The Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team has done something big for university sports in Canada—gotten people to notice it.
The team won their 10th Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championship in 12 years—breaking their own record of most CIS men’s basketball championships won on March 9.
This dynasty has put Canadian university basketball on the map. Not only is the team good in Canada, but they have beaten stiff competition from National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) teams in the United States.
Most notably, in the summer of 2013 the Ravens beat the University of Wisconsin Badgers, currently ranked 12th in the NCAA.
Before their loss to the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Wilson Cup final, the Ravens had a 49-game winning streak in regular season and playoff games against CIS teams dating back to Nov. 9, 2012.
The national coverage of the team has been increasing, and university basketball as a whole is getting more attention.
In May 2013, the CIS and Sportsnet announced a six-year broadcasting agreement, so the national sports network has broadcast coverage of university sports across Canada, including the CIS Final 8.
Not only did Sportsnet show the games, but they also had video segments about the Ravens dynasty in which they spoke to big names in Canadian basketball about the Ravens’ success.
The team has shown how good Canadian university sports teams can be and that CIS sports should be recognized.
