Their 33-0 record against Canadian opponents this year won’t matter to the Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team if they don’t get the result they want this afternoon in the 2012 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) national championship game against the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
The Ravens will tip-off against the Golden Bears at 3:30 p.m. to decide if they go home with their eighth CIS title, which would tie the University of Victoria Vikes for the most national championships in CIS history. A win would also mark the first time in program history Carleton has completed an undefeated season.
Steve Konchalski, the seasoned head coach of the St. Francis Xavier X-men, chimed in on the matchup following his team’s semifinal loss to the Golden Bears March 10.
“Nobody’s beaten Carleton this year, so it’s hard for me to predict anything other than a Carleton victory,” Konchalski said. “But at the same time, Fraser Valley gave them a bit of a scare in the first half, and Acadia gave them a scare as well, so in one game anything can happen.”
With guards Daniel Ferguson and Jordan Baker, the second-seeded Golden Bears will surely give the defending champions a run for their money.
Ferguson and Baker were both among the top 10 scorers in the CIS this season, averaging 19.6 and 19.1 points respectively.
Ferguson looked unstoppable against St. FX, scoring a game-high 31 points. When asked if there was anything he couldn’t drain, he chuckled.
“I don’t know,” Ferguson said. “It feels good. With the four lines there, I don’t know which line is which, so if I can see the rim I’m going to put it up.”
Golden Bears head coach Greg Francis said the Bears will be in tough against the powerhouse Ravens.
“I don’t know if anybody has to play perfect, but you’ve got to play well, you’ve got to shoot the ball well, and they’ve shown that rebounding wins games, and they out-rebound everything,” Francis said. “It’s going to be a battle.”
When asked about Carleton’s star guard Phillip Scrubb, Francis admitted it will be a challenge for his team to contain him.
“Oh, man,” Francis said of the recently named CIS player of the year. “I coached him last summer. Basketball IQ off the chart. [Dave Smart] has him playing so tough and he shoots the ball well. We’re going to have to work on him. We have to try to wear down Phil, but he never looks tired and he always looks ready to take the shot.”
The story of the Ravens’ play so far this tournament is how their depth has come up so big for them when they need it most. In the first quarter against Acadia March 9, third-year forward Tyson Hinz outscored the Axemen single-handedly. Hinz cooled off for the remainder of the game, but Scrubb scored 14 points in the second to keep the pressure on. Then in the final quarter, fifth-year guard Elliot Thompson scored 12 points and drained four threes to seal the victory.
Despite being billed as a battle between offensive stars Scrubb and Joel Friesen, Thomas Scrubb was the player of the game in Carleton’s semifinal matchup against the University of Fraser Valley Cascades. The older Scrubb came off the bench to score 16 points and grab four rebounds.
If all of these guns come out firing today, the Golden Bears will be hard-pressed to prevent the Ravens from keeping their undefeated streak alive and capturing their record-tying eighth national title.
“It’s exciting,” Thomas said. “It’s always good to get to the finals. It’s our goal every year. It’s not like we’re surprised to be here, this is where we should be as a team, so we need to just go out there and play our best and win.”
