Sometimes it was a three-pointer. Other times, it was a turnover. At moments, all it took was a referee pointing to one end of the court.
No matter the trigger, the response was the same: the ear-piercing, seat-shaking roar of unbridled joy. Feet stomping. Drums pounding. Hands clapping. If you closed your eyes, you wouldn’t know left from right. The wall of sound was all-encompassing.
The atmosphere at the Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton, Alta. for the host University of Alberta Golden Bears in their U Sports men’s basketball national championship quarterfinal was incomparable. Even without looking at the scoreboard, it was easy to know they defeated the McGill Redbirds 85-68.
It was also easy to tell their 22-0 run in the second quarter, an unbelievable five-minute period in a tournament defined thus far by narrow matchups and underdog upsets. The Golden Bears ended the first quarter down by three points; they ended it up 22.
Even in a quarter filled with overpowering dominance and statement-making performances—like guard Tyus Jefferson’s 31-point game—it was impossible to lose sight of the passion of the Alberta fan base. U Sports games are often quiet, but somebody forgot to tell that to those rowdy students in Edmonton.
Whenever a Redbird shot a free throw, Alberta fans would perform a skit behind the net. On one occasion, a Harry Potter-esque duel resulted in one wizard’s untimely death. On another, a Blades of Glory re-enactment ended with a picture-perfect figure skating lift.
Blades of Glory cosplay at a basketball game. Yeah, that’s Edmonton.
“It’s just awesome for basketball here in Edmonton. Everyone here is leaving happy,” Alberta head coach Barnaby Craddock said. “We’re so lucky and privileged to be hosting this here.”
Outside of the second quarter, the Redbirds—champions of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ)—thrived. They outscored Alberta in the first, third and fourth quarters, relying on U Sports Player of the Year finalist Jamal Mayali for 31 points and seven rebounds.
“I played well. I left it all on the floor,” Mayali said. “It’s my last year so I didn’t want to have any stones unturned. I gave it my best.”
In the fourth, the Redbirds climbed to within 10 points of Alberta, but McGill couldn’t bounce back from their dismal second frame.
The loss ends their championship hopes and relegates them to the consolation bracket, which will commence with the consolation semifinals on Saturday.
For the Golden Bears, this win is a bounceback. Ranked second in the country behind the Carleton Ravens the entire season, Alberta lost the Canada West final to the University of Victoria Vikes—a surprise loss that landed Victoria as the tournament’s two seed and Alberta as the three seed.
Now, Alberta will move on to play either the Vikes or the Ravens in the semifinals at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday. The choice of the fans, chanting “we want Carleton” at the end of the game, is clear.
“Eight great teams are here … We’ll be challenged, no matter who we’re playing tomorrow,” Craddock said. “We’re in the national semifinal in our gym. We’re pumped.”
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
