Bracketology: So, uh, about that first OUA semifinal...

It didn't take too long for everyone's brackets from last week to fall apart. We all had Lakehead and Saskatchewan; now, only one of those teams can advance. A fourth-place finish by UVic pushed them off six of the nine ballots, and needless to say nobody had Ryerson winning Friday night.

Here are our final guesses at the seedings, which are to be released by CIS soon:

Some disconnected thoughts:

• St. F-X is as high as second and as low as eighth.
• Acadia, same deal: from No. 3 to No. 8.
• According to us, Alberta and Ryerson will always play each other in the quarterfinals, as will Concordia and Fraser Valley.

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Men's basketball: Ravens slam Rams for Wilson Cup title

By Brian Decker and Rob Pettapiece

WATERLOO — Cole Hobin made sure his final OUA game was one to remember.

Hobin scored 17 points on 6 of 12 shooting while locking down Ryerson guard Jahmal Jones on defence and the Carleton Ravens beat the Ryerson Rams 82-39 at Waterloo Saturday night to take home their seventh OUA championship in 10 years.

Ryerson shot just 1 of 12 in a decisive third quarter, scored only eight in the fourth and barely matched Phil Scrubb's 11 points in the opening frame.

Ravens coach Dave Smart praised the 6’6” Hobin’s defensive efforts. “We can’t necessarily lock down the other team’s best player, but it makes it tough on them and when it’s tough on the best player it changes their offence.”

Carleton shot an effective 70.6% to Ryerson's 8.3% in that important third quarter. If it wasn't one of the best quarters played in recent CIS basketball history, it was certainly one of the most dominant.

“I think we did some really good things in the third quarter,” said Smart. “We stayed in our stances, we recovered hard and we helped with a purpose.”

His counterpart, Rams bench boss Roy Rana, didn’t disagree. “Once they open up a lead it’s very, very difficult. We came a little unravelled,” he said. “You have to execute for 40 minutes if you want to play at a high level nationally.”

Hobin, for his part, was of course happy to grab an OUA championship in his last year in CIS, but as is often the case with Smart’s teams, the real goal is a national championship.

“It definitely feels good to win it. It’s good for the team and for our focus for next weekend. But it’s definitely all about next weekend right now. We’ve been focused on that for a very long time.”

Five of the other six teams joining Carleton and Ryerson at the Final 8 next week are UFV, Alberta, Concordia, St. F-X, and Acadia. The battle for the wildcard spot appears to be between Lakehead and Saskatchewan.

(It was a day for lopsided OUA finals: the Windsor women lost 89-40 to Ottawa, and no, that's not a misprint.)
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Liveblog: Wilson Cup Final: Carleton/Ryerson

WATERLOO — After a pair of semifinals with an average margin of 20 points, will we see a closer game in today's Wilson Cup?

The Carleton Ravens and Ryerson Rams will face off for the OUA men's basketball championship, live from the PAC at the University of Waterloo, at 8:00pm Eastern. On paper, this one appears to favour the No. 1-ranked Ravens, but we would have said the same about yesterday's Lakehead/Ryerson game.

Join us below!


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Men's basketball: Carleton soars to semi-final win over McMaster

By Brian Decker and Rob Pettapiece

WATERLOO — Another efficient playoff performance, another Final 8 berth. It's almost old news for this team by now.

The Carleton Ravens put away the McMaster Marauders 80-56 Friday night in an OUA semifinal at the University of Waterloo, giving them a spot in Saturday's Wilson Cup championship against Ryerson.

Carleton had an 18-9 lead after the first quarter, which grew to a 10-point lead at the half, and 18 points after three.

"We made some shots. They did some good things, but they didn't make shots," said Ravens coach Dave Smart, whose team pulled away in the third quarter after scoring 30 points on just 17 shots.

A highlight of that third quarter was Phil and Thomas Scrubb's back-to-back-to-back three-point shots to raise the lead from 58-46 to 64-46 within 73 seconds. Smart acknowledged that "those three threes in a row helped us to get a little more comfortable with the way we were playing."

Despite a relatively poor first half, the Ravens still managed to shoot an effective 55% overall. Phil Scrubb scored 26 points on 15 shots, and was the game's leading scorer and biggest Raven threat, but it was his brother who caught the attention of McMaster coach Amos Connolly.

Connolly, whose Marauders are now all but certainly eliminated this year, did not appear dejected after the game, knowing the difficulty of beating Carleton. "I don't think people give them enough credit for becoming better this season.

"Thomas Scrubb, to me, has just vaulted into another stratosphere in terms of what he brings to that basketball team."

In a testament to the Ravens' discipline, the Marauders did not even make it to the free throw line for the first 22 minutes of the game.

The loss likely eliminated Mac from Final 8 contention, if only because Lakehead is ahead of them in most of the criteria used for the wild-card selection.

"For us, this stings obviously, and you feel like you got your ass kicked," said Connolly. "When you look at [Carleton] it's just the intensity and the physicality that they play at."

Looking ahead to Saturday's Wilson Cup game against Ryerson, Smart is hoping for a cleaner performance out of his team than in last year's final, where the Ravens fell to Lakehead.

"We have to play to win as opposed to trying not to lose. Last year's championship was a little ugly. It ended up helping us a lot, but it was a little ugly and we'd like to help ourselves [in the Final 8] by playing well instead of helping ourselves by playing poorly."

Ryerson, who surprised most observers with their 86-70 win over Lakehead earlier in the evening, now have a date against a powerful Ravens squad who already handled them twice this year, by 31 and 43 points.

Carleton's fifth-year guard Willy Manigat, as expected, isn't taking the Rams lightly. "We still got a lot of work to do. Got some tape to watch, got to rest our bodies. We have to prepare for a team that's highly motivated after beating the second-ranked team in the country today.

"They're going to be ready to go. We expect the same energy that they provided tonight."

