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championships"},{"term":"2014 Vanier Cup"},{"term":"2017 season"},{"term":"Al Alderson"},{"term":"Announcements"},{"term":"Barry Rawlyk"},{"term":"Basil Hughton"},{"term":"Blue Jays"},{"term":"Bruno Prud'homme"},{"term":"CBC Sports Plus"},{"term":"CCES"},{"term":"CKNW"},{"term":"Calvin Westbrook"},{"term":"Canada WNT"},{"term":"Canadian Interuniversity Sports"},{"term":"Chantal Vallée"},{"term":"Chris Oliver"},{"term":"Dave Preston"},{"term":"Dax Dessureault"},{"term":"Devon Pierre"},{"term":"Dick Mosher"},{"term":"Dissenting Thoughts"},{"term":"Don't You Forget About"},{"term":"Doping"},{"term":"Edmonton CFL Team"},{"term":"Eva Thouvenot"},{"term":"Frank McCrystal"},{"term":"GNAC"},{"term":"Graham Brown"},{"term":"Greg Jockims"},{"term":"Heather Lund"},{"term":"Jacob Doerksen"},{"term":"Jamelle Barrett"},{"term":"Jay Triano"},{"term":"Jeff Giles"},{"term":"John Levy"},{"term":"Jon Lalonde"},{"term":"Josee Belanger"},{"term":"Justin King"},{"term":"Kentucky Wildcats"},{"term":"Laurentian Voyageurs"},{"term":"Michael Faulds"},{"term":"Michael Lysko"},{"term":"Mike Sirant"},{"term":"NBL"},{"term":"Navel-gazing"},{"term":"Old Crows"},{"term":"Olympics"},{"term":"Pacific Nations Cup"},{"term":"Pan Game"},{"term":"Paul Hamilton"},{"term":"Paul James"},{"term":"Promotion"},{"term":"Rob Saunders"},{"term":"Ross Bekkering"},{"term":"Rémi Aboussouan"},{"term":"SIC"},{"term":"Seattle Seahawks"},{"term":"Sebastien Levesque"},{"term":"Sidney Halter Award"},{"term":"Swimming Canada"},{"term":"TV"},{"term":"TV issues"},{"term":"Terry Danyluk"},{"term":"The Nuge"},{"term":"Timberwolves"},{"term":"Tonner Jackson"},{"term":"UBC Golden Hawks"},{"term":"Universiade"},{"term":"University of Toronto"},{"term":"Vancouver Whitecaps"},{"term":"What we learned this week"},{"term":"Wilfrid Laurier University"},{"term":"William Houston"},{"term":"Wrestling"},{"term":"alcohol"},{"term":"beer"},{"term":"betting"},{"term":"broadcasts"},{"term":"dave johnson"},{"term":"do not adjust your set"},{"term":"funding"},{"term":"host berths"},{"term":"international basketball"},{"term":"interviews"},{"term":"journalism"},{"term":"mud fights"},{"term":"schedules"},{"term":"technical difficulties"},{"term":"ted goveia"},{"term":"tiering"},{"term":"tragedy"},{"term":"trinity western"},{"term":"trivia"},{"term":"university sport"},{"term":"Étienne Légaré"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The CIS Blog"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"News and notes on U SPORTS - even if we refuse to change our name"},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/posts\/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/-\/Bracketology?alt=json-in-script"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/search\/label\/Bracketology"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/-\/Bracketology\/-\/Bracketology?alt=json-in-script\u0026start-index=26\u0026max-results=25"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Scott Hastie"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08081415078301065374"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"31"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"25"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-7607790612452382942"},"published":{"$t":"2017-03-06T01:54:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2017-03-06T02:49:43.516-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Badgers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Dinos"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Final 8"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Redmen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ryerson Rams"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Basketball: Ryerson, Carleton, McGill 1-2-3 for men's Final 8, Calgary gets wild card"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"It is human nature to think there ought to be a way to solve something irksome without thinking of the practicalities of said way. That seems to be the subtext for the suggestion there was some great injustice with decision to award the at-large berth to Canada West bronze medallist Calgary instead of OUA bronze medallist Brock (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/03\/the-road-to-halifax-stops-at-carleton_5.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eas predicted\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003EOFFICIAL: M🏀: The 2017 \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ArcelorMittal_D\"\u003E@ArcelorMittal_D\u003C\/a\u003E Final 8 field is rounded out with the University of Calgary Dinos! Full seeding below. \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/CHAMPSZN?src=hash\"\u003E#CHAMPSZN\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7fzyqaog6E\"\u003Epic.twitter.com\/7fzyqaog6E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— U SPORTS (@USPORTSca) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USPORTSca\/status\/838588714372771840\"\u003EMarch 6, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E The spur for doing this has always been to try to be a rational actor and give people an idea of how the Final 8 seeding rules work. Whether those rules are righteous or wrongheaded or whether the system goes too far in trying to quantify signature wins \u003Ci\u003Eis a parallel conversation\u003C\/i\u003E. Everyone agreed to play by these rules. You can say have play-in games, a Final 10, a Final 12, a Final 16 and say \"what would the NCAA do?!\" Given all the challenges U Sports faces both internally and externally, it might be better to play the pragmatist and appreciate that we still get to see eight teams spread out over nearly 6,000 kilometres still convene in Halifax for a national championship.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI say all of that, believe you me, knowing it is not for nothing the \u003Cb\u003ELouis CK\u003C\/b\u003E clip open in another Chrome tab just got to the \"\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/C-Y17YG63B4?t=1m37s\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eyou need to go once in a while, 'uh, I'm kind of an asshole'\u003C\/a\u003E \" part. The above paragraph probably comes off that way to a few people, but I am okay with that reaction.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EEnd rant. These fellows said it better anyway:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003EIf you disapprove of the criteria and think of a better, cost-effective one that all conferences will approve of, that's fine. \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/CHAMPSZN?src=hash\"\u003E#CHAMPSZN\u003C\/a\u003E 4\/\u003C\/div\u003E— Lucas Meyer (@meyer_lucas) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/meyer_lucas\/status\/838593377536876544\"\u003EMarch 6, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NaitSAYger\"\u003E@NaitSAYger\u003C\/a\u003E That and the whining that went along with the Final10 when it actually did happen. There's a reason they went back to a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/final8?src=hash\"\u003E#final8\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— John Edwards (@Anorak_CA) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Anorak_CA\/status\/838626007770939392\"\u003EMarch 6, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Anorak_CA\"\u003E@Anorak_CA\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NaitSAYger\"\u003E@NaitSAYger\u003C\/a\u003E Wasted games and a marathon week in the Final 10. Stick with 8.\u003C\/div\u003E— Jim Mullin (@Jim_Mullin) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Jim_Mullin\/status\/838631196586233857\"\u003EMarch 6, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Jor_Henry\"\u003E@Jor_Henry\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BrianSwane\"\u003E@BrianSwane\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NaitSAYger\"\u003E@NaitSAYger\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dougmclean15\"\u003E@dougmclean15\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Basketball_Hour\"\u003E@Basketball_Hour\u003C\/a\u003E I've been at a couple of \"Final 10\" tourneys. A marathon with wasted games\u003C\/div\u003E— Jim Mullin (@Jim_Mullin) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Jim_Mullin\/status\/838656206457614340\"\u003EMarch 6, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E Until such time that the gauntlet is picked up, here is what we have on tap at the arena forever known as the Halifax Metro Centre on Thursday:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENo. 2 Carleton vs. No. 7 Calgary, 11 a.m. ET.\u003C\/b\u003E The \"never con a con artist\" principle probably transfers over to any attempt to practise dollar-store sports psychology from a distance on a Dave Smart team. However, losing the No. 1 seed to Ryerson granted Carleton with two things it wanted. They tip off six hours earlier than Ryerson on Thursday and would be in the early semifinal on Saturday. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe loss also helps Carleton snap to attention. In 2006, '07, '11, '14 and '16, they didn't win the OUA banner but went on to capture the W.P. McGee Trophy.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENo. 3 McGill vs. No. 6 Manitoba, 1 p.m. ET. \u003C\/b\u003EMcGill us an .800 team (21-5) which won its conference without really seeing a formidable team in the playoffs and Alberta is a .700 team (24-10) that can de described similarly. That is why the Redmen rate the No. 3 seed. That and the need to avoid a same-conference matchup.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENo. 1 Ryerson vs. No. 8 Saint Mary's, 5 p.m. ET. \u003C\/b\u003ECalgary and Carleton have the highest combined scoring averages in any first-round matchup, but the potential for a 5-on-5 40-minute game of H-O-R-S-E probably resides in the day's third game. Ryerson is fourth at 86.2 points and Saint Mary's is fifth at 84.3.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETen years ago, also in Halifax, Saint Mary's was the No. 8 seed and upended Concordia in the quarter-final. No doubt SMU's history as a low seed -- they were No. 7 when they won in 1999 -- will form a convenient if dated narrative.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn that vein, both Thursday evening sessions the last two years have involved an overtime game where the higher seed was on the ropes in the last half-minute of regulation time. \u003Ci\u003ECould it happen again?!\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENo. 4 Alberta vs. No. 5 Dalhousie, 7 p.m. ET.\u003C\/b\u003E The Tigers have got away with some slow starts but probably cannot afford one against Alberta. The Golden Bears are too imposing.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBack to Brockgate for a second ... it is understandable why people expected the Badgers to get the wild card. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOntario has had at least three teams in the tournament for five years in a row and 13 of the last 14. On reflection, one can see how that would have conditioned expectations that Brock was in line for a tournament ticket when it earned the OUA bronze medal by defeating Ottawa, who's been going to the Final 8 on the regular. \u003Ci\u003EWe defeated you, so don't we become you now?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAt the same time, even if Ottawa had earned the OUA bronze, Calgary probably still gets picked.\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/7607790612452382942\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/03\/basketball-ryerson-carleton-mcgill-1-2.