Once again it is time for amateur basketball’s elite to grab that “One Shining Moment”, and while many focus on the bracket of 64 (or 65 or 96 or whatever the NCAA higher powers deem appropriate in order to make more money from the kids in uniform), those north of the boarder have their own university champions waiting to be crowned. Whereas the NCAA’s will dominate blogs, water coolers and anywhere in between for the next three weeks, the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) will crown it’s Men’s Champions this weekend. Tipping off on Friday afternoon with the “Final 8″ starting at 12:30pm, and concluding Sunday evening with the title bout slated for 6:30pm, the top seeded University of Carlton Ravens look to capture back to back championships and their seventh in eight years.
2nd Seed
VS.
7th Seed
Hitting for approximately 95ppg, the Cape Breton Capers were the highest scoring team in the country this season, with five players averaging more than 11ppg. The Capers captured the AUS (Atlantic University Sports) title and finished the regular season with an 28-3 overall record. Led by the backcourt of Jimmy Dorsey and Paris Carter along with power forward Philip Nkrumah, the Capers sat amongst the country’s top ten for the entire season, placing as high as 3rd.
The Dinos come into the tournament with one of the more dominate front lines, led by Ross Bekkering and Robbie Sihota. Entering the field as the silver medalists from the Canada West, the Dinos at 21-6 were knocked out of last years tournament by UBC in the semi finals. While the inside game is their bread and butter, Tyler Fidler and Jamie McLeod provide the Dinos with long range threats.
3rd Seed
VS.
6th Seed
Reaching the title game last year for the first time since 1972, the Thunderbirds fell short by ten in the final. Regrouping, the team from Vancouver sat in either the CIS drivers seat or shotgun throughout the duration of the regular season. Led by the duo of Josh Whyte and Blaine Labranche, the ‘Birds hope to shake off the shocking loss to Saskatchewan in the Canada West Final Four. Experiencing the title game last season, UBC look to live up to the standards they set during the regular season.
An up and down Lakehead team did not appear on many of the pre-season lists as a participant in the Final 8. After a ugly season last year, the Timberwolves upset the CIS Champion Carlton Ravens in early November, it gave the OUA (Ottawa University Athletics) bronze medalists a sense that they could compete with the CIS big dogs. Guards Jamie Searle and Yoosrie Salhia have been two prominent members for the Timberwolves who were last seen in the Final 8 thirty two years ago.
4th Seed
VS.
5th Seed
Dominating the CIS title in the 1960’s, the Lancers have not won a chip since. Led by the shooting stroke of forward Issac Kuon power forward Nigel Johnson-Tyghter and first year guard Josh Collins, the OUA finalists ranked as high as fifth in the CIS rankings and finished the season with a 21-7 record. Including the OUA playoffs, the Lancers finished their final ten games of the season with a 9-1 record, with the only loss coming in the conference championship game.
The Huskies are on a roll! With a 10-0 record to finish their season, including back to back upset victories over UBC and Calgary in the CanWest Final Four, the University of Saskatchewan have put together 14 W’s in their last 15 games. At a clip of 28ppg, guard Showron Glover led the entire CIS in scoring this season, while Mike Linklater chips in as the team’s second leading scorer with 17ppg. If the Lancers lock Glover up, the Huskies trip to Ottawa could be over early.
1st Seed
VS.
8th Seed
The Ravens have seen their name etched into the CIS Championship six times since Y2K and will be a favorite to return to the title game this year. Aside from two weeks as the third best team in the country, Carlton spent the season battling with UBC for top spot. Although known as a defensive minded squad, the Ravens finished the year as the third highest scoring team in the country. Led by the inside presence of Kevin McCleary’s 16.8ppg and his counterpart on the perimeter Elliot Thompson’s 12.5ppg, the Ravens hope to add another notch on a 19-1 record since their first trip to the Final 8 in 2003.
Despite a 17-10 regular season record the Citadins captured the QSSF (Quebec Student Sport Federation) Championship on route to their return to the Final 8 after a three year absence. Known for their desire to crash the glass, including 15 offensive rebounds per game, the Citadins will have to reach for another level of intensity to get by the favored Ravens. Adil El Makssoud, Eric Cote-Kougnima and Gregory St-Amand provide the L’Université du Québec à Montréal with 10-12ppg apiece.