Like his coach, Manigat is also wary of a repeat of last year, when Carleton beat the second-place team in the OUA West only to lose in the OUA final.

"We need to not take ourselves too seriously. We got to the final last year and kind of thought that the [Wilson] Cup belonged to us. We need to play our game and be ready."

McMaster had their own cheering section make the short journey, as Ryerson did before them, providing two of the best game atmospheres the PAC in Waterloo has seen in recent years, and setting the stage for Saturday's 8:00pm final.
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Men's basketball: Rams stun T-Wolves, advance to Final 8

By Rob Pettapiece and Brian Decker

WATERLOO — They'll be seeing yellow in Thunder Bay for a while.

The Ryerson Rams walked into the University of Waterloo with a stadium full of fans — nearly all of whom were clad in yellow t-shirts and making noise nearly continously throughout the game — and walked out with an 86-70 upset win Friday night over the No. 2-ranked Lakehead Thunderwolves in the first of two OUA men's basketball semifinals.

Ryerson will now advance to their second national championship, and their first since 1999, while the 'Wolves will have to put their Final 8 hopes in the hands of the seeding committee and wait for the wild-card berth announcement on Sunday.

Lakehead, famous for their own raucous home fans, found themselves on the other side this time — crowd-wise and score-wise. A 13-0 run to start the game by the Rams didn't help matters, either. They kept it close, all things considered, reducing their deficit two points to 11 at the half. However, they were never able to get any closer than that, with Ryerson pulling away in the third quarter.

Rams coach Roy Rana wasn't writing the 'Wolves off at the half, though. "We know very well their history. They're a third- and fourth-quarter team, and for them to come back is not unusual. I thought we made a big run to open up the second half. Mental toughness for 40 minutes was huge for us."

Lakehead struggled to space the floor without the three-point shooting of third-year forward Ryan Thomson, who suffered a foot injury last week against Guelph. Without Thomson on the perimeter, the Thunderwolves laboured to find open looks while Ryerson's bigs doubled down in the paint. Lakehead was held to 33% effective shooting in the first half.

Part of the reason the Rams were able to put so many points up on the No. 2-ranked team in the country was first-year forward Aaron Best, who led both teams with 26 points, shooting 11 for 14. Best knew who he and his teammates were up against, but the combination of March and collegiate basketball often leads to upsets and today was no different.

"We knew coming in that they were beatable, just like every team in the CIS is beatable. At this time of year, anybody can win," Best said.

"It's just 40 minutes of war, man."

Jahmal Jones, one of the best players in the country, consistently broke down the Lakehead defence with his inhuman speed, scoring 18 points himself on 7 of 16 shooting and also setting up many opportunities for Best and Bjorn Michaelsen (7 of 14 for 17) to knock down open shots.

Lakehead's Venzal Russell, named OUA West player of the year Friday morning, kept his team in it, scoring 14 of the Thunderwolves' 34 in the first half. Russell finished with 23, second only to Best, and led all rebounders with 12. Russell's efforts, however, weren't enough to overcome Ryerson's initial lead.

Ryerson lost their only other game against Lakehead this year, by a wide margin of 41 points — though that was in the Thunderdome, not on a neutral floor as tonight's game was. It's still only the third loss all year by Lakehead, putting the Rams in the same company as Carleton and Laurier. However, neither team beat Lakehead by nearly this much.

"I don't know if we drew it up this way, but we'll take it any way we can," said Rana. "We're still a very, very young group."

Tonight's win, said Rana, "is just the beginning. This is the next phase now. Now we get to play for a championship."

He continued: "These opportunities don't come all the time so we're just going to savour this one and see what we can do tomorrow."

The third-year coach also gave some credit to Ryerson's five buses' worth of supporters, who helped to fill out Waterloo's large Physical Activities Complex, and might have numbered more than Kerr Hall Gym could seat. "We've never had a crowd like that, that was unbelievable. It was a home game for us tonight. They lifted our spirits and they're a big reason for this win."

Those Ryerson fans spent a lot of time shouting, "You can't guard him!", in reference to Best, Michaelsen, and Jones. Given that Ryerson shot an effective 61% on the night, it seems they were right.
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Liveblog: OUA men's basketball semifinal: Carleton/McMaster

Join us for the second semifinal, live from the PAC at Waterloo, as the country's best team tries to avoid the same fate as the country's No. 2-ranked team. It's Carleton vs. McMaster to see who will join Ryerson among the OUA's representatives at next weekend's Final 8.


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Liveblog: OUA men's basketball semifinal: Lakehead/Ryerson

WATERLOO — It's down to four teams in the OUA, with a berth in the Wilson Cup Championship (and the Final 8!) on the line in a pair of contests tonight. First, the underdog Ryerson Rams take on the No. 2 Lakehead Thunderwolves. Can Jahmal Jones and his young Rams team overcome an experienced Thunderwolves squad that features newly-crowned OUA West Player of the Year Venzal Russell? Follow along as Rob Pettapiece and Brian Decker bring you the action live from the PAC on the University of Waterloo campus.


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Calculated Reactions: basketball tournament odds and opening-game point spreads

A lack of time precludes us from providing more detailed previews of the various conference championships, aside from Kevin Garbuio's work on the men's and women's AUS tournaments, but what we can offer up in advance of this weekend's games is a list, mostly for fun, of the various tournament odds.

All calculations are based on a combination of our RPI and SRS rankings (men's, women's). Host teams are given the customary home-court advantage in their winning percentages. Teams are listed in order of how likely they are to win, with their seeds (if relevant) included as well.

Possible upsets include the X-Women in the 4/5 game, the Vikes over UFV, and perhaps a home loss by the Martlets.


And as always: please, no wagering.