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7607790612452382942"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7607790612452382942"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/03\/basketball-ryerson-carleton-mcgill-1-2.html","title":"Basketball: Ryerson, Carleton, McGill 1-2-3 for men's Final 8, Calgary gets wild card"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"sager"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08757652892056684490"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HoppI3_eGQc\/VrWGl9xFY2I\/AAAAAAAADEA\/ucwvqUnIa7M\/s220\/Neate1379-4x4M.JPG"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-6147859547534903815"},"published":{"$t":"2017-03-05T03:16:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2017-03-05T13:09:35.107-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Badgers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Dinos"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Bears"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Redmen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"SMU Huskies"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Road To Halifax Stops At Carleton: On Seedings Eve"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"The seeding is a total mess and you ought to love it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERyerson completed a capital double, defeating Carleton for the Wilson Cup thanks to \u003Cb\u003EManny Diressa \u003C\/b\u003Egoing off for 24 points in the second half and, speaking of dynamic dyads,\u003Cb\u003E Adam Voll \u003C\/b\u003Eand\u003Cb\u003E Keevon Small\u003C\/b\u003E combining for \u003Ci\u003Enine\u003C\/i\u003E blocked shots. History does not play the games in the present, of course. Ryerson with floor leaders Diressa, \u003Cb\u003EAdika Peter-McNeilly\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EJuwon Grannum\u003C\/b\u003E will go into the Final 8 with much more shared experienced with the tournament and what's involved with being a No. 1 seed. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMeantime, Carleton will get a matinee game in the quarter-final for the fourth consecutive year, since Dalhousie is probably in the 4 vs. 5 game and the host Tigers will play in the evening session. Clearly Carleton doesn't mind the extra recovery period. The Ravens have also won the national championship the last five times (2006, '07, '11, '14 and '16) that it was not OUA playoff champion. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RyersonMBB\"\u003E@RyersonMBB\u003C\/a\u003E three captains, Ammanuel Diressa, Adika Peter-McNeilly and Juwon Grannum hosting their 2017 Wilson Cup. \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/theeyeopener\"\u003E@theeyeopener\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/q6l0zETHRs\"\u003Epic.twitter.com\/q6l0zETHRs\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— Bryan Meler (@BryanMelo97) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BryanMelo97\/status\/838223787049041920\"\u003EMarch 5, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E The task at hand isn't predictions, though, it's seeding.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThat is proving tough enough after the unfolding carnage of these conference playoffs. Young \u003Cb\u003EHenry\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EDulson\u003C\/b\u003E have a noble stab at it (\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/canhoopsca.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/05\/wild-card-thoughts\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eand \u003Cb\u003EMark Wacyk\u003C\/b\u003E explains why UBC getting the wild card sets a bad precedent\u003C\/a\u003E):\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003EOkay... my \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/final8HFX\"\u003E@final8HFX\u003C\/a\u003E seeding:\u003Cbr \/\u003E1) Ryerson\u003Cbr \/\u003E2) Carleton\u003Cbr \/\u003E3) Alberta\u003Cbr \/\u003E4) McGill\u003Cbr \/\u003E5) Dalhousie\u003Cbr \/\u003E6) Brock\u003Cbr \/\u003E7) SMU\u003Cbr \/\u003E8) Manitoba\u003C\/div\u003E— Jordan Henry (@Jor_Henry) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Jor_Henry\/status\/838266162488225792\"\u003EMarch 5, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"und\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NaitSAYger\"\u003E@NaitSAYger\u003C\/a\u003E Here's mine-\u003Cbr \/\u003E1. RU\u003Cbr \/\u003E2. UA\u003Cbr \/\u003E3. Carleton\u003Cbr \/\u003E4. McG \u003Cbr \/\u003E5. Dal\u003Cbr \/\u003E6. Brock\/ UC\u003Cbr \/\u003E7. Manitoba\u003Cbr \/\u003E8. SMU\u003C\/div\u003E— Casey Leigh Dulson (@Casey_Dulson) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Casey_Dulson\/status\/838425102500888577\"\u003EMarch 5, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003EThat could play, apart from the debate about the at-large berth. It is possible the seeding committee could decide that while UBC is first in five of the first nine criteria, losing in the Canada West quarter-final two in a row at home to Manitoba, which garnered no Top 10 support all season, is a deal-breaker. In that case, though, Calgary would seem to be the next team up based on the below interpretation. The Dinos are only first in one category, but are no lower than tied for third in every other one. Losing to Manitoba in the playoffs is also less abject since it was a one-game playoff and not a best-of-three series.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstyle type=\"text\/css\"\u003E table.tableizer-table { font-size: 12px; border: 1px solid #CCC; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; } .tableizer-table td { padding: 4px; margin: 3px; border: 1px solid #CCC; } .tableizer-table th { background-color: #104E8B; color: #FFF; font-weight: bold; } \u003C\/style\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable class=\"tableizer-table\"\u003E\u003Cthead\u003E\u003Ctr class=\"tableizer-firstrow\"\u003E\u003Cth\u003E\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003EReg-sea.\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003ESOS\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003ETT\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003EN-C\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003ETop 10\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003EA800\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003EA650\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003EA500\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003EB500\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003EPlayoffs*\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003ETotal\u003C\/th\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/thead\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EUBC\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E4\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3.5\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E5\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E21.5\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003ECalgary\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3.5\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E24.5\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EOttawa\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E5\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E5\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E5\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E31\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EBrock \u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E4\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E5\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E4\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E4\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E5\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E33\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003ESask.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E5\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E5\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E4\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E5\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E5\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E4\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E4\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E4\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E40\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith that out of the way, a last stab before the true experts get it right. It's looking like everyone should hope that Saint Mary's defeats Dalhousie in the AUS final; then they can get both into the top 6. Manitoba and the at-large recipient would then get bumped into the 7 and 8 seeds.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERyerson (OUA champion)\u003C\/b\u003E. Fine, fine team.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECarleton (OUA auto-berth). Eddie Ekiyor\u003C\/b\u003E had an intentional foul during the stretch run of the fourth quarter of the Wilson Cup that blemished going for 22-12-3 across 29 minutes against a top-3 team. Watch that get avenged next weekend.\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003EEddie Ekiyor (Ottawa) had 22 pts,12 rebs,1 ast,3 blks in 29 mins in \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CURavens\"\u003E@CURavens\u003C\/a\u003E' loss to Ryerson. \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/CanBall?src=hash\"\u003E#CanBall\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Q0BKCY37MZ\"\u003Epic.twitter.com\/Q0BKCY37MZ\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— CanBallRay (@CanBallReport) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CanBallReport\/status\/838229921340194818\"\u003EMarch 5, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMcGill (RSEQ champion).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/b\u003ECanada West usually gets the highest seed of anyone not from the centre of the universe. However, now that it might become the three-bid league, McGill likely has to move up to avoid a same-conference matchup.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMcGill rates better than or even with Alberta and Dalhousie on\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/usportshoops.ca\/history\/rankings-srs.php?Gender=MBB\u0026amp;Season=2016-17\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESimple Ranking System\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(taken before the playoffs), regular-season conference record, non-conference record and it has been higher in the Top 10 voting. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlberta is seventh nationally in full-season RPI, with Dalhousie ninth and McGill 11th. Say whatever you want about the quality of the RSEQ, but McGill grades out well according to the rules in place.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAlberta (Canada West champion).\u003C\/b\u003E Shot an effective 77 per cent during the second half of the CW final, with \u003Cb\u003EBrody Clarke \u003C\/b\u003Egoing for 29 and 12 on 10-of-14 from the floor.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDalhousie (AUS champion).\u003C\/b\u003E Play Saint Mary's on Sunday in an all-Halifax AUS final. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECalgary (at large)\u003C\/b\u003E. Reasonable place to put the No. 5-ranked team in Canada, forgiving them their peccadillo that was the two-point defeat against Manitoba. Yes, Manitoba won the game that mattered, but only by a bucket.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaint Mary's (de facto host).\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003EMarquis Clayton\u003C\/b\u003E went for 22 points total and the Huskies limited UNB to two baskets during a pull-away third quarter in the AUS semifinal. Will \u003Cb\u003EJavon Masters \u003C\/b\u003Eever get to a Final 8?\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EManitoba (Canada West auto-berth).\u003C\/b\u003E Shout-out to\u003Cb\u003E Tony House\u003C\/b\u003E, who's organized Canada Topflight Academy in Ottawa, since he's a former Bisons guard.