When Deanna Tuchscherer makes her UFV women’s basketball Canada West debut this fall, she’ll be on the road in Winnipeg.
The 2019-20 schedule was released Wednesday.
Tucscherer’s Cascades will be in Manitoba Nov. 1 to face the Winnipeg Wesmen in a pair of games.
After a one-week bye, the talented teen will make her home debut Nov. 15-16 as UFV hosts the UBC-Okanagan Heat at the Envision Athletic Centre in Abbotsford.
Other key schedule details:
— The Cascades’ first two road trips will be their longest of the season – both taking them to Winnipeg. After opening versus the Wesmen, they return to the Manitoba capital to face the Manitoba Bisons, Nov. 29-30.
— The Cascades host nine home games and 11 on the road. That’s due to the fact that UFV and local rival Trinity Western choose to play their annual two-game series in a home-and-home format, rather than one program hosting both game nights in alternating years.
— The always-anticipated UFV-TWU derby is slated for Jan. 16 at the Langley Events Centre, and Jan. 18 at the EAC.
— For the first time in six seasons, the Cascades will host the UBC Thunderbirds in CW regular-season action.
The last time that match-up occurred in conference play was in 2013.
This year’s clash between the Cascades and T-Birds is set for Jan. 3-4.
— The Cascades wrap up the regular season Feb. 7-8 at home vs. the Regina Cougars, and the Canada West playoffs open the following week.
Meanwhile, change is coming to the Canada West playoff format.
The first round of the conference playoffs remain untouched, and will once again feature single-elimination games between the No. 5 through 12 seeds, with the top four seeds earning a bye (seeding determined by RPI). The teams advancing from the play-in round will be reseeded 5-8 ahead of the revamped quarter-finals.
Both the quarter-final and semifinal rounds have been compressed, both in terms of the number of games and weeks. Instead of best-of-three quarters and semis, both rounds will now be single-elimination games, being played the same weekend. The top two seeds will host each side of the draw, with the winners eventually meeting the following weekend in the Canada West Championship game.
The changes were formally approved earlier this year after CW membership indicated a desire to condense the playoffs to three weeks.