AUS (men)
1. St. F-X, 49.7%
2. Acadia, 26.1%
3. UPEI, 11.0%
4. Cape Breton 6.5%
6. SMU, 3.5%
5. Dalhousie, 3.2%

First-round point spreads:
CBU by 5.5 over Dal
UPEI by 10.5 over SMU


AUS (women)
1. Acadia, 45.5%
2. Cape Breton, 34.6%
3. SMU, 8.3%
5. St. F-X, 5.1% (host)
4. Memorial, 4.4%
6. Dalhousie, 2.1%

First-round point spreads:
SMU by 10.5 over Dal
Too close to call with St. F-X vs. Memorial


RSEQ (men)
Concordia, 72.4% (home)
UQAM, 27.6%

Concordia by 15.5


RSEQ (women)
McGill, 58.1% (home)
Concordia, 41.9%

McGill by 3.5


OUA (men)
1E. Carleton, 49.1%
1W. Lakehead, 29.3%
2W. McMaster, 16.0%
2E. Ryerson, 5.5%

Semifinal point spreads:
Carleton by 10 over McMaster
Lakehead by 16 over Ryerson


OUA (women)
1W. Windsor, 46.4%
1E. Ottawa, 30.3% (host)
2E. Carleton, 15.2%
2W. Brock, 8.3%

Semifinal point spreads:
Ottawa by 8 over Brock
Windsor by 8.5 over Carleton


Canada West (men)
1. Saskatchewan, 50.2% (host)
4. Alberta, 21.7%
3. UFV, 14.9%
2. Victoria, 13.2%

Semifinal point spreads:
Too close to call for UVic-UFV
Saskatchewan by 4 over Alberta


Canada West (women)
1. Regina, 59.6% (host)
2. UBC, 19.1%
3. Saskatchewan, 12.5%
4. UFV, 8.8%

Semifinal point spreads:
Regina by 12 over UFV
UBC by 3.5 over Saskatchewan


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Women's basketball: Previewing the AUS championship

While the AUS men’s championship, previewed here yesterday, is fortunate enough to take place at the Halifax Metro Centre, the women’s tournament rotates around the conference every year, and finds itself in Antigonish this time. This season was exciting as any with many teams in the running to take home the championship. AUS should also be well represented in The CIS Blog's updated and soon-to-be-published player rankings, with four players from four different teams ranked among the top ten nationwide.

Here's a team-by-team look at the schools participating in the 2012 AUS Women's Basketball Championship.

Win-loss records below refer to conference play. RPI and SRS rankings can be found here, and are the basis for our tournament odds.



1. Acadia (17-3) (ranked 7th, 5th in RPI, +10.2 SRS)
Chances of winning: 45.5%
Play winner of Memorial-X quarterfinal

Acadia, led by fifth-year Emma Duinker (one of those top-10 players in CIS), had four of their starters in the top 15 in scoring for the conference — they shot more often than anyone else, and finished fourth nationwide in three-point percentage and third from the line. Duinker, along with Kristy Moore, Stefanie Chapman, and Abbey Duinker, all have somewhat of a three-point game to go along with their rebounds, and are all in the CIS top 30 in our player rankings as well. This makes them very hard to defend, and it's no surprise they were third in the country in scoring.

The Axewomen also boasted the best defence in the AUS, holding teams to 37% from the field. Coach Bev Greenlaw did a great job of getting reserves in and the team certainly does have a deep bench, but they have lost two in a row on the road which may be a cause for alarm. The Axewomen should be able to overcome this mini-road slump, though.

This squad has already shocked the conference once in securing the number one seed, a first for them, and now they just need to bring home that long-awaited championship — the first since 1951-52.



2. Cape Breton (15-5) (ranked 10th, 9th in RPI, +10.3 SRS)
Chances of winning: 34.6%
Play winner of SMU-Dal quarterfinal

I think the Capers might be the team to beat in this tournament despite being the No. 2 seed. They certainly timed their sprint at the right time, winning 12 straight to finish the regular season. They have the second-best offense in the country, trailing only top-ranked Regina, and the second-best defense in the conference.

They are paced by second-year guard Cassie Cooke, who led the country with 471 points despite playing fewer minutes than everyone else in the top 10. The Capers certainly have the star power and leadership with Cooke and five fifth-year players in the mix, including Jahlica Kirnon (12.0 ppg) and Stephanie Toxopeus (10.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg). Cooke, Kirnon, and Toxopeus all average double-digit points, and they have four players who average five or more rebounds per game, showing they have secondary options and aren't reliant on one standout.

CBU has the experience to make it deep in this tournament and potentially do some damage at nationals. With a first-round bye, Cape Breton is going to be a tough out in this tournament.



3. Saint Mary's (13-8) (14th in RPI, +1.4 SRS)
Chances of winning: 8.3%
Play Dal in quarterfinal

This team will go as far as Justine Colley takes them. Easily the most exciting and dominant player in AUS, Colley was in contention for conference MVP but lost to Cooke. She draws quadruple teams on offense, makes smart passes, and has the ability to create her own offence.

The Huskies ran into trouble this season when they faced deep teams who could play Colley tough. If the opposition shuts her down, they shut the team down. The Huskie offence ranked fourth in the conference with 72 points per game (Colley averaged 24.2 of those) and the third-best defense only allowing 70.5 — in other words, they play a lot of tight games. They struggle on the glass, where they were outrebounded by 4.2 per game. That (or the play of Colley) could be the difference between them getting a berth to nationals and being home early or having to fight through the East regional.

Three strong games in a row and they are flying to Calgary. Just two wins and they'll need to win two more in Ottawa. Anything less than that, they're likely out. This team is hard to predict.



