QUBL Power Rankings: The Golden Globes version

A busy week in the QUBL provided us with our first big upset of the season – a McGill loss to Laval. The loss shakes things up in the QUBL where many people had given up on Laval after their loss to the Gaiters. In honour of the Golden Globes airing Sunday night, this week's power rankings will be a very special edition. Unlike the actual award ceremony, this won't take up four hours of your time:
1. Laval Rouge et Or:

The Rouge et Or team is basically like Inception – you think you have it all figured out until a brand new twist adds a deeper layer of intrigue. Their fourth-quarter collapse against the Gaiters means that they are 0-2 against a team that is battling to stay out of last place. They committed 27 turnovers, 9 more then the Gaiters and the culprit for their loss. Yet they held off the undefeated Martlets in a nail-biter, winning 57-53. A brilliant third quarter – where they scored more points then in the first half combined – showed a Laval team that very clearly did not want another loss tacked on to their record. McGill had a chance to tie it with 26 seconds left in the game, but the Martlets missed, the Rouge et Or went the other way, and Laval can finally take a deep breath and hope that this is a sign for better things to come.

2. McGill Martlets:

The McGill Martlets are like Mad Men, a great cast that executes well and listens to their boss. Their help defence against the Stingers, a staple of Ryan Thorne’s successful season thus far, forced them to settle for outside shots and never gave the Stingers a chance to establish an inside presence. They defeated them in convincing fashion, 72-61. However, their usual potent offense went missing against the Rouge et Or, culminating in the upset of the season thus far when the Rouge et Or defeated them 57-53. McGill had no answer for an energized Laval team that came out strong in the second half. It will be interesting to see how this young Martlets team recovers when they face the UQAM Citadins, the number 2 seed and their biggest competitor.

3. UQAM Citadins:

Here we have Love and Other Drugs. You really want to love it because Jake Gyllenhaal is in it. But alas, not even his perfect face can catapult the movie into a Best Picture nomination. UQAM can keep beating the bottom 3 seeds and playing an entertaining offence, but until they beat McGill and play some serious defence, they won’t be hoisting the QUBL banner come playoff time. The Citadins had the week off this week, giving them extra time to practice for their upcoming doubleheader. They play Laval on the 21st and then host McGill on the 22nd. The last time these two teams met, the Martlets held on for a 76-70 win – this next game will be a good one.

4. Concordia Stingers:

The Stingers are like The Office (post season 3): sure, the show has its hilarious moments, but the laughs are no longer consistent. The Stingers played two games this week, losing against the Martlets and defeating the Gaiters. The Stingers kept it close in the first half against McGill, but the Martlets proved to be to much to handle in the third quarter when they scored 25 points against a Stingers defence that had no answer to McGill forward Anneth Him-Lazarenko. Their win against Bishop’s came after a first half where they only scored 20 points on 4-35 shooting. They regrouped in the third quarter scoring 21 while holding Bishop’s to 11. A key offensive rebound with a minute left to go by Magalie Beaulieu led to a Yasmin Jean-Philippe 3-pointer which sealed the win. Concordia continues to beat the lower ranked teams and showed some promising stretches in their game against McGill, but they need to start playing consistent basketball against good teams.

5. Bishop’s Gaiters

If only these Bishop’s Gaiters could rebound, or if only House was on HBO instead of FOX – the difference in quality would be huge. The Gaiters played back-to-back games this week, going 1-1. Their win came in exciting fashion against Laval where they clawed back into it during the fourth quarter. The Gaiters went on an 8-0 run to end the game, winning 58-55 and finally showing some toughness on the boards. They finished with 34 boards, only two fewer than the Rouge et Or. Their rebounding success was short-lived, however, as they reverted back to old ways against the Stingers. A -15 rebounding differential proved too much for the Gaiters to overcome, even though they held the Stingers to a season low .114 shooting percentage in the first half. The silver lining for the Gaiters this season is the play of Jessy Roy, who notched her second double-double of the season against Laval.
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