It’s rivalry weekend in U.S. collegiate NCAA basketball.

Maybe it’s fitting that a little bit of that has seeped across the border as the University of Victoria Vikes cross the strait to take on the UBC Thunderbirds tonight in Canada West men’s and women’s action at War Memorial Gym.

With every Tom, Dick, Trinity Western, Fraser Valley, UBC-Okanagan and Thompson Rivers now in Canada West, all-B.C. matchups are now plentiful. But when Canada West charter members UVic and UBC meet, there’s that added sense of history.

“It’s the same thing [Canadian-type version] as North Carolina versus Duke,” noted UVic men’s head coach Craig Beaucamp.

“It’s that historic angle of two of the three original B.C. schools [along with non-CIS Simon Fraser]. So it’s always special for UVic to play UBC.”

Even more so when both UVic and UBC men’s teams are ranked in the CIS top-10 poll. The Vikes are No. 4 and Thunderbirds No. 7.

UVic (13-3) needs to win one of its two remaining conference games, either tonight at UBC or back home at McKinnon Gym next Friday against those same Thunderbirds, to clinch home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

UBC (12-4) needs to sweep the closing set against UVic to deny the Vikes home court in the first round of the post-season.

“The Thunderbirds are coming off tough back-to-back losses against [12-5 and CIS seventh-ranked Fraser Valley] and will be looking to bounce back,” said Beaucamp, whose team can still finish anywhere from first to third place in the Pacific Division of Canada West, depending on divisional results during the final two weekends of the regular season.

“They [Thunderbirds] are going to be coming out really cranked up and the first quarter will be key for us.”

Both teams sweep the boards clean, with UVic leading the conference in rebounding and UBC second. “UBC is a talented, athletic team and we need to be solid defensively,” said Beaucamp.

Offensively, UVic is led by conference second leading scorer Ryan MacKinnon and his 20.1 points-per-game average. UBC answers with leading scorer Nathan Yu and his conference sixth-best 18.9 points per game.

On the women’s side, the Vikes (8-8) will have their hands full tonight against the CIS nationally fourth-ranked Thunderbirds (13-3).

UVic coach Rich Chambers knows well UBC star guard Kristjana Young after coaching her last summer on Canada’s team that went 8-1 at the FIBA women’s world junior championships in Chile.

“She was a very important contributor to the national junior team and she hasn’t looked back,” said Chambers. “She is going to get her 15 points. We can’t let her get 25.”

UVic’s lack of height could prove problematic tonight.

“The Thunderbirds are way bigger than us,” noted Chambers. “But our players are not fearful about this matchup and have a good frame of mind. We have to shoot and rebound well.”

The season-closing set against UBC, which concludes next Friday at McKinnon Gym, is crucial for UVic, which is looking to hang on to the third and final playoff spot in the Pacific Division.