4. Memorial (10-10) (20th in RPI, +0.6 SRS)
Chances of winning: 4.4%
Play St. F-X in quarterfinal

The Sea-Hawks were a strange team this season. Having watched them play, I felt they made substitutions like line changes in hockey, killing chemistry in the process, but who am I to judge Doug Partridge’s coaching philosophy? All I know is this was a .500 team that played hard, gritty basketball one night but struggled to hit open looks another. If Memorial wants to have a shot at winning the title, they have be able to beat press defense. This team has not cracked it all season going back to a game where they blew a 17-point half-time lead versus CBU. The Capers ran it exclusively in the second half, and scored 49 points to Memorial's 26, winning by six in the end. As well, this past weekend at Acadia they turned the ball over 44 times. That is something that does not inspire much confidence in me.

In any case, the film is out on Memorial, but if they can beat the press, Ally Forsey should be able to get plenty of open looks in the paint. If not, this team looks most likely to be upset in the first round, drawing the host X-Women.



5. St. F-X (10-10) (22nd in RPI, +0.3 SRS)
Chances of winning: 5.1%
Host Memorial in quarterfinal

The X- Women are the host team in the tournament and you never want to count out the home side. (They're ranked fifth, instead of fourth, due to Memorial's greater number of four-point wins.) The key players for the X-Women are their leading scorer Vanessa Pickard and top rebounder Donisha Young, a fifth-year forward who is a double-double machine, averaging 13.7 points and eight rebounds. The X-Women were 6-3 at home and should be a tough out for any team that has to face them, but with the star power in the top three, it does not look like they have the makings to be this year's Cinderella.



6. Dalhousie (8-12) (32nd in RPI, -1.6 SRS)
Chances of winning: 2.1%
Host Memorial in quarterfinal

The Tigers are one of the most experienced teams in AUS, with three fifth-years, third-year transfer Keisha Brown and third-year window cleaner Anna von Maltzahn, who led the conference in rebounding this season with 1.4 more rebounds per game than her next closest opponent.

Yet, this is a squad that underachieved due to injuries and inconsistent play. Their percentages from long range and from the line were worst and second-worst in the conference, respectively. Those are two huge areas that must change if this team wants put it together and string together a few wins. If their experience steps up, Dalhousie could impress, but at this point of the season, I do not see these Tigers changing their stripes (it's playoff time; I told you I'd break out the clichés!).
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Men's basketball: 2012 AUS Final 6 preview

The AUS championship starts up this weekend at the Halifax Metro Centre and it looks to be one of the more competitive tournaments in recent history, at least on one side of the bracket, as St. Francis Xavier is the only ranked team in the conference. After X the conference is relatively equal, with the lowest team still given a 3% chance to win it all by our reckoning. And of course it is playoff time so ramp up the clichés because anything can happen.

Win-loss records below refer to conference play. RPI and SRS rankings can be found here, and are the basis for The CIS Blog's tournament odds.

1. St. Francis Xavier (16-4) (ranked 6th, 3rd in RPI, +8.0 SRS)
Chances of winning: 49.7%
Will play CBU-Dal winner in semifinal

The X-Men are the odds-on favorites for the AUS crown this season. They cruised through conference; their only blemish was a three-week stretch in January during which they lost to four different teams. The CIS all-time wins leader, coach Steve Konchalski, has his team ready to go for its first conference title since '06. The X-Men are on a seven-game winning streak as they enter the tournament and are paced by a conference-best defence: they only gave up 74.1 points per game and held teams to under 40% from the field.

Offensively, Terry Thomas is their best player, averaging 18.9 points per game. The sophomore was also fourth in the country for steals and the team as a whole is +4 per game in the turnover department; ball security is extremely important come playoff time. For those who consider themselves bracketologists and understand the importance of free throws in these ‘one and done’ tournaments, the X-Men were second in the conference from the line, shooting 74%.

The X-Men look to be the favorites with their veteran lineup. It would be an absolute shocker for them not to be in the Final 8 next week, but anything can happen. Just ask them (or Cape Breton) last year.



2. Acadia (14-6) (12th in RPI, +6.2 SRS)
Chances of winning: 26.1%
Will play SMU-UPEI winner in semifinal

This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the young Axemen. The players with the most seniority are only in their third year, but this team has come on strong lately winning 12 of their last 15. Recently, they won a key weekend series versus UPEI; these were two of the most entertaining games of the season. The Axemen have not been able to beat X this season, losing both games, albeit by a combined 12 points, but given the bracket setup here they will not have to face them unless and until they make the finals.

Acadia has the conference’s second best defense to go with the nation’s 7th-ranked offense. They are also 6th in the country from three point range. Down the stretch, they have been able to pull out wins without star players Anthony Sears and Owen Klassen (now cleared to play from suspension). The Axemen are aggressive defensively, averaging 10 steals and 3.2 blocks per game.

For Acadia to go back to the CIS tournament they are going to continue doing what they have been doing down the stretch and stay out of foul trouble. Coach Steve Baur’s young squad should be able to secure a berth in next week’s tournament. The question remains: are they ready to unseat X?



3. UPEI (13-7) (14th in RPI, +4.3 SRS)
Chances of winning: 11.0%
Play SMU in quarterfinal

The Panthers could have very well had the bye instead of Acadia but have slumped as of late, losing four of their last five. Yet, as the three seed, and with the nation’s fourth-ranked offense, they still need to be taken seriously. The team’s philosophy is to shoot often, and they hit most, attempting 72 field goals per game (second to Acadia) and sinking 44.7% of them (second to St. F-X). The Panthers are led by Manock Lual, the 5th year star from Ottawa. Lual averages almost nine boards per game to go with his 17 points. Rebounding is another the strength of this team as they are only one of three teams who grab 60% of rebounds on their offensive glass. The team’s two (potentially fatal) flaws are:

1. Their record away from Charlottetown (3-7).
2. Their abysmal performance at the free-throw line.

The Panthers get to the line about 26 times per game, good for third in the country, but are only shooting 67.6% (30th). If they can get more efficient at the line and figure out how to win off the island the Panthers have the potential to be this year’s upset special.