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EIn the event Saint Mary's wins the AUS everything revises quite easily:\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003ERyerson\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECarleton\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAlberta\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMcGill\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESaint Mary's\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDalhousie\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003Eat-large team (Calgary, Brock or UBC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EManitoba\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/6147859547534903815\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/03\/the-road-to-halifax-stops-at-carleton_5.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6147859547534903815"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6147859547534903815"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/03\/the-road-to-halifax-stops-at-carleton_5.html","title":"The Road To Halifax Stops At Carleton: On Seedings Eve"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"sager"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08757652892056684490"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HoppI3_eGQc\/VrWGl9xFY2I\/AAAAAAAADEA\/ucwvqUnIa7M\/s220\/Neate1379-4x4M.JPG"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-5519402699040296659"},"published":{"$t":"2017-02-24T15:17:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2017-02-24T15:17:13.004-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UBC Thunderbirds"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Varsity Reds"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Road To Halifax Stops At Carleton: Men's Basketball Bracketology, 2 Weeks Out"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ci\u003E(Live it, learn it, love it: following university hoops means \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/static.psbin.com\/q\/5\/wcloe5wq5t4d4z\/160810_PlayingRegs_Basketball_-M-_FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eknowing the seeding criteria for the Final 8.\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EManitoba 79, UBC 75?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHonestly, stating last week \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.canadawest.org\/sports\/mbkb\/2016-17\/postseason\/boxscores\/20170223_ts8t.xml\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Efifth-placed Manitoba is scrappy with A.J. Basi at point guard\u003C\/a\u003E\" was just ass-talking, but ass-talking is a skill its own right. The No. 2-ranked Thunderbirds now have to win three do-or-done games in a row -- two against the Bisons plus the auto-bid game at the Canada West final four -- to go into the Final 8 through the front door.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUBC took seven more shots than Manitoba and had five fewer turnovers, so it's not like they played badly. They just didn't hit enough threes (4-of-18) or sink their free throws (13-of-25).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJust to be prepared, let's imagine the Final 8 if the Thunderbirds faceplant. Which they're not going to do. Or so you would think. The picture changes a little:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECarleton (OUA champion).\u003C\/b\u003E Everyone else is still playing for the silver at the Final 8.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERyerson (OUA auto-bid).\u003C\/b\u003E There is no quantifying, or underestimating, what it meant for the Rams to go up to Ottawa and take a W. It takes away a psychological barrier.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECalgary (Canada West champion).\u003C\/b\u003E One way to put the UBC loss in perspective is the fact only one of the bye teams in Canada West had a dominant Game 1 at home on Thursday, with Alberta defeating Lethbridge 80-59. Laying out for a week can be detrimental for a team's rhythm and timing.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOttawa (at large).\u003C\/b\u003E Ten of 29 from the free-throw line? The Gee-Gees have been erratic from the stripe all season; they would still be last in OUA even if that performance was stricken from the record. The concern troll going forward is whether that inefficiency will seep into other areas of the game. Even if they had shot their average against Ryerson, that would have turned the six-point defeat into a win.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Gee-Gees have kept eight of their last nine opponents to fewer than 75 points. It's hard to see them getting upset by Laurentian on Saturday.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDalhousie (AUS champion).\u003C\/b\u003E Have made a quintessentially\u003Cb\u003E Rick Plato\u003C\/b\u003E late regular-season run with seven consecutive wins to clinch first in the regular season early.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMcGill (RSEQ champion).\u003C\/b\u003E Held Laval without a field goal for the final 6½ minutes on Thursday.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaskatchewan (Canada West auto-bid).\u003C\/b\u003E Working on the theory that the Huskies got a shaky effort out of their system with a narrow escape against Winnipeg (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.canadawest.org\/sports\/mbkb\/2016-17\/postseason\/boxscores\/20170223_l3pu.xml\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E85-84 after the Wesmen hit a window-dressing triple at the buzzer\u003C\/a\u003E). They're talented, but 20 turnovers, ugh.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaint Mary's (host).\u003C\/b\u003E True, \u003Cb\u003EJavon Masters\u003C\/b\u003E and New Brunswick will have the bye to the AUS semifinal, but do you really want it? Saint Mary's also won by double-digits on UNB's floor on Jan. 27. I got burned pumping the Varsity Reds' tires last season.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EIf UBC wins out, they should have the No. 2 seed. The second team out of Ontario will be no lower than third, and that would effect a flip of the 7 and 8 seeds to avoid the same-conference quarter-final matchups.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/5519402699040296659\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/02\/the-road-to-halifax-stops-at-carleton_24.html#comment-form","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/5519402699040296659"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/5519402699040296659"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/02\/the-road-to-halifax-stops-at-carleton_24.html","title":"The Road To Halifax Stops At Carleton: Men's Basketball Bracketology, 2 Weeks Out"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"sager"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08757652892056684490"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HoppI3_eGQc\/VrWGl9xFY2I\/AAAAAAAADEA\/ucwvqUnIa7M\/s220\/Neate1379-4x4M.JPG"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-8738795868934878292"},"published":{"$t":"2017-02-15T12:13:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2017-02-15T13:08:02.851-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bisons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Final 8"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"RPI"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tigers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"U of S Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UBC Thunderbirds"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Road To Halifax Stops At Carleton: Men's Basketball Bracketology, 3 Weeks Out"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ci\u003E(Live it, learn it, love it: following university hoops means \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/static.psbin.com\/q\/5\/wcloe5wq5t4d4z\/160810_PlayingRegs_Basketball_-M-_FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eknowing the seeding criteria for the Final 8\u003C\/a\u003E. Warning: there is more RPI talk and no one will be put off if you just scroll to the bottom for the bracket.)\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe brass tacks of Canada West's RPI-based seeding is that its two best teams have a harder road toward the auto-bids, the more advantageous seeding and the greater chance of distinguishing the conference on national TV.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe top four of Calgary, Alberta, Saskatchewan and UBC means that if the form holds, UBC and Calgary will meet in a play-in game at the Canada West Final Four on the Dinos' floor. A loss there would not kill UBC's Final 8 chances, but it would likely take the currently No. 6-ranked Dinos out of the at-large conversation and deprive the Sportsnet audience of seeing Thomas Cooper. For shame!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis was a more interesting one than anticipated. Ryerson is woke since walking into the (River) Lions' den down in St. Catharines when it lost to Brock. This weekend's Ottawa\/Carleton double-dip might not alter the RPI, but it will be a good simulation of what\u003Cb\u003E Roy Rana\u003C\/b\u003E's charges could expect in an OUA Final Four.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith that in mind, there's been some shuffling. How does Dalhousie and Ottawa meeting in a rematch grab everyone?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECarleton (OUA champion).\u003C\/b\u003E Their average margin of victory in conference is 33.2 points, following by Ryerson at 23.5 and Ottawa at 15.9. The OUA might have to change the name to the Big Three and Little 14.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EUBC (Canada West champion).\u003C\/b\u003E Not \u003Ci\u003Enot\u003C\/i\u003E making an upset prediction; fifth-placed Manitoba is scrappy with A.J. Basi at point guard. They played the T-Birds tough in November at the War Memorial.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERyerson (OUA finalist).\u003C\/b\u003E More seasoned handles in the backcourt than Ottawa, whom they face this weekend.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOttawa (at large).\u003C\/b\u003E Not as statistically dominant as the 2012-13 through '15-16 Gees, but that doesn't foretell them falling short. Whatever stopped Ottawa from a fourth consecutive Final 8 medal last March wasn't a lack of hunger.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDalhousie (AUS champion).\u003C\/b\u003E Scheduling-wise, Dal and Carleton playing the night draw on March 9 seems like a likely scenario.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMcGill (RSEQ champion).\u003C\/b\u003E Very very gritty team. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaint Mary's (AUS runner-up\/host).\u003C\/b\u003E There is a codicil in the criteria that the fifth through eight seeds could be flipped to avoid a same-conference matchup, so I'm applying that to separate UBC and the second team from Canada West. Doing so also puts the AUS teams on opposite sides of the bracket.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaskatchewan (Canada West runner-up).\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;The third-placed Huskies and second-placed Alberta Golden Bears are on course to meet in a Canada West semifinal. Coin flip comes up U of S, plus they did win the most recent matchup.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDon't read too much into it. Canada West has four teams, at least, who would not be out of place in the tournament.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/8738795868934878292\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/02\/the-road-to-halifax-stops-at-carleton.