Men's Basketball: National Top Ten Recap

Another top-10 duel highlights this week's recap, where we track the progress of the country's best men's basketball teams.

#1 Carleton Ravens (3rd in RPI):

Held the Pasquale Brothers to just 17 points combined in an 86-55 win over Laurentian, then demolished a Dejan Kravic-less York 111-71 in a game that was out of hand pretty early. For those of you counting, that's 19 wins in a row for the Carletons.

Next week: Get their last big test of the regular season with a visit to Toronto followed by a matchup with Ryerson.


#2 UBC Thunderbirds (2nd in RPI):

Decided Regina wasn't going to be a test for them after all, shooting nearly 62 per cent in a 111-67 romp (led by Nathan Yu's 22 points) then holding the Rams to 31 per cent the next night in a 95-59 trouncing. That game included what coach Kevin Hanson called Brent Malish's "best all-around game as a Thunderbird." 33 points and 12 rebounds will do that.

I feel like people are forgetting this team has lost the last two national title games and is absolutely murking teams in their bid for redemption.

Next week: host Thompson Rivers for two.


#3 Saskatchewan Huskies (T-8th in RPI):

Like the Thunderbirds, Saskatchewan disposed of some would-be contenders to the Canada West Triumvirate, dismantling Alberta 98-73 on Friday and 88-75 on Saturday. Aside from getting their usual 400 points per game from Jamelle Barrett and Rejean Chabot, the Huskies' keys to victory were keeping the Golden Bears' Daniel Ferguson and Jordan Baker relatively subdued in both contests.

Nolan Brudehl also posted one of his best games in Green, going for 23 points and 13 rebounds in the second game.

Next week: Play in a rare home-and-home with Regina on Thursday and Saturday.


#4 Trinity Western Spartans (6th in RPI):

Beating Brandon 85-64 isn't anything to write home about. Tyrell Mara going for 21 and 20? Now we're talking. The Spartans followed it up with a 104-45 beatdown that saw the Bobcats shoot barely 20 per cent. Euch.

Next week: Head to Manitoba for a pair.


#5 Cape Breton Capers (1st in RPI):

The Capers walked away with a pair of victories over scrappy Saint Mary's (106-93 and 101-97), but may have lost Jimmy Dorsey for some time with a shoulder injury. That's a big loss, as Dorsey was second on the team in scoring with 16.2 points per game and has been a huge part of the Capers' success this year. Fortunately, they've locked up the top seed in the AUS and have some time to rest.

Next week: Bye week. Cape Breton won't play until the 19th at UNB.


#6 Lakehead Thunderwolves (7th in RPI):

Got "run all over the court" by Waterloo in a 79-65 loss. They salvaged a 65-58 win the next night, holding the Warriors' Tim Rossy to four points after, as Rob pointed out, he had been on a tear the last few games.

Next week: host Brock for two.


#7 St. FX X-Men (5th in RPI):

Got trounced by Dalhousie 90-70 in a game that basically ensured X won't have a first-round bye in the AUS tournament.

Next week: host Acadia on Saturday.


#8 Laval Rouge-et-Or (16th in RPI):

Lost 85-83 to McGill, but responded with a 100-79 win over Bishop's thanks to 17 threes. but still maintain the QUBL lead by a game over Concordia.

Next week: Play at Concordia and host UQAM in a big week.


#9 Windsor Lancers (10th in RPI):

Good news: Isaac Kuon is back. After a series of brutal performances, Kuon averaged 33.5 points last week.

Bad news: one of those games was a 97-94 OT loss to Guelph (one that saw Dan McCarthy go for 38).

After a concerning slide including losses to Mac, Lakehead and Guelph, the Lancers managed to respond with a 77-67 win over Laurier that made the battle for second in the OUA West a little more interesting.

Next week: host Waterloo on Wednesday, then play Laurier in a big game on Saturday.


#10 Laurier Golden Hawks (4th in RPI):

Got by McMaster 97-89 thanks to big nights from Kale Harrison and Max Allin before Saturday's loss to Windsor.

Next week: Head to Guelph and host the Lancers.
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2 comments:

  1. As of last night around midnight, no boxscores or updates were available from the Cape Breton-SMU game. It would have been nice to have something, because Paris Carter went for 46 points on 10 threes.

    It was also a massive comeback for the Capers after coach Jim Charters was ejected in the fourth quarter. Here's Monty Mosher's article on the game:

    http://thechronicleherald.ca/Sports/1226368.html

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  2. Yeah, sometimes you have to go to the conference's own site for boxscores if the CIS site doesn't have it (though it is up there now).

    Here's the AUS results page, and here's the game in question.

    They're a lot better at getting these all in one central place (and in standardized format) but having said that, there are still nine completed games without boxscores.

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