4. Cape Breton (11-9) (18th in RPI, +0.2 SRS)
Chances of winning: 6.5%
Play Dalhousie in quarterfinal

Jimmy Dorsey: If there is one reason to fear the Capers, it has to be him. Dorsey, in his fourth year out of Baltimore, has scored 410 points this season, good for second in CIS. He also led the nation in assists. His skills were highlighted in a 49 point, 14 assist performance vs. Acadia. Dorsey has to be the favorite for conference MVP and has a chance for the national honor.

Despite Dorsey’s successes, the Capers (a young squad with only two players above their second year of eligibility) have struggled with consistency and were forced to lean on their star. Defensively, they have room for improvement: they allow teams to shoot 42.6% against them (33% on threes) and they cause few turnovers, leading to 84 points allowed per game, second-worst in the conference.

For Cape Breton to compete in this tournament they will need to be better defensively and hopefully have Dorsey steal them a win (or three!) if they want to be AUS champions. Next year might be their year to contend.



5. Dalhousie (9-11) (20th in RPI, -3.6 SRS)
Chances of winning: 3.2%
Play CBU in quarterfinal

The reigning champs and winners of two of the last three AUS titles went through a rebuilding year this season. The strength of their game is their rebounding: remember how the Panthers were one of three teams above 60% in offensive rebounding? The Tigers were another one. (Carleton was the third. Good company to keep.) The Tigers were unable to capitalize on those additional opportunities, however being ranked 26th on offense and shooting just 40.9%. Casey Fox (14.3 ppg) and Robert Nortmann (14.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg) are the two standouts with Ritchie Kanza Mata showing some potential, but overall the Tigers have underperformed this season due to an inexperienced squad.

Coach John Campbell has his work cut out for him this weekend; though, as we have seen recently, Dalhousie has found ways to come up big in this tournament.



6. Saint Mary’s (9-11) (25th in RPI, -1.4 SRS)
Chances of winning: 3.5%
Play UPEI in quarterfinal

In coach Ross Quackenbush’s final season the Huskies fell on hard times. Not a bad squad by any means — perhaps the more appropriate term is bad luck. Battling injuries and illness, they were forced play games with six- or seven-men benches, and even though they managed to gut out some victories they were so desperate for depth they resorted to bringing in former quarterback Micah Brown as a reserve (though he did not play). The Huskies have an older squad but have lacked the star power outside of Tory Fassett, one of three forwards shooting above 49%. Their inside game isn't matched in their other percentages as they struggle from three-point range and from the free-throw line.

The Huskies will look to Coach Quack for motivation. If they can keep games close, they do have a chance at making some noise as the team certainly is battle-tested, but it does not look like they will be advancing too far. This is a team that could not get a break.
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CIS announces TV partnership for men's and women's Final 8

If you're a regular reader of ours, you'll know two things:

1. The lack of live televised coverage of the men's Final 8 irks us; and
2. So does Rod Black.

So today's announcement that the CIS partnered up with EastLink TV, Shaw and NBA TV Canada to broadcast both upcoming Final 8 tournaments live is ... well ... okay in the end, provided that you happen to have the right regional channels.

From the release:

EastLink TV will have live broadcast of the men’s semifinals on March 10 and the gold-medal final on March 11. Dan Robertson (play-by-play) and Cecil Wright (colour) are set to call the action from the Metro Centre.

In addition, there will be a tape-delay (and multiple encore viewings!) on NBA TV Canada.

Coverage will be live, yes, but without knowing exactly what EastLink TV is, I can say Shaw is a cable channel in Western Canada that is so far down the dial that attracting new viewers to the sport or the product will be near impossible. Unlike previous years when the final was shown live (with Showron Glover providing quite a show at Scotiabank Place) to being relegated to tape-delay on TSN2, the Final 8's final games will now be in a spot where only a few die-hards will be able to even notice.

EastLink seems to be primarily a maritime outlet, which means that fans Quebec and west may be out of luck if we want to watch the game on an actual TV. But wait!

EastLink and Shaw will make their live feeds for all games available to all regional cable carriers in areas not served by the host broadcaster, ensuring fans across the nation will be able to watch the events live.

The deal allows the CIS to say that the Final 8 is being shown live cross-country, although both those terms come with an asterisk. If you miss any action, NBA TV Canada will have the tape-delay, which is of little comfort if you already know the result. Sports just aren't as fun when they aren't live or when you have to watch via a webcast (though as Rob has pointed out in our e-mail discussion before I wrote this, it likely wouldn't be webcast-level camera-work and commentary, but a more-palatable TV broadcast on your computer).

Compared to the Vanier Cup (an excellent event) and the national semifinals, as well as the OUA championship game, being broadcast live on national high-definition TV, the treatment of the CIS Final 8 is lacking for an event that ought to be just as big. Regional TV just won't attract any fans to the game, unfortunately.

On the plus side, however, check out who's doing play-by-play and colour for the Shaw broadcast for the women's semis and finals:

Shaw will provide live coverage of the women’s semis on March 18 and the title match on March 19, with Jim Mullin (play-by-play) and Howard Tsumura (colour) entertaining CIS basketball fans from the Jack Simpson Gymnasium.

So, there's that. But if you don't live in Western Canada (excluding select cities in Ontario) you won't be able to watch the women's games live.

I don't know why we can't just watch these games live, on TV and cross-country. It seems like a logical enough move.
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Men's Basketball: Top 10 tracker: Conference Championship edition

The first week of the CIS postseason was certainly dramatic, with buzzer beaters, close games and breakout performances. Some of the nation's top 10 teams have already said goodbye to the 2011-12 season, and with this week being the final edition of the official CIS rankings, we'll take a look at what's gone right and wrong so far this year for the nation's best teams.