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/8738795868934878292"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/8738795868934878292"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/02\/the-road-to-halifax-stops-at-carleton.html","title":"The Road To Halifax Stops At Carleton: Men's Basketball Bracketology, 3 Weeks Out"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"sager"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08757652892056684490"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HoppI3_eGQc\/VrWGl9xFY2I\/AAAAAAAADEA\/ucwvqUnIa7M\/s220\/Neate1379-4x4M.JPG"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-1110905672042633280"},"published":{"$t":"2017-02-08T15:16:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2017-02-15T13:08:13.102-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"RPI"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"U of S Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UBC Thunderbirds"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"How the Saskatchewan Huskies gamed the Canada West RPI: Men's Basketball Bracketology 2017, 4 weeks out"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ci\u003E(Live it, learn it, love it: following university hoops means \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/static.psbin.com\/q\/5\/wcloe5wq5t4d4z\/160810_PlayingRegs_Basketball_-M-_FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eknowing the seeding criteria for the Final 8\u003C\/a\u003E. Warning: there is more RPI talk and no one will be put off if you just scroll to the bottom for the bracket.)\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA dozen years ago the Saskatchewan Huskies football team had a beastly back named \u003Cb\u003EDavid Stevens\u003C\/b\u003E and now, judging from their record, the men's hoop concern has a phantom sixth man named \u003Cb\u003EEven Stevens\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETwo thoughts popped up the What-If tool for Canada West, which shows 19-1 UBC finishing third in RPI: \u003Ci\u003Ethank goodness no one out at UBC begrudges Canada West letting in a bunch of CCAA schools. \u003C\/i\u003EThe sober second thought was that perhaps Saskatchewan being rewarded for holding their own against a tough schedule is a proof of the system's efficacy. (If they get blown out in the playoffs, though, that sentence never happened.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIf everything breaks as it should, UBC could end up with the costliest first-game-of-the-new-year loss in convenient, selective memory. On Jan. 6, Saskatchewan's\u003Cb\u003E Alex Unruh \u003C\/b\u003Eand \u003Cb\u003EJaylan Morgan\u003C\/b\u003E combined to shoot 9-of-13 on three-pointers, combining for 39 points (and an eFG% of 86.1 per cent!) to pace the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.canadawest.org\/sports\/mbkb\/2016-17\/boxscores\/20170106_racf.xml\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EHuskies to a 95-78 win\u003C\/a\u003E. If the form holds, 14-6 Saskatchewan will be seeded ahead of 19-1 UBC (conference records only).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-GwQnFCjT0Uo\/WJttV6SEs4I\/AAAAAAAADOM\/s54JH1O1dNEC6VGRurxMx8KZeCeSW7ScgCLcB\/s1600\/canadawest.rpi.proj.mbb.feb8.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"364\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-GwQnFCjT0Uo\/WJttV6SEs4I\/AAAAAAAADOM\/s54JH1O1dNEC6VGRurxMx8KZeCeSW7ScgCLcB\/s640\/canadawest.rpi.proj.mbb.feb8.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe reality here is that a budget league in a country where travel costs can border on the usurious \u003Ci\u003Eshould\u003C\/i\u003E use a mathematical formula to seed the playoffs, especially when the teams have a \"sampler\" package of 10 opponents per season. That is what is right and good about the forward thinking that led to the decision and all the due diligence in computing it each week. There's also a health and wellness benefit to student-athletes that they stay in the same city for two days. One also has to be sensitive for the amount of work the awesome \u003Cb\u003EMartin Timmerman\u003C\/b\u003E puts in on this, since there would be no rant fodder without him!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt seems like Saskatchewan might end up ahead of UBC by virtue of winning their first of their two games in Bridge City on the first full weekend of the year. Is that really fair? It could be argued, \u003Ci\u003E\"Well, Saskatchewan proved it can play with the best in the country.\" \u003C\/i\u003EBy that same convenience sampling, Regina proved it can play with the best in the country when it defeated Saskatchewan.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhat happened was the Huskies got a tough draw and have gone a solid, right in the meat party of curve 7-5 against the top half of the Canada West class. They broke even against all of the teams they played in the top six. It's doubtful there was some conscious \"we only gotta get one here boys\" mindset afoot, but seems like quite an anomaly that Saskatchewan was able to beat everybody and also lose to everybody. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBarring a major disaster against 13th-ranked UNBC, Saskatchewan will hop over UBC, who's playing 16th-ranked Trinity Western.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIf you go down the line, though, showing all of Saskatchewan and UBC's opponents and wins against them in order of RPI ranking, you'll see all of the common opponents turn up higher in the UBC columns.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstyle type=\"text\/css\"\u003E table.tableizer-table { font-size: 12px; border: 1px solid #CCC; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; } .tableizer-table td { padding: 4px; margin: 3px; border: 1px solid #CCC; } .tableizer-table th { background-color: #104E8B; color: #FFF; font-weight: bold; } \u003C\/style\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable class=\"tableizer-table\"\u003E\u003Cthead\u003E\u003Ctr class=\"tableizer-firstrow\"\u003E\u003Cth\u003EHuskies (currently 2nd)\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003E\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003E\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003EThunderbirds (currently 3rd)\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003E\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003E\u003C\/th\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/thead\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOpp't\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERPI\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWins\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOpp't\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERPI\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWins\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EUBC\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1st\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003ESask.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2nd\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EAlberta\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2nd\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EAlberta\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3rd\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003ECalgary\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E4th\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EManitoba\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E5th\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EWinnipeg\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E6th\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003ETRU\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E8th\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003ELethbridge\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E7th\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EBrandon \u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E9th\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EBrandon\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E9th\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EMount Royal\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E11th\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EUFV\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E10th\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EVictoria\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E12th\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EMount Royal\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E11th\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EUNBC\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E13th\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EUNBC\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E13th\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Ci\u003En\/a\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003ETWU\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E16th\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003En\/a\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003ERegina\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E14th\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EUBC-O\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E17th\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETOTAL\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003E12\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003E17\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETo reiterate, be glad no one at UBC still begrudes Canada West for waving former B.C. premier \u003Cb\u003EGordon Campbell\u003C\/b\u003E's legacy projects into the conference.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere is a better formula-based system out there, and we'll get it eventually. On to the fake bracket:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECarleton (OUA representative):\u003C\/b\u003E Easy pick, again.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EUBC (Canada West champion):\u003C\/b\u003E Despite it all, UBC's body of work suggests they are capable of winning a play-in game on a neutral floor.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOttawa (OUA rep):\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;Only plausible scenario where they are not the No. 2 seed in OUA would involve Ryerson winning on Carleton's floor on Feb. 17.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDalhousie (AUS champion): \u003C\/b\u003EThe Tigers are a combined 1-4 against Saint Mary's and UNB and 18-3 against the rest of U Sports. The team with the best pace-setting point guard has a huge edge in single-elimination tournaments and well, Dal has \u003Cb\u003ERitchie Kanza Mata\u003C\/b\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAlberta (Canada West rep):\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;The top seed for the playoffs has the most opportunity of making the tournament.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMcGill (RSEQ champion):\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;Play out the regular-season string with single games against the rest of the RSEQ. They have a plus-52 point differential in three head-to-head games against Concordia, so losing top spot on a tiebreaker is not too much of a worry. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERyerson (at large):\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;The imagined scenario is they revenge hard on Brock in the OUA third-place game.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBrock has kept seven consecutive opponents to fewer than 70 points. The Badgers aren't deep or overly efficient on offense, but like Dalhousie down east, they somehow hang around.