats' first contests of the season will take place on the road against Alberta, while the first home action is set for November 11 against UBC-Okanagan.
The Bobcats 2016-17 schedule was released Thursday morning following the publication of the Canada West conference schedule.
QUICK FACTS:
-The Bobcats will play 11 home dates and 9 on the road.
-New conference format including playoff structure.
-Explorer and Pioneer divisions no longer.
-Day games for school groups on January 13.
-Final regular season home games against rival Manitoba.
-Home games to be broadcast on WCGtv.
The home-opener for both Bobcat teams will be on November 11 against the Heat at the Healthy Living Centre with tip-off set for 6 pm in the women's game and 8 pm in the men's contest. The Bobcats will also welcome Winnipeg, Fraser Valley, MacEwan, and Regina to the friendly confines of the HLC before closing out the regular-season against Manitoba on February 4.
The contests against MacEwan on January 13 will be day-time games, with start times scheduled for 12 pm and 2 pm, which will provide an exciting opportunity for school-aged children to catch the action. Schools are encouraged to contact BU Athletics (link to Tyler's contact info) to register.
Tickets for all Bobcat games, as well as season ticket packages and Bobcat Nation memberships, will go on sale in September.
The Bobcats will be partnering with Westman Communications Group once again to broadcast all homes on WCGtv Channel 12. Westman is also the official video provider for the brand-new LED video screen in the Healthy Living Centre.
Once again this year, all home and road games will feature live video and live stats at
www.canadawest.tv so fans can follow the action on any computer, tablet or smartphone device. Canadawest.tv passes will go on sale August 22, with early bird pricing in effect until September 9.
2016-17 marks a new format for Canada West basketball, with the existing Pioneer and Explorer Divisions no longer in effect.
The 17 Canada West basketball schools will now play in a single conference, featuring a 20-game regular season schedule. Each team will play four geographical, or historical opponents every year, with games against six of the remaining 12 opponents every other year. Over a four-year rotation in the schedule, each team will play every team in the conference at least twice, and will visit every gym in Canada West at least once.
2016-17 playoffs will feature the top 12 teams playing a bracketed post-season structure over a three-week period. The top four teams will receive a bye in the first week of the playoffs, which will feature four best-of-three series.
The following week will consist of four best-of-three quarterfinals, leading to the Final Four hosted by the highest remaining seed.
Playoff seeding will be determined by a rating percentage index (RPI), which will be calculated using a combination of winning percentage, opponents' winning percentage, and opponents' average winning percentage. The conference RPI will be published on a weekly basis following the conference's December break.
IMPORTANT DATES:
November 4 – Season opener on the road at Alberta
November 11 – Home-opener against UBC-Okanagan
November 24-25 – Home and home series with Winnipeg
December 3 – Final home game of first half of season against Fraser Valley
January 6 – First game of second half of season at Mount Royal
February 4 – Final regular season home game against Manitoba.
February 17-19 – Canada West Play-in series (Location TBD)
February 24-26 – Canada West Quarterfinals (Location TBD)
March 3-5 – Canada West Final Four (location TBD)
March 9-12 – CIS Men's National Championship (at Halifax)
March 9-12 – CIS Women's National Championship (at Victoria)