Here's this week's CIS top 10; and the RPI, SRS and other relevant metrics.

1. Carleton Ravens (23-0 OUA, 29-0 CIS, no. 4 RPI, SRS +22.6) - NO CHANGE
   
   The Carletons didn't look all that dominant in their 2012 playoff debut, letting a scrappy Laurentian team stick around for the first half on the strength of CIS-leading scorer Manny Pasquale's 34 points. They went an uncharacteristic 6-for-24 from downtown, and though that wasn't enough for the Voyageurs, one has to wonder if they can get away with that kind of shooting performance against McMaster on Friday or (presumably) Lakehead on Saturday. This season the Ravens have lived by the three-ball, and they'll need to do better from range if they want to keep their dominant season chugging along.
   
   WHAT'S GONE RIGHT: Kinda everything. Phil Scrubb has been dominant with the ball, Tyson Hinz is continuing to make defensive scheming a nightmare for opposing coaches and Willy Manigat and Elliot Thompson have spread the floor with their solid shooting. They're also pretty good on defense.
   
   WHAT'S GONE WRONG: I'm reaching here, but Justin Shaver, who could be an impact player in this league, hasn't cracked Dave Smart's rotation over dependable veterans Kyle Smendziuk, Kevin Churchill and Thomas Scrubb. Sometimes to send a message to other teams they're already beating that the Carletons are really, really good, Smart will have a veteran player give a rookie a slap on the chest or a stern warning to box out or defend better. I saw Cole Hobin do exactly that to Shaver earlier this year and it doesn't look like he's improved enough to the point Smart feels comfortable playing him over his trusty vets. Again, I'm nitpicking here, but this also says a lot about how good Carleton expects everyone to be.
   
   
   
2. Lakehead Thunderwolves (21-2 OUA, 30-2 CIS, no. 7 RPI, SRS +12.9) - NO CHANGE
   
   Like their eastern rivals in Ottawa, the Thunderwolves also left a bit to be desired in their OUA quarterfinal, letting a surprising Guelph team hang around a while longer than expected. They'll be facing a high-energy Ryerson team on Friday that could give them similar problems, although it was a total drubbing when the teams met in the fall.
   
   WHAT'S GONE RIGHT: Ben Johnson has emerged as a deadly three-point shooter (54.5 %) and Lakehead's balanced attack has been tough to adapt to for defences all year.
   
   WHAT'S GONE WRONG: They've lost two games by a total of six points all year, so not a whole lot.
   
   
   
3. Saskatchewan Huskies (18-4 CW, 23-5 CIS, no. 1 RPI, SRS +15.3) - NO CHANGE
   
   It wasn't necessarily the way they wanted it to happen, but Barry Rawlyk's Huskies are through the first hurdle and will now host the Canada West Final Four on a court they've lost exactly zero games on this year. The Huskies beat Trinity Western thanks mainly to two hero games from Jamelle Barrett, who looks absolutely terrifying coming into the playoffs.
   
   WHAT'S GONE RIGHT: The Huskies are peaking at the right time behind Barrett, who is playing some obscenely efficient ball on the offensive end. In the two wins over TWU, Barrett scored a Carleton-like 1.22 points per possession, going 29/44 for 77 points while adding 19 assists. After struggling with some nagging injuries earlier in the year, a now-healthy Barrett is playing arguably better than any single player in the CIS.
   
   In addition, Michael Lieffers has become arguably the best rebounder in the country and Matthew Forbes has adjusted beautifully to his new starting role.
   
   WHAT'S GONE WRONG: Forward Nolan Brudehl's season-ending injury. The veteran big man was a huge part of Sasky's brilliant runs the past two seasons and will be missed in this year's attempt.
   
   
   
4. UFV Cascades (15-5 CW, 19-6 CIS, no. 5 RPI, +8.0 SRS) - NO CHANGE
   
   Well this was pretty freaking awesome, perhaps the play of the year in the CIS so far this year.
   
   WHAT'S GONE RIGHT: The Cascades have gone from a fringe Top-10 team to start the year to a legitimate national contender. They've won 9 of 10 games over a very tough schedule coming into the Final Four and look so, so tough to beat. Their top-4 ranking is an all-time high for the program.
   
   WHAT'S GONE WRONG: A 5-4 record away from home. Granted, they've played three top-10 teams for four of those games, but they'll have to deal without the friendly confines of home for their season to continue.
   
   
   
5. Victoria Vikes (16-5 CW, 17-7 CIS, no. 8 RPI, +9.3 SRS) - NO CHANGE
   
   If Friesen's game-winner for UFV above isn't the play of the year in the CIS, Terrell Evans' series-winning tip-in might be. The Vikes survived a suddenly formidable challenge from the Calgary Dinos and their fifth-year duo of Tyler Fidler and Boris Bakovic and punched their ticket to the prairies. The all-Pacific matchup of Vic and UFV in the first round should be a doozie.
   
   WHAT'S GONE RIGHT: Ryan MacKinnon's All-Canadian-caliber season has been phenomenal and the reason Victoria's got a chance to return to nationals this season.
   
   WHAT'S GONE WRONG: A shaky start to the second semester (2-3, including a loss to Winnipeg) brought up questions about the team's ability to defend, though it should be mentioned they also beat Alberta and UFV in that stretch.
   
   
   
6. St. FX X-Men (16-4 AUS, 26-4 CIS, no. 3 RPI, +8.0 SRS) - NO CHANGE
   
   All is well in Antigonish as X has won seven straight to lock up a first-round bye and the top seed in the AUS tournament. After a shaky start 4-4 to January, they look like the top dog out east.
   
   WHAT'S GONE RIGHT: The loss of graduates Charlie Spurr and Christian Upshaw has been eased by the rise of Jeremy Dunn and Terry Thomas as well as the steady presence of point guard Tyrell Vernon. Also, coach Steve Konchalski won his 1,424,567th game as coach.
   