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaint Mary's (host):\u003C\/b\u003E The race for second in AUS, with the Huskies and UNB Varsity Reds even at 10-6 (tiebreaker held by SMU), is very tight. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESaint Mary's still has one game left with Dalhousie. Three of UNB's last four are against very competitive St. FX.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EPlease feel free to disagree. There will be several more tries to get this right. Here's the seeding criteria:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-YdUviLYxjBI\/WI_LUpR2RhI\/AAAAAAAADNg\/xTp62UdnTcwTuWE2iEmxaXlCoIb5juQewCLcB\/s1600\/usports.mbb.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"334\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-YdUviLYxjBI\/WI_LUpR2RhI\/AAAAAAAADNg\/xTp62UdnTcwTuWE2iEmxaXlCoIb5juQewCLcB\/s640\/usports.mbb.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/1110905672042633280\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/02\/how-saskatchewan-huskies-gamed-canada.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/1110905672042633280"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/1110905672042633280"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/02\/how-saskatchewan-huskies-gamed-canada.html","title":"How the Saskatchewan Huskies gamed the Canada West RPI: Men's Basketball Bracketology 2017, 4 weeks out"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"sager"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08757652892056684490"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HoppI3_eGQc\/VrWGl9xFY2I\/AAAAAAAADEA\/ucwvqUnIa7M\/s220\/Neate1379-4x4M.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-GwQnFCjT0Uo\/WJttV6SEs4I\/AAAAAAAADOM\/s54JH1O1dNEC6VGRurxMx8KZeCeSW7ScgCLcB\/s72-c\/canadawest.rpi.proj.mbb.feb8.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-7791891882659424931"},"published":{"$t":"2017-01-30T18:21:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2017-02-15T13:08:50.530-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Badgers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UBC Thunderbirds"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Road To Halifax Stops At Carleton: Men's Basketball Bracketology 2017, five weeks out"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Live it, learn it, love it: following university hoops means \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/static.psbin.com\/q\/5\/wcloe5wq5t4d4z\/160810_PlayingRegs_Basketball_-M-_FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eknowing the seeding criteria for the Final 8\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOver the next six weeks, the goal will be to keep up on the chalk picks for the men's basketball nationals, which are March 9-12 at the arena formerly known as the Halifax Metro Centre. Carleton, of course, is 7-of-8 at winning nationals held in the East Coast, with the only loss coming in their first trip in 2001, when they lost in the quarter-final against McMaster by the margin of a buzzer shot after a disputed out-of-bounds call.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere is a lot of basketball to be played before it becomes evident, once again, that the field is playing for U Sports silver and bronze medals. Out west, did you see what UBC did on the weekend?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003EFast-break ➡️ \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JordanJWhyte\"\u003E@JordanJWhyte\u003C\/a\u003E dunk\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UBC\"\u003E@UBC\u003C\/a\u003E 26 - \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BUBobcats\"\u003E@BUBobcats\u003C\/a\u003E 15 \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/GoBirdsGo?src=hash\"\u003E#GoBirdsGo\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cXTCmf4VuW\"\u003Epic.twitter.com\/cXTCmf4VuW\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ubctbirds\/status\/825181775890575364\"\u003EJanuary 28, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003EThe early challenges with seeding appear to be:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003Ewho ends up as the 2 seed, the OUA runner-up or Canada West champion? That also determines the matchups for Canada West's other representative and the OUA third-place team, assuming it receives the wild card berth. The rules will dictate that RSEQ's winner will be the 6 seed.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003Ehow high to seed Dalhousie if the Tigers go in through the front door as AUS champion. Their win against Ryerson was on the road (good for the Tigers), but it was on the first weekend of October (bad for the Tigers).\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAt this writing (Jan. 30), here's a back-of-the-Starbucks napkin cogitation:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECarleton (OUA representative):\u003C\/b\u003E Easy pick. Interestingly, since OUA adopted the single-site Final Four in 2010-11, the Ravens have never hosted.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EUBC (Canada West champion):\u003C\/b\u003E 127 points?! The estimable Howard Tsumura, on his final weekend at The Province, summed up just how in the azure hell the T-Birds did that against Brandon last Friday. Hint: \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/theprovince.com\/sports\/university\/when-it-comes-to-15-1-ubc-thunderbirds-mens-basketball-team-the-numbers-dont-lie\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethey took 78 shots and sealed Brandon off from the O-boards\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOttawa (OUA rep):\u003C\/b\u003E The Gee-Gees could conceivably finish second in RPI even if they lose against Carleton and Ryerson to finish with a 16-3 conference record, while the Rams finish 17-2. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThose points could come from having two games with the Ravens, plus two games with two other teams which each had two games with the Ravens. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/01\/basketball-oua-rpiproblems-return-is.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThat was what I was trying to say late last week\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDalhousie (AUS champion): \u003C\/b\u003EThe Tigers are a combined 1-4 against Saint Mary's and UNB and 18-3 against the rest of U Sports. The team with the best pace-setting point guard has a huge edge in single-elimination tournaments and well, Dal has \u003Cb\u003ERitchie Kanza Mata\u003C\/b\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECalgary \/ Alberta (Canada West rep):\u003C\/b\u003E Too soon to say, and Saskatchewan is also in the mix.\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003EWith 5 assists in tonight's game, 5th-yr \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DalTigers\"\u003E@DalTigers\u003C\/a\u003E guard Ritchie Kanza Mata set a new AUS record for career assists \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rZwQsTYSOh\"\u003Epic.twitter.com\/rZwQsTYSOh\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— AUS_SUA (@AUS_SUA) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AUS_SUA\/status\/820762610060722180\"\u003EJanuary 15, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMcGill (RSEQ champion):\u003C\/b\u003E The Redmen are the default pick to come out of Quebec due to defense; they haven't let anyone break 80 all season, including NCAA teams in exhibitions. Concordia is intriguing; 1-2 against McGill and held its own against mid-level OUA competition in October.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBrock (at large):\u003C\/b\u003E Consider this the spoils of Brock defeating Ryerson last Friday, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/oua.ca\/sports\/mbkb\/2016-17\/boxscores\/20170127_v90f.xml\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eprevailing 74-65 in front of 3,000-plus in St. Catharines\u003C\/a\u003E, not a statement of who's better. Most of the RPI scenarios point to the Badgers nestling into the No. 4 spot in the OUA bracket. The team which has to play Carleton on Friday could end up being fresher for a bronze-medal game against the vanquished from a Ryerson-Ottawa semifinal.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERyerson was just off in that game (7-for-37 on triples as they played from behind), and that happens. Their Carleton\/Ottawa trip on Feb. 17-18 could be really good preparation for the postseason.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaint Mary's (host):\u003C\/b\u003E The half of the bracket with Dal also gets the other AUS team for the evening draw on the first night of the tournament.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EPlease feel free to disagree. There will be several more tries to get this right. Here's the seeding criteria:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-YdUviLYxjBI\/WI_LUpR2RhI\/AAAAAAAADNg\/xTp62UdnTcwTuWE2iEmxaXlCoIb5juQewCLcB\/s1600\/usports.mbb.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"334\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-YdUviLYxjBI\/WI_LUpR2RhI\/AAAAAAAADNg\/xTp62UdnTcwTuWE2iEmxaXlCoIb5juQewCLcB\/s640\/usports.mbb.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/7791891882659424931\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/01\/the-road-to-halifax-stops-at-carleton.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7791891882659424931"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7791891882659424931"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/01\/the-road-to-halifax-stops-at-carleton.html","title":"The Road To Halifax Stops At Carleton: Men's Basketball Bracketology 2017, five weeks out"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"sager"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08757652892056684490"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HoppI3_eGQc\/VrWGl9xFY2I\/AAAAAAAADEA\/ucwvqUnIa7M\/s220\/Neate1379-4x4M.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-YdUviLYxjBI\/WI_LUpR2RhI\/AAAAAAAADNg\/xTp62UdnTcwTuWE2iEmxaXlCoIb5juQewCLcB\/s72-c\/usports.mbb.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-2190297959210198279"},"published":{"$t":"2016-03-12T04:02:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-03-12T20:29:38.013-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"CIS Final 8"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Dinos"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Redmen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ryerson Rams"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tigers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UBC Thunderbirds"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"WolfPack"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bracketology! The TRU-mphant edition; UBC's drop creates incentive to sandbag for a second seed"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Paint the town orange, everyone, since the Thompson Rivers WolfPack, paced by a savvy handle from the fifth-year guard \u003Cb\u003EReese Pribilsky\u003C\/b\u003E, will be a nationals newbie after taking down Final 8 host UBC.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENew is always better\u003C\/i\u003E, so that should be vicariously exciting for all who care about the university game. Okay, maybe not so much to the CIS Final 8 promoters since the hometown draw, UBC, is out of the top six entirely and its odds of making it to Semifinal Saturday are now that much longer.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere are \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/canadawesthoops.com\/tru-and-calgary-to-meet-in-cw-final\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Edeets to digest\u003C\/a\u003E, but the WolfPack's epochal 72-69 win against the \u0026nbsp;Thunderbirds turned on the team from the B.C. Interior being resolute in the interior. Aptly named forward \u003Cb\u003EJosh Wolfram\u003C\/b\u003E piled up 23 points and 14 rebounds, and TRU ultimately was just a little more 'on' from outside than the traditional tournament team.