The Carleton Ravens are set to take on the Ryerson Rams in the semifinals of the U Sports men’s basketball Final 8 tournament.
The game will be a rematch of this year’s Ontario University Athletics (OUA) final in which the Ravens won with a score of 84-58. The Ravens also hold a perfect 3-0 record against the Rams this season.
Here’s what the Ravens will need to look out for against the Rams if they are to capture the W.P. McGee Trophy for a record eighth-straight year.
Ryerson Rams
The number five seeded Ryerson Rams opened up their tournament play with a very convincing 88-62 quarterfinal win over the number four seeded Alberta Golden Bears of the Canada West Conference. The Ravens will need to look out for Ryerson guard Manny Diressa, a first-team all-Canadian who pitched in a team-high 25 points against Alberta.
With a 17-6 regular season record in the OUA East, the Rams will have plenty of other scorers available such as guards Myles Charvis and Jean-Victor Mukama, as well as forward Filip Vujadinovic, as all four players were able to reach double figures in scoring in their quarterfinal matchup.
This will be the second straight year in which Ryerson will be facing Carleton at the U Sports Final 8 tournament, and the team would love nothing more than to seek revenge for their OUA finals loss and defeat last year in the U Sports championship game.
Key to the game:
The Rams must be willing to play physical defence inside the paint and force the Ravens to rely on three-point shots if they hope to slow down their offence.
Carleton Ravens
The defending national champions and number one seeded Ravens hold one of the fastest and most dangerous offences in the tournament and were given an early scare by the number eight seeded Acadia Axemen by earning a hard-fought 81-64 win in the quarterfinals.
The Ravens also have the nation’s top defence for the fourth year in a row after allowing just 45.9 points per game and held the number one ranking in all 14 U Sports men’s basketball polls during the 2017-18 season.
The Rams will need to showcase their best defence of the year against a Ravens offensive unit which posted 88.5 points per game, good for fourth in Canada. Key players such as second-team all-Canadian forward Eddie Ekiyor, and OUA defensive player of the year Marcus Anderson will need to be kept on lockdown if the Rams are to come out victorious.
Key to the game:
The Ravens can’t afford to get out to a slow start against a Rams offence that can score in bunches at any moment. After posting a miserable 27 per cent from three-point range against Acadia, the Ravens will need to make the most of their shooting opportunities, and their players must take advantage of the inside game.
Photo by Grant Vassos