   WHAT'S GONE WRONG: A little bit of mini-turmoil when Thomas and others went to the bar within three nights of a game, leading to a suspension and a blowout loss against UPEI.
   
   
   
7. Alberta Golden Bears (16-6 CW, 18-7 CIS, no. 2 RPI, +11.9 SRS) - UP FROM NO. 8
   
   Another team that's unbeaten at home this year (in a fancy new arena, too), the Golden Bears return to the Final Four for the second consecutive year with their eye on taking their season a step further thanks to a drubbing of UBC that hasn't been seen in a long time.
   
   WHAT'S GONE RIGHT: Jordan Baker and Daniel Ferguson have been really good at playing basketball. Recently, Sahr Saffa has joined them, slaying UBC with 41 points on 16/29 shooting in the two playoff wins over the Thunderbirds.
   
   WHAT'S GONE WRONG: A 4-6 away record and the occasional off night from Baker and Ferguson has dotted Alberta's record every now and then.
   
   
   
8. McMaster Marauders (18-5 OUA, 20-7 CIS, no. 10 RPI, +9.6 SRS) UP FROM NO. 9
   
   It's too bad the Marauders will have to face Carleton in the first round of the Final Four - much to the chagrin of Chris Oliver - this Friday, because if they lose (and they probably will; I can't be that much of a homer) their remarkable second half run will come to an end. Their playoff win over Windsor was their ninth victory in a row, and the development of Amos Connolly's young team has been one of the surprise stories of 2012. Six of Mac's rotation players are in first- or second-year, including OUA West Rookie of the Year candidate Adam Presutti.
   
   WHAT'S GONE RIGHT: The rookies have been solid and the defence has been tenacious.
   
   WHAT'S GONE WRONG: Victor Raso, who has had a solid season shooting threes and being Mac's most vocal player, still hasn't played since suffering a concussion on Feb. 8 against Western. They'll need his smart play and ability to spread the floor if they want to give Carleton a run for their money on Friday.
   
   
   
9. Concordia Stingers (14-2 RSEQ, 21-6 CIS, no. 6 RPI, +5.3 SRS) NOT PREVIOUSLY RANKED
   
   The Stingers hop back into the top-10 this week thanks mainly to Laurier's collapse and UBC's playoff exit. Still, they're clearly the class of Quebec and are now "looking to win the war" that is the RSEQ playoffs.
   
   WHAT'S GONE RIGHT: The Stingers are less of a one-man attack led by Kyle Desmarais than last year, with Decee Krah and QUBL Player of the Year Evens Laroche making Concordia some kind of three-headed, venomous insect of doom and three-point shooting.
   
   WHAT'S GONE WRONG: Not much, and the Stingers are on cruise control heading into the postseason. Outside of Carleton, they might be the best guarantee to make nationals.
   
   
   
10. UBC (13-5 Canada West, 22-10 CIS, no. 17 RPI, +8.4 SRS) - DOWN FROM NO. 7
    
    Well, this is an unfamiliar position. Outside of Carleton, the Thunderbirds have been the most consistently great program over the past few seasons, including runs to the national championship game in 2009 and 2011 and the national semi-finals last year. To not have UBC in the Canada West Final Four this year is weird.
    
    WHAT'S GONE RIGHT: Nathan Yu did it all for UBC this year, scoring, distributing and playing solid defense. He was basically a poor man's Barrett, winning games for the Thunderbirds sometimes on his own.
    
    WHAT'S GONE WRONG: Yu is a nice player, but the fact he had to do so much is an indictment of the lack of depth UBC had this year. They really missed Alex Murphy's stead hand at the point and Josh Whyte's ability to move defences.

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THE "UPPER DECK" TOP 10

1. Carleton - The season begins, in earnest, now.
2. Saskatchewan - Barrett is on a mission.
3. Lakehead - Will get a chance to defend their OUA title (remember that?) this weekend.
4. UFV - Joel Friesen's shot was awesome.
5. Victoria - Terrell Evans' shot was also awesome.
6. Alberta - Can they win away from home?
7. McMaster - Can they bring enough fans to Waterloo to make a difference against Carleton?
8. St. F-X - Right where they should be - atop the AUS
9. UBC - They took one on the chin against Alberta.
10. Concordia - Are they better than Acadia or Ryerson? Maybe.

--

THE "YOU WANT ME TO SHOOT? OKAY." LINE OF THE WEEK: Barrett's beast mode game to oust Trinity Western was a classic: 15/23, 41 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds with just three turnovers. That's an all-time great line.

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CHAMPIONSHIP PREDICTIONS FOR THE WEEKEND:

1. Carleton gets revenge on Lakehead, beating them 75-65 in the Wilson Cup game.
2. Saskatchewan runs away from UFV in the Canada West final, 110-88.
3. Acadia upsets St. FX in the AUS title game and punches a ticket to nationals.
4. Concordia edges McGill in a tight battle for RSEQ honours, 65-61.
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Hockey: AUS Weekly Update

Well, it took until the second game of the semi-finals, but a road team finally won a game in the AUS men's hockey playoffs. We've also had some fireworks, serious penalty minutes, suspensions, and veiled threats of payback.

UNB Varsity Reds (1st place) vs. UPEI Panthers (4th place)

Game 1 of their best-of-five series saw UPEI looking a lot sharper at the outset then the well rested (and a bit rusty) V-Reds, with the Panthers scoring twice on Travis Fullerton in the first five minutes. UNB picked up their play and drew three straight penalties, but came up blank on the power plays. They did score a late goal, but UPEI's Chris Desousa answered on the power play to make it 3-1. The second and third periods saw UNB dominate territorial play as they chipped away at the UPEI lead before finally going ahead in the third period. It didn't help their cause that the most dominant V-Red forward on the ice, Tyler Carroll, was tossed from the game early in the third period for a checking from behind major penalty. UPEI netminder Mavric Parks was named the game's 3rd star for his 37 saves in the loss.