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPresuming the \"results of regional playoffs must be respected\" guideline is invoked, Thompson Rivers rates the No. 7 seed with UBC up at No. 8. By rule, UBC must play one of the evening quarter-finals, including the 11 p.m. ET\/8 p.m. finale to the day.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETo quote \u003Cb\u003EGeorge Costanza\u003C\/b\u003E,\u003Ci\u003E \"Do you see what happened here?\"\u003C\/i\u003E The Carleton-Ryerson victor will surely be the No. 1 seed, but will likely play its quarter-final at a time when their minds and bodies are normally winding down for the night. Conversely, being in the 2\/7\/3\/6 bloc involves the 4 ET\/1 PT or 6 ET\/3 PT Thursday tip times, and rest ahead of Semifinal Saturday.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERyerson, which has never won any OUA basketball title, will have incentive to change that this evening. For Carleton, they do not have to show their hand much on Saturday, so it wouldn't be a shocker if they play a very vanilla game. Then they get the schedule that might work better for an Eastern Time Zone team.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother permutation, and CIS has countless ones, is that 1\/8\/4\/5 and 2\/7\/3\/6 are not set in stone. They have been known to get re-sorted, by organizers' edict. There is also the matter of where to schedule the Canada West reps' games. Calgary is from farther away but has a much deeper alumni base than Thompson Rivers, which only became a university in a full in 2005 and whose graduates are all busy analyzing the Toronto Maple Leafs.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHere is another shot in the dark heading into Finals Day. The Windsor-Ottawa winner should draw in as the No. 5 seed facing McGill, which hosts UQAM in the RSEQ final. A Dalhousie-Calgary quarter-final is on the offing. Ryerson-UBC and Carleton-TRU draw into the 1 vs. 8 and 2 vs. 7 slots.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERyerson Rams (OUA champion)*\u003C\/b\u003E — Fun fact: the last time a Toronto-area team won the OUA Wilson Cup was 1994-95, the season before the Toronto Raptors began play. There is some 'not for nothing' to that, but I cannot unlock it at the moment.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIncidentally, and perhaps other Ontario University Athletics schools are doing this, but something that RU is doing to foster demand is to give free admission to the first 250 students. It creates a buzz, while still relaying that there is a value to attending these games.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's long been a catch-22 with student attendance in OUA. Charge and they don't come; make it free and they think it is not worth coming.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECarleton Ravens (OUA runner-up)* \u003C\/b\u003E— Gritty 82-74 win against Ottawa, even though primary scorer \u003Cb\u003EConnor Wood\u003C\/b\u003E played through foul trouble. The city rivals have played for 120 minutes and are tied 227-227. The weird part? Only the first game actually felt close.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECalgary Dinos (Canada West champion)* — \u003C\/b\u003EHit a hundred whilst winning their way in and effectively ending Manitoba's season. I cannot wait to see\u003Cb\u003E Thomas Cooper\u003C\/b\u003E play live.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMcGill Redmen (Quebec champion)\u003C\/b\u003E — As anticipated, they had a push from Laval, but won 76-69 on the strength of a 49-point second half. \u003Cb\u003ENoah Daoust\u003C\/b\u003E was man of the match with 19 in 23 off-the-bench minutes, hitting 5-of-6 triples. Of course, that's not even the best sixth-man performance since the Rams' \u003Cb\u003EJean-Victor Mukama \u003C\/b\u003Ehad 23 and was 5-of-5 on threes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMcGill, with the women's basketball Martlets also playing for a conference banner at home on Saturday, could have a sellout at Love Competition Hall. Only about 400 tickets are left.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOttawa Gee-Gees (at large, OUA bronze medal) \u003C\/b\u003E— The first Windsor-Ottawa game was a 34-point blowout. A lot has changed, but the Gee-Gees should end their two-game funk.\u003Cb\u003E Caleb Agada \u003C\/b\u003Eneeded only 23 minutes to record a double-double in that November game, and the fourth-year wing seemed almost possessed when Ottawa started to push back against Carleton.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDalhousie Tigers (AUS champion)*\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003E— \u003C\/b\u003EWould scoot up to 5 if Thompson Rivers somehow upset Calgary.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThompson Rivers Wolfpack (Canada West runner-up)\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003E— \u003C\/b\u003EFriday was a big moment for Explorer teams. Take this opportunity to snark, \"No wonder UBC didn't want to play those new CIS members from the province.\" \u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EUBC Thunderbirds (host)*\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EThey might be locked into eighth, sorry to say.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Ci\u003E(* already qualified)\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/2190297959210198279\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/bracketology-tru-mphant-edition-if-not.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/2190297959210198279"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/2190297959210198279"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/bracketology-tru-mphant-edition-if-not.html","title":"Bracketology! The TRU-mphant edition; UBC's drop creates incentive to sandbag for a second seed"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"sager"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08757652892056684490"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HoppI3_eGQc\/VrWGl9xFY2I\/AAAAAAAADEA\/ucwvqUnIa7M\/s220\/Neate1379-4x4M.JPG"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-3117106235554870844"},"published":{"$t":"2016-03-10T17:34:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-03-10T17:34:21.896-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bisons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"CIS Final 8"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Dinos"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ottawa Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Redmen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ryerson Rams"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UBC Thunderbirds"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"WolfPack"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bracketology! The 'How UBC can do OUA a solid' edition"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-wHfiAGgIR2c\/VuHuPVOYWyI\/AAAAAAAADHA\/xO9-Mwe783gm8VetD2EgqPO-E6X86fggQ\/s1600\/1246995.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-wHfiAGgIR2c\/VuHuPVOYWyI\/AAAAAAAADHA\/xO9-Mwe783gm8VetD2EgqPO-E6X86fggQ\/s640\/1246995.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn our latest hoop-o-thetical, coach \u003Cb\u003EKevin Hanson\u003C\/b\u003E's UBC Thunderbirds are like \u003Cb\u003EHomer Simpson \u003C\/b\u003Ein that episode where takes a drag on his sisters-in-laws' cigarettes to get them out of a jam for smoking in a government building.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EExplain how. Well, Homer does not much like Patty and Selma, just as those in the west don't like Ontario, or its university men's basketball dominance. Yet Homer did something to help himself, over his reservations at helping the gruesome twosome. To totally strain the self-indulgent analogy, UBC will make their case for a high seed at home for the CIS Final 8 if they defeat the Thompson Rivers WolfPack and the Manitoba\/Calgary winner at the men's b-ball Canada West Final Four.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECalgary not being a conference champion might open the door toThat could also make the argument the OUA's big three of Carleton, Ryerson and Ottawa all being top six seeds come next week in Vancouver. Just saying, \u003Ci\u003Eit could\u003C\/i\u003E.\u0026nbsp;Ours is not to make predictions, per se, but to be prepared. (\u003Cb\u003EMark Wacyk\u003C\/b\u003E, as always, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/canhoopsca.wordpress.com\/2016\/03\/10\/wilson-cup-final-four-preview-rams-look-to-hoist-first-banner-ever\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehas the OUA Wilson Cup covered from all angles\u003C\/a\u003E.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere is no crystal ball; consider this more of a 'creating a crazy scenario and watching it all go down.'\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo UBC wins Canada West. Calgary or Manitoba is Canada West 1, and the conference's bronze-game winner is Canada West 2 since the Thunderbirds are a host.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EHow could the picture look?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOUA 1\u0026nbsp;—\u003C\/b\u003E Saturday's Wilson Cup winner, either Carleton, Ottawa or Ryerson;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOUA 2\u0026nbsp;—\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003ESaturday's Wilson Cup runner-up;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EHost team —\u003C\/b\u003E UBC, which had 227 points in the most recent Top Ten;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAt large\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003ESaturday's OUA bronze-game winner if, indeed, it's one of the Big Three;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERSEQ champion\u0026nbsp;—\u003C\/b\u003E \u003Ci\u003EIf\u003C\/i\u003E No. 7 McGill wins their conference;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDalhousie\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003ENo. 10-ranked Tigers go in the 5-hole \u003Ci\u003Eif\u003C\/i\u003E McGill stumbles;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECW 1\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EThe Calgary-Manitoba winner and conference runner-up;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECW 2\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EThe Canada West bronze-game winner, so either Calgary or Manitoba. Or perhaps No. 11-ranked Thompson Rivers could still surprise us.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003EAgendas, there a few at the time of March. This seeding likely keeps the 'Birds around until Semifinal Saturday, which will help with the surely robust ticket sales for the event that is coming back to a Vancouver whetted with anticipation due to its four-decade absence. Of OUA's big three, two will have a loser-plays-for-bronze steel cage match in the semifinal. The winner than has refresh for Championship Sunday.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Thunderbirds get their high seed, OUA gets its entitlement of high seeds but two of them have to re-stage the playoffs, which gives the survivor a tougher trek toward the national title.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd, of course, you know what it says about the person who is laying out this scenario:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-MTOIc-Qar5g\/VuH2WXFAWZI\/AAAAAAAADHY\/qoR8xduk3OoZsyCFCL8EhPQK1NUBMTCoQ\/s1600\/1251783%2B%25281%2529.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-MTOIc-Qar5g\/VuH2WXFAWZI\/AAAAAAAADHY\/qoR8xduk3OoZsyCFCL8EhPQK1NUBMTCoQ\/s640\/1251783%2B%25281%2529.