The Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team and the University of Ottawa (U of O) Gee-Gees are set to play for the second time this season at the Canadian Tire Centre, in the annual Capital Hoops Classic.
The Ravens team has yet to be beaten this year, with a perfect 18-0 record. They sit at the top of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East Division and the U Sports rankings. The Gee-Gees find themselves in third place in the OUA East and 10th in the U Sports rankings, with a record of 13-5.
For the Ravens, Eddie Ekiyor and Yasiin Joseph have been huge for the team, both of them putting up over 14 points per game. Where Carleton really shines though is defensively, holding other teams to an average of 61.4 points per game and having a 34.2 shooting percentage against, leading U Sports in both stats.
The U of O team is led offensively by Brody Maracle, who leads U Sports in field goal percentage with 65.7 per cent and averages 13.2 points per game, assisted by Jean Emmanuel Pierre-Charles who leads the team with 13.3 points per game. These two players were both former Ravens who now play for the Gee-Gees.
Maracle called the upcoming Capital Hoops Classic a “huge” game for team morale.
“Just to be able to compete and play against a team like that can do a lot for our confidence,” said the Gee-Gees forward.
Since Maracle transferred to Ottawa in 2015, he has seen his team both win and lose against their cross-town rivals. In 2015-16, Ottawa swept Carleton in their regular season matchups; with Carleton doing the same in 2016-17.
“Obviously they’re a great team and their record speaks for itself and all that stuff but, just looking at the playoff picture, we got to get a win,” he said.
The U of O sits only four points back from the OUA East second place Laurentian Voyagers, with the Ryerson Rams close behind as well, a loss on Feb. 2 would put the Gee-Gees in a tough spot.
The Gee-Gees and Ravens only match up this season led to a 74-53 win for Carleton, during which Maracle was out with an injury.
“The guys played really hard so I don’t think [my absence] made that big of a difference but obviously it was pretty tough on me not to play in that, especially playing at Carleton before. Those are the games you circle on your calendar, but I’m hoping that in this one I can make a difference,” Maracle said.
Despite the Ravens winning quite comfortably in the November match, Carleton forward Marcus Anderson anticipates an improved U of O side.
“They’re a lot different team since then. They’ve lost a couple of games, so I’m sure they’re going to be real aggressive,” Anderson said. “I know they’ve gotten better, so it’s going to be more tough than the last game.”
The Gee-Gees’ improvement comes from a different style of play.
“I know they’re playing a lot faster, shooting a lot more shots,” Anderson explained. “Now that [Maracle’s] back, they’re going to be going in the post. I’m going to be expecting them to play super hard.”
Anderson also praised Maracle’s impact on the game.
“He’s a great player,” he said. “He scores in bunches and super efficiently, so we’re going to have to do a good job loading up and talking to him when he gets the ball in the post because we know he can finish at a high efficiency.”
For Anderson, his excitement has become tempered about Capital Hoops, being in his third year.
“It’s just another game . . . my first year, I was a lot more excited, a lot more nervous about this game . . . now, it’s taking it game by game,” he said “Getting everybody all focused on the same page and realize it’s not about the people in the crowd, it’s about who we’re playing.”
Maracle said that “playing as a team” and building off the season’s momentum will be crucial if they hope to win.
While the Ravens have won seven straight national titles, the Gee-Gees have come close time and time again in recent years.
The U of O lost to the Ryerson Rams in last year’s OUA semi-finals. After beating Carleton twice in 2015-16, they didn’t get a chance to face them a third time, falling in the OUA semi-finals and national quarterfinals.
However, Maracle noted while a win at Capital Hoops would be “huge for us in the season,” it won’t make up for the playoff shortcomings.
“I don’t think a lot of it is redemption because it’s just a regular season game,” he said. “I think the biggest one is if we can beat [Carleton] in March.”
The two rivals take the court at 8 p.m. on Feb. 2, where Carleton will try and defend their Capital Hoops win from last year.
Photo by Dan Robertson