Game 2 was an edgier beast. You can read all the details here or here and count the penalties here. UNB came out hitting. There was lots of penalties. Refereeing was inconsistent, so the teams, fans and media all questioned the calls and non-calls. UNB scored first, and UPEI answered. UNB scored three times in second period. V-Reds picked up another major penalty for checking from behind. The UPEI victim went out and earned a perhaps retaliatory checking from behind penalty of his own in the third period. UNB scored again. Three minutes later while on the PK, UNB d-man Ben Wright dumped the puck into UPEI corner and then ran over Parks when he went into the corner to get the puck. Heated scrum and major penalty for Wright. After their power play is over a UPEI player on his first shift bumped into Fullerton in his crease and earned two plus 10. Heated scrum. Soon after Desousa blindsided UNB's Thomas Nesbitt in neutral ice. Another scrum while Desousa gets two and ten for hitting from behind. UNB reacted by swapping out Fullerton in nets. UPEI responded by swapping out their goalie. Two minutes later on the power play a Panther pulled the skates out from under goalie Dan LaCosta and a goal is waved off and the culprit heads to the box.

After the game UPEI head coach Forbes MacPherson laid the blame for the shenanigans at UNB's feet, noting that UNB was the team with their second checking from behind major and 'everything happened' after Parks was run. He also pointed out that he was happy how his team responded in the the third period and that UNB 'still has to play on the Island'. The implied threat here is that hockey teams from the mainland have over the years always complained about the traditional "old school" hockey played in PEI. Coach MacPherson is an Islander. So is UNB's Gardiner MacDougall. They know what is being alluded to.

For their part UNB didn't seem very bothered by the what may happen on the Island. UNB captain Kyle Bailey, while very disappointed in Wright's uncharacteristic hit on Parks, said his team is prepared to play whatever style of game their opponents want to play. They won't have to worry about Chris Desousa Wednesday, who tweeted out Monday that he'd been given a two-game suspension for that high-hit in the third period.

Friday - UPEI 3 @ UNB 4
Saturday - UPEI 1 @ UNB 5

Saint Mary's Huskies (2nd place) vs. UdeM Aigles Bleus (3rd place)

Game 1 did not start well for Moncton with P-A Marion out sick and therefore backup Andre-Michel Guay in nets. It wasn't all Guay's fault that UdeM was down 4-0 after the first period. According to their coach Serge Bourgeois they didn't wake up until the third period, and then after it was 6-0.

Game 2 Moncton showed up, and perhaps not coincidentally, Marion was back in their nets. Despite being outshot every period UdeM was up 1-0 after one, captain Dean Ouellet converted on a penalty shot in the second period and they added another goal to make it 3-0. SMU captain Cam Fergus scored early in the third period on a power play, but that was as close as the Huskies would come against Marion who made 34 saves for the win.

Friday - UdeM 2 @ SMU 6
Saturday - UdeM 3 @ SMU 1

This week

UNB is at UPEI on Wednesday, and will stay on the Island for Game 4 if necessary. If there is a Game 5 it will be Sunday afternoon in Fredericton. SMU is at UdeM on Wednesday. Game 4 will be Saturday night, also in Moncton. If there is a Game 5 in this series it will be Monday back in Halifax.

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Bracketology: Let the great experiment uninformed guesswork begin!

The men's Final 8 is only 12 days away, so it's time to bust out the Bracketology again. Our panel this week consists of nine CIS basketball followers (both within and beyond the CIS Blog borders) and here are their guesses at the Final 8 seedings:

No two ballots are exactly alike, though Wayne Thomas and I came close, with different flips of the coin producing a different Canada West third-place finisher in our imaginary universes.

And even if we have small differences, there are obvious similarities: Carleton's No. 1 on everyone's ballot, and Lakehead and Saskatchewan are Nos. 2 and 3 on all but one. Nobody's expecting a Mac or Ryerson upset in the OUA semifinals, everyone feels Concordia is an inevitable RSEQ champion, and only Peter James expects someone other than St. F-X to win the AUS. Overall we have only 11 different teams on our nine ballots.

Most people gave the wild card spot to the bronze medallist from out west (Victoria, UFV, or Alberta, depending on the panelist). Greg Colgan and Andrew Bucholtz put McMaster in there instead.
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MUBL: Why wait until March for a basketball champion?

The various Final Fours (or Sixes) will start later this week. There's already at least one winner in CIS basketball, though.

The Masters University Basketball League, the world's most popular CIS basketball fantasy league, finished its third season last weekend (with the games on Feb. 19), and one of our past champion has repeated.

Following 10 weeks of play, Neate Sager collected 45 points (one point for winning a category, half a point for tying), beating some guy by the smallest possible margin and capturing his second title in three years. His first championship win, in 2009-10, was also by the same smallest possible margin, over the same person, but a win is a win.

Last year's champion, Alexandre Tourigny, finished only ahead of Cam Charron (who had some excellent players but in his own words, forgot to play them). Alex was expected to cruise to another title with both Phil Scrubb and Jahmal Jones among his keepers from last year, but that's why they play the games — or in this case, why they collect the stats for specific players and pretend they're a team. He gets to keep both Scrubb and Jones for another year, however, so perhaps 2012-13 will see a resurgence.

Full standings and results:

1. Neate Sager, 45 points
2. Rob Pettapiece, 44.5 (0.5 behind)
3. Andrew Bucholtz, 41.5 (-3.5)*
4. Craig Burley, 41.5 (-3.5)
5. Alexandre Tourigny, 37 (-8)
6. Cam Charron, 30.5 pts (-14.5)

* Wins tiebreaker based on head-to-head results.

Congratulations to everyone but Cam.
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