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/3117106235554870844\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/bracketology-how-ubc-can-do-oua-solid.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/3117106235554870844"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/3117106235554870844"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/bracketology-how-ubc-can-do-oua-solid.html","title":"Bracketology! The 'How UBC can do OUA a solid' edition"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"sager"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08757652892056684490"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HoppI3_eGQc\/VrWGl9xFY2I\/AAAAAAAADEA\/ucwvqUnIa7M\/s220\/Neate1379-4x4M.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-wHfiAGgIR2c\/VuHuPVOYWyI\/AAAAAAAADHA\/xO9-Mwe783gm8VetD2EgqPO-E6X86fggQ\/s72-c\/1246995.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-8509434604555262645"},"published":{"$t":"2016-03-07T01:15:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-03-07T14:55:13.841-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Dinos"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Final 8"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Redmen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ryerson Rams"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tigers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UBC Thunderbirds"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"WolfPack"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bracketology! Ryerson goes back on top, and a cry for the WolfPack "},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"All the 'contemplating the ifs' has probably rendered this effort the 'go home, you're drunk' edition.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe points to fixate upon include:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E— Carleton and Ottawa going to the matt at Mattamy Athletic Centre in the OUA Wilson Cup semifinal.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E— What possibility there is that Calgary, which is nicely ensconced in the No. 3 seed like so much velvet, could lose at home in the Canada West Final Four.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E— Whether there is any chance of Dalhousie moving up from the No. 6 seed, the lowest possible for a conference champ. (Answer: probably not.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHere goes very little:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERyerson Rams (OUA champion)\u0026nbsp;—\u003C\/b\u003E It is about who is healthy and hitting shots, and Ryerson seems fit on each count now that\u003Cb\u003E Juwon Grannum\u003C\/b\u003E is back to fortify their rotation. That crowd at the MAC, where the Rams hosted the 2015 Final 8 but weren't part of competing in the '13 and '14 OUA finals after losing in the quarters, should be something else. There's really no excuse if it isn't. In fact, if there's even a remote possibility of a blah atmosphere, start busing in Brock students.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOttawa (OUA runner-up)\u0026nbsp;—\u003C\/b\u003E Gut feeling is the OUA hierarchy is now Ryerson, Ottawa, Carleton. The Gee-Gees have played in the MAC enough times for it to feel familiar, and shot an effective 52.4% there in January against the fired-up Rams without having\u003Cb\u003E Caleb Agada\u003C\/b\u003E to create matchup problems. They had a bad shooting night (42.9%) in Saturday's near-disastrous narrow escape against Queen's. That can fluctuate positively.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDefinitely \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/portal.stretchinternet.com\/oua\/portal.htm?eventId=276239\u0026amp;streamType=video\u0026amp;highlightId=25657\u0026amp;time=1457368776.218\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ewatch the replay of Ottawa's winning bucket against Queen's\u003C\/a\u003E. A \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/portal.stretchinternet.com\/oua\/portal.htm?eventId=276239\u0026amp;streamType=video\u0026amp;highlightId=25657\u0026amp;time=1457368776.218\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Elittle more help D and Ottawa is done early\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECalgary (Canada West champion)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EMuch will depend on Manitoba-Calgary on Friday night at the Jack Simpson Gym. The Bisons and Dinos split their regular-season series, which was on the U of M's home floor. Calgary is home and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/calgaryherald.com\/sports\/basketball\/dinos-hoopsters-advance-to-final-four-tourney\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eought to be more focused after flirting with getting extended in their series against Alberta\u003C\/a\u003E. Calgary also shot the three (38.0%) and defended it (27.5%) better than anyone out West.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENow, if Manitoba wins, everything gets cockamamie.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EUBC (host)*\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EA win against Thompson Rivers on Friday will make everyone breath easier. The 'Birds \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/cishoops.ca\/mbb2015\/cissrs.php\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehave the highest SRS of any team outside of Ontario\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMcGill (RSEQ champion)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EThe Redmen might have lost too many conference games to be considered for anything higher. They have the inside track on the Q title.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDalhousie (AUS champion)*\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EIt is official after the Tigers had one-point semifinal and two-point championship-game victories in the AUS Final 6. With 6-foot-5 Sven Stammberger as the lone starter taller than 6-2, Dal is the epitome of scrappy underdog. They slowed and stymied UVic in the 6 vs. 3 quarter-final last March. It would be something to see it history could repeat itself.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECarleton (wild card)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EIt would not be the first time that Ottawa and Carleton met at OUAs and again at nationals. Each instance usually happens later. If Carleton is OUA No. 3 and either Manitoba or Thompson Rivers is Canada West No. 3, the Ravens have to be higher. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECarleton would likely be facing an OUA opponent as either a 7 or 8 seed. Understandably, you cannot move a team down to get out of facing a team it saw in the playoffs, and put it up against the higher-seeded team from its conference. That's where we are.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EManitoba (Canada West auto berth)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EIt will be Manitoba-Thompson Rivers in a play-in Canada West bronze game if the form holds. The prospective foes are 12th and 13th in the national SRS. The Bisons \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/cishoops.ca\/mbb2015\/cissrs.php\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehave a below-average strength of schedule and coach\u003Cb\u003E Scott Clark\u003C\/b\u003E's WolfPack have a really, really bad strength of schedule\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;within CIS competition.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe SRS' value as a predictor is contestable, though. Cases in point: Windsor defeating McMaster, Dal defeating UPEI and Queen's nearly upsetting Ottawa. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor obvious intellectual-honesty reasons, games against non-CIS competition cannot be thrown into the rankings mix; there are too many variables to take the results on face. At the same time, though, it's not as if Thompson Rivers, as a program in Kamloops, B.C., has the budget or the geographical convenience to get the even UBC or UVic on their schedule, let alone major central Canada schools for non-conference games. They have played anyone and everyone: BCCAA, NCAA D2, NAIA. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThey have a fifth-year point guard with \u003Cb\u003EReese Pribilisky\u003C\/b\u003E, and this team from the Interior is solid in the interior with 6-10 \u003Cb\u003EJosh Wolfram \u003C\/b\u003Eand 6-7 \u003Cb\u003EVolodymyr Iegorov\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJust sayin'. Don't cede that berth to the Bisons just yet. (Actually, now that we've lavished praise on the little-known Explorer Division school, watch them come out flat as the Manitoba prairie on Friday since life is like that.)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E* officially qualified\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/8509434604555262645\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/bracketology-ryerson-goes-back-on-top.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/8509434604555262645"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/8509434604555262645"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/bracketology-ryerson-goes-back-on-top.html","title":"Bracketology! Ryerson goes back on top, and a cry for the WolfPack "}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"sager"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08757652892056684490"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HoppI3_eGQc\/VrWGl9xFY2I\/AAAAAAAADEA\/ucwvqUnIa7M\/s220\/Neate1379-4x4M.JPG"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-8954291087154802021"},"published":{"$t":"2016-03-05T10:22:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-03-09T11:17:36.313-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Bears"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Men's Puck Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Patriotes"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ridgebacks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"SMU Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"U of S Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"University Cup"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Varsity Reds"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"X-Men"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Men's Puck bracketology: UNB is No. 1, and Carleton could get flippin' mad"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Hockey people, love 'em for it, are more linear in their thought process.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat is reflected in the seeding for the University Cup, now in its second year as an eight-team saw-off. It is so straightforward. Win a conference, you're top three, with the OUA runner-up fourth. Everything else flows from there:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-otnLnkopnyw\/VtrwuSpZ7YI\/AAAAAAAADGw\/VrNRxCwvpv8\/s1600\/hockeyseeding.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"382\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-otnLnkopnyw\/VtrwuSpZ7YI\/AAAAAAAADGw\/VrNRxCwvpv8\/s640\/hockeyseeding.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPart of the point of this exercise is to foment discussion, and try to make sure people have an accurate understanding of how the pie is made. It's not so important to be accurate in predicting who is going to win. It's good to go out on a limb but at the same time, it's better to be pleasantly surprised.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EFew of you likely need any reminder the draw consists of all six conference finalists, plus the OUA bronze-medal game winner and the host Saint Mary's Huskies. Upper Canada gets the third team since it and Lower Canada are one conference for men's hockey. Would that they were for basketball, but wait until next week's Wishful Thinking Wednesday column.