WATERLOO, Ont. - After a 24 hour delay to the start of its postseason schedule, the Laurier Golden Hawks men's basketball team is set to host the Toronto Varsity Blues in Thursday night's first round OUA playoff match-up.

The Low Down

• Having finished the regular season in eighth place in the OUA, the Golden Hawks earned home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.
• The winner will travel to the nation's capital to take on the #1-ranked Carleton Ravens.

Head-to-Head

• The Golden Hawks are 14-11 all-time against the Varsity Blues. Laurier has won eight of ten meetings at home. 
• Toronto came out on top the only time these two teams met in the regular season, back on November 12. A dominant performance on the glass played a big role in the Varsity Blues' 67-59 victory, in a wild game with both sides mounting huge runs. 
• Laurier struggled to penetrate Toronto's disciplined zone defence, settling for outside shots through most of the game. With the home crowd on their side this time around and improved chemistry on offence, they'll look to rewrite the script in the rematch. 

By the Numbers

• The Golden Hawks and Varsity Blues scored at the same rate over the regular season, averaging 79.9 points per game each. On defence, Toronto holds an extremely slight edge, allowing 76.4 points to Laurier's 76.7.
• The Varsity Blues were the best rebounding team in the OUA this season, pulling down 44.2 boards per game. The Golden Hawks ranked ninth with 37.7.

Players to Watch

• Given Toronto's strength on the boards, Laurier centre Ben Stevens may be the X-factor in this matchup. The fifth year's 201 rebounds this year were the second most on record by a Laurier player in a single regular season. 
• Rookie guard Callum Baker didn't play for Toronto against Laurier, but he'll likely demand the most attention from the defence in this game. Baker ranked first in the OUA in minutes per game (36.8), second in points (21.8) and fourteenth in assists (3.6).