Both Saskatchewan Huskies’ basketball teams don’t have a lot to prove to Canada West Conference coaches after both placed second in the respective pre-season coaches’ polls, released Thursday.

On the women’s side, Lisa Thomaidis’ 2019 Conference champions received 227 voting points to finish second in the coaches’ poll behind the U of Winnipeg Wesmen. The U of S didn’t receive any of the 17 first place votes while Winnipeg got 14, third place Fraser Valley picked up one and fourth-ranked Calgary got two first place votes.

On the men’s side, Barry Rawlyk’s Huskies finished second behind Alberta. The Dogs received one of 16 first place votes while Golden Bears picked up 14. Third-ranked Victoria also received a first place vote. Both U of S teams start their regular-season schedules Friday in Brandon. Following are the news releases from the Canada West Conference…..

WBB: Wesmen top preseason poll

Full slate of games this weekend opens the 2021-22 season

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.

MBB: Golden Bears take top spot in preseason poll

Conference season tips off Thursday night

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 remiaining 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.

For a complete look at all 17 CW men’s teams, check out the season preview here.