After the first season during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Carleton Ravens and seven other teams from across the country are headed to the U Sports men’s basketball national championship in Edmonton, Alta. from April 1 to 3.
This season was unlike any other. Teams in Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Atlantic University Sport (AUS) and the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) saw more than 70 days between regular season games due to a pandemic shutdown in December and January. Meanwhile, many Canada West games were postponed due to COVID-19 complications.
Ahead of this weekend’s tournament, get to know the eight teams competing in Edmonton.
Brock Badgers | OUA champions | #1 seed
The Badgers went 14-1 in the regular season thanks to the best offense in the country, averaging 93.1 points per game. On Saturday, they defeated the Queen’s Gaels to end a 30-year OUA championship drought. In Edmonton, they’ll be looking to win their first national championship since 2008.
On the court, the Badgers are led by head coach Willy Manigat, a former Carleton player and assistant coach, and forward Tajinder Lall, who recently transferred to Brock after four seasons at Carleton. Lall leads the team in points per game with 22.9 and was named OUA West MVP.
Victoria Vikes | Canada West champions | #2 seed
Last weekend, the Vikes defeated the Alberta Golden Bears for their first Canada West championship since the 2014-15 season. It also marked their 19th consecutive win—an impressive feat for a team that began the year ranked outside of the top 10 but climbed to number three by March 15.
The Vikes have an intimidating offense and the best three-point shooting percentage in Canada. They will face the Ravens in the quarterfinals on Friday at 10 p.m. ET.
Alberta Golden Bears | Canada West finalists | #3 seed
After an entire season spent as the number two team in the country, Alberta lost its first game in the Canada West final against the Vikes.
As the host school, the expectations for the Golden Bears are high. They’re led by fifth-year guard Tyus Jefferson, who was named both Canada West player of the year and defensive player of the year—the first time one player has won both awards.
Dalhousie Tigers | AUS champions | #4 seed
The Tigers will be familiar to Ravens fans from the teams’ frequent matchups at nationals in recent years. In 2019, Carleton and Dalhousie met in the semifinals, with Carleton winning 76-65. In 2020, the teams clashed again in the championship, with Carleton trailing by as much as 14 points before completing a last-minute comeback to win 74-65.
At the time, Dalhousie head coach Rick Plato called the experience “groundhog day.”
Another championship rematch could be in store this year, with the Tigers and Ravens on opposite sides of the bracket. Dalhousie went 12-2 this season, relying on fifth-years Alex Carson and Keevan Veinot for more than 18 points each per game.
Queen’s Gaels | OUA finalists | #5 seed
Queen’s also knows a thing or two about the Ravens. The Gaels gave the Ravens their first loss since February 2020 when Queen’s won 86-80 in the OUA semifinals on March 23. It was the Gaels’ first time beating Carleton since Jan. 30, 1998. The win booked the first trip to nationals in program history.
The Gaels played Carleton twice in the regular season and lost by a combined 59 points. However, they were missing guard Cole Syllas, who averaged 19.4 points per game and scored a jaw-dropping 39 points in the semifinals against Carleton.
Queen’s lost 95-75 to Brock in the OUA championship but could be the Cinderella story of this year’s nationals.
McGill Redbirds | RSEQ champions | #6 seed
McGill went 12-0 in the regular season and punched its ticket to Edmonton with a low-scoring 48-46 win over the Concordia Stingers in the RSEQ championship. The team’s offense is led by RSEQ player of the year Jamal Mayali, who led the team with 18.3 points per game.
Despite their conference success, the Redbirds have the lowest Rating Percentage Index (RPI) of the teams at nationals by a wide margin. RPI ranks teams based on their wins and losses, as well as strength of schedule.
Carleton Ravens | Wildcard | #7 seed
This is the Ravens’ 19th consecutive season at nationals, but it is their first time this century in the bottom half of teams after their loss to Queen’s in the OUA semifinals.
While a loss at that point in the season would have eliminated most teams, Carleton qualified for nationals as the wildcard team, which was determined by a selection committee based on five categories.
Saskatchewan Huskies | Canada West bronze medalists | #8 seed
The Huskies are making their first nationals appearance since 2015, but the bigger story is what’s happening off the court. Head coach Barry Rawlyk resigned March 8 amid allegations of playing “offensive music” at training, with multiple players allegedly refusing to play for Rawlyk, according to Global News.
Lead assistant coach Chad Jacobson took over the role of head coach and led the team to an overtime 97-93 victory against the Regina Cougars to win the Canada West bronze medal and secure a spot at nationals.
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The national tournament will begin Friday at 3 p.m. ET, with Carleton facing Victoria in the quarterfinals at 10 p.m. ET. The full championship schedule is available here.
Featured image from file.
