On Feb. 1, the Ravens men’s basketball team will compete in the annual Capital Hoops classic against the University of Ottawa (U of O) Gee-Gees.
The game, hosted at the Canadian Tire Centre, is the second time both teams will meet this season with the first match-up going to Carleton 87-69 at Monpetit hall last term in October.
Ravens starting point guard Munis Tutu has new perspective on big games, after his experience at the 2018 Commonwealth games in Melbourne, Australia.
“I’m just going to try to lead the team and be aggressive like I was over there,” Tutu said. “Dave and our coaching staff don’t want me to be too passive, so I’m going to go out and be aggressive.”
Since Capital Hoops was introduced in 2007, the games have been one-sided affairs with Carleton holding a 10-2 winning record–including eight straight between 2008 and their second loss in 2016.
This statistic is rather unsurprising as the Ravens have won nine national championships over that time period under the tutelage of head coach Dave Smart.
While the Ravens’ dynasty is rightfully storied, the Gee-Gees have also had their fair share of success.
The Gee-Gees are currently ranked sixth in the nation according to the U Sports Top 10. In 2014 and 2015, they were runners up in the national championship.
This year, the Gee-Gees are flying under the radar once again with a regular season record of 13-5. The U of O are fresh off splitting two games at home with a loss against Ryerson and a win against U of T.
Led by veteran guards Brandon Robinson and Calvin Epistola, the Gee-Gees are averaging 82.1 points per game.
The Gee-Gees’ leading scorer is currently rookie forward Guillaume Pépin. Given the comparable size of the two players, the matchup between Pépin and Ravens leading scorer Eddie Ekiyor will be hotly contested.
With both players averaging more than 14 points and 45 per cent or higher efficiency from the field, the key to the game could very well be the match-up inside.
Ekiyor is leading Carleton in both those categories with 14.5 ppg and 66.6% from the field, a number which also tops the Ontario University Athletic Association.
That being said, the Ravens offence won’t solely hinge on Ekiyor. With contributions across the board, the Ravens have four players who are currently averaging more than 10 points per game.
Among those players are Tutu, forward TJ Lall, Ekiyor and guard Yasiin Joseph.
Effectively running an eight-man rotation has been a staple of Carleton’s game plan this year.
Rotating between the aforementioned leading scorers and secondary scoring threats like deep ball specialist Stanley Mayambo and former OUA rookie of the year Isiah Osborne.
When the defence needs bolstering, the veteran presence of guard Mitch Wood, forward Mitch Jackson and 2018 U Sports Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Anderson come into the game.
“That’s what we work for with our starters and our seven or eight-man rotation that play in the close games,” Tutu said.
All these rotations and match-ups allow Smart to create different looks and combinations on offence and creates mismatches when the opposition is in foul trouble.
Carleton hasn’t lost back to back regular season games since February of 2002.
The Ravens will look to continue this streak at the Canadian Tire Centre on Friday, tip off is at 8 p.m. following the women’s game which starts at 6 p.m.
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