On Feb. 5, a capacity crowd filed into the Canadian Tire Centre as the men’s and women’s basketball teams faced off against the crosstown rival University of Ottawa (U of O) Gee-Gees in the 10th annual MBNA Capital Hoops Classic. Before the game, the scene outside the Ravens’ Nest was filled with black and red as hundreds of fans piled into buses.
In a result quite different from past years, the Ravens women’s team managed to come out on top while the men’s team suffered a six-point defeat.
The bleachers were filled with over 10,000 fans for the men’s event. Last year’s attendance broke the record for a Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) regular season game.
The heightened atmosphere of this rivalry was first showcased 10 years ago during the first Capital Hoops Classic.
“We partnered with the Senators in 2006,” said Carleton’s athletic director Jennifer Brenning. “This event was kind of a build up towards the national championship we were hosting that year. I remember [feeling] absolutely electric. It was exciting, the students were so pumped in their school colours . . . It was just a great atmosphere.”
From then on, it was a no-brainer to continue the event. Both fans and players have enjoyed the championship-like tradition for years now.
“It felt special,” said Ravens forward Heather Lindsay following the win. “In the past, it has felt really overwhelming, but tonight was special . . . The atmosphere was fantastic, and we have the best fans in the CIS, hands down.”
The level of the rivalry only propels the intensity of the games. The two men’s teams met in the CIS championship last season and have held the top spots in the country for the majority of the season.
“In terms of basketball, this is the best rivalry there is. Between this game and the Panda [Game], they’re the marquee events in terms of CIS rival games and events,” Brenning said.
The Ravens football team won the Panda Game in dramatic fashion earlier this season. Unfortunately for Carleton fans, the men’s basketball team could not complete the perfect sweep of football and basketball versus their rivals. It was the first time since the first Capital Hoops Classic that the men’s players didn’t send the Ravens’ fans home happy. However, the women’s team won their game for the first time in the past three years by a 20-point margin.
“We just fell short on making shots . . . Defensively we fell short in the third quarter,” said Ravens point guard Kaza Kajami-Keane.
Nonetheless, the atmosphere was electric once again, and the game displayed the high level of talent the city of Ottawa has to offer.
“We have really strong basketball at the community level. This game has certainly had an impact on the visibility and awareness of CIS basketball,” Brenning said. “Bar none the best rivalry in Canada, and it has stayed that way for years.”