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBased on the criteria, if the University Cup was starting Saturday instead of March 17-20 at the Arena Formerly Known As the Halifax Metro Centre, it would look like this:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EUNB Varsity Reds — \u003C\/b\u003EGardiner MacDougall's guys have home-ice advantage for a best-of-3 AUS final against St. Francis Xavier. The Varsity Reds won 3-of-4 against the X-Men, including two in overtime. This is very much penciled in, not penned.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETrois-Rivières Patriotes\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EUQTR \u0026nbsp;had 140 points in the poll to Saskatchewan's 126's last week, so at this point this puts them ahead of the U of S. However, that's just a sop to consistency. If Saskatchewan, which beat Alberta 4-0 to begin the best-of-3 Canada West final, should finish the job, that might get them enough second-place votes over the final two ballots.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaskatchewan Huskies\u0026nbsp;—\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003E To reiterate, sweeping Alberta would probably make some voters less hesitant to put the Huskies second.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWestern Mustangs\u0026nbsp;—\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003E The OUA runner-up gets the 4 seed. Western leads Guelph 1-0 in the OUA final. Neither team was anywhere near the top 10 until ranked teams began to fall by the wayside in the deeper divisions and leagues. The East is a much stronger half than the West.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAlberta Golden Bears\u0026nbsp;—\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003E Still U of A, and anything could happen.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESt. Francis Xavier X-Men\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003E— \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003ESo what if they pull the upset against UNB, hypothetically speaking? The first-place votes could be split madly in all directions.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaint Mary's Huskies\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003ECarleton would deserve the higher seeding, but SMU would be flipped with them to avoid a same-conference quarter-final against UNB. One can already hear a hue and cry from the Ottawa legacy media if the Ravens are No. 8 after a stellar season which included taking out McGill, but those are the rules, and it helps to read them. In the short run, their best chance to do something is against\u0026nbsp;Trois-Rivières, which leads the East final 1-0.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECarleton Ravens\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;—\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;It is commendable that the East has become a competitive half of OUA men's hockey. The conference has more separation and always will since it has 20 teams instead of eight. Carleton under \u003Cb\u003EMarty Johnston\u003C\/b\u003E is an insurgent against Quebec's two strongholds, and the UOIT Ridgebacks are getting stronger by the year. Whether it is still Johnston as coach in the long run, this is a program on the upswing and has been since\u003Cb\u003E Fred Parker\u003C\/b\u003E got it off the ground 10 years ago.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's probably a bad read of the room to say now UOIT needs to avoid finishing fourth and having to play\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Trois-Rivières. They just busted ass to finish fourth and have the extra home game against Queen's, which came in handy.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/8954291087154802021\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/university-cup-bracketology-unb-is-no-1.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/8954291087154802021"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/8954291087154802021"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/university-cup-bracketology-unb-is-no-1.html","title":"Men's Puck bracketology: UNB is No. 1, and Carleton could get flippin' mad"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"sager"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08757652892056684490"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HoppI3_eGQc\/VrWGl9xFY2I\/AAAAAAAADEA\/ucwvqUnIa7M\/s220\/Neate1379-4x4M.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-otnLnkopnyw\/VtrwuSpZ7YI\/AAAAAAAADGw\/VrNRxCwvpv8\/s72-c\/hockeyseeding.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-1492242676677374619"},"published":{"$t":"2016-03-03T12:15:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-03-04T16:54:46.603-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Axewomen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bronze Baby"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Chantal Vallée"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Critelli Cup"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Griffins"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Martlets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ottawa Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pandas"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Regina Cougars"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"U of S Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Varsity Reds"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Vikes"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bronze Baby Bracketology: Martlets, Huskies (but which one?) top Women's Final 8 projection"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ci\u003EEditor's note: Fair is fair; since all four basketball and hockey championships now employ a Final 8 format, duty calls to Bracketology up some seedings for the Bronze Baby (women's hoops), CIS University Cup (men's hockey), and women's hockey, which apparently doesn't even have a name for the championship trophy. It is either make fake seeding or write more\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003ESeed \u003Ci\u003Efan fiction. It was a close call, not going to lie.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe coaches' consensus is that the McGill Martlets of \u003Cb\u003EAlex Kiss-Rusk\u003C\/b\u003E and\u003Cb\u003E Mariam Sylla\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Ci\u003Eet al.,\u003C\/i\u003E are the best team in the land.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERyan Thorne — apology in advance that I am bound to confuse the Martlets coach with Ryan Van Horne, the Halifax playwright, at some point — has a tough team. The five-team RSEQ can cannibalize itself with the same teams playing each other three months, and McGill keeps winning. The Martlets are 19-2 overall while handling what, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/cishoops.ca\/wbb2015\/cissrs.php\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eaccording to CIS Hoops\u003C\/a\u003E, is a higher strength of schedule. (All of the RSEQ has a high SOS, though.) \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI am coming into this cold — hey, I do live in Ottawa — but here goes very little. It is damn interesting to follow, since\u003Cb\u003E Chantal\u0026nbsp;Vallée\u003C\/b\u003E's Windsor Lancers are not even an OUA favourite.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMcGill Martlets (RSEQ champion) — \u003C\/b\u003EThere probably are cases for 24-3 Saskatchewan to be No. 1 in the coaches' poll. The seeding committee has to follow the poll, ergo, if McGill wins their conference they will be No. 1 with a bullet. Thorne's rotation has been a moving target, but the coach has 10 players who average at least 11 minutes (RSEQ games only). Depth and defending come to the fore in a four-day tournament.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaskatchewan Huskies (Canada West champion)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EHello there, Huskies. If you win the national championship, your fossil-fuel-fetishist premier had better acknowledge it in the Ledge. \u003Cb\u003EBrad Wall \u003C\/b\u003Efailed to do so after the men's basketball Huskies won it all in 2010. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDalyce Emmerson\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.paherald.sk.ca\/Sports\/Other-sports\/2016-03-02\/article-4454152\/%26lsquo%3BLast-kick-at-the-can%26rsquo%3B\/1\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe pride of Prince Albert\u003C\/a\u003E,\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003Eand U of S \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/thestarphoenix.com\/sports\/local-sports\/u-of-s-huskies\/huskies-get-set-to-host-t-birds-in-canada-west-quarter-final-womens-basketball-advancer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eexpect a good push from UBC in their best-of-3 quarter-final\u003C\/a\u003E. They should still get by.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaint Mary's Huskies (AUS champion)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EThey have dominated their conference for a good while. Not much more needs to be said. \u003Cb\u003EScott Munro\u003C\/b\u003E's\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003Eeastern Huskies beat second-place Acadia by double digits twice in February. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt feels like an either\/or with Saint Mary's or Canada West's second auto berth in the 3-spot. Chalk this up to a gut feeling there will be some effort to keep the Atlantic teams on opposite halves of the draw, especially since the host is not even an Also Receiving Votes team in the poll.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERegina Cougars (Canada West runner-up)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003ESo much of where Canada West's reps, plus a wild card potentially, draw in will depend on the outcome of that Victoria-Grant MacEwan best-of-3 this weekend. Talk about legacy vs. getting legitimized in that matchup. The Griffins have the lowest SoS in the country (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/minus-7.85\/\"\u003Eminus-7.85\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAn UVic win likely creates an Alberta-Regina go-to-nationals semifinal next weekend, assuming the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.canadawest.org\/cwest\/2015-16\/releases\/2016022bball\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eother high seeds\u003C\/a\u003E advance. Based on Regina 'having the split' from a two-game set at Savile just before the December break, they get benefit of the doubt for this slot.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERyerson Rams (OUA champion)\u0026nbsp;— Andy\u0026nbsp;Sparks\u003C\/b\u003E' Sprites at Ottawa have small-balled their way to an 11-1 finish and top seed for the '\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/oua.ca\/sports\/wbkb\/2015-16\/releases\/20151130g3ijjw\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ERPI-offs\u003C\/a\u003E.'\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe sticker is that the 'one' was such a faith-shaker, that 73-50 beatdown at the hands of \u003Cb\u003EHeather Lindsay \u003C\/b\u003Eand Carleton in the Capital Hoops Classic four weeks ago. Was it an neutral-floor anomaly?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOttawa's 11 also includes a two-point defensive ball game against Queen's and overtime road wins against McMaster and Ryerson. That could flip. Ryerson also likely has a more favourable semifinal matchup. It blitzed Carleton 88-53 in January. If history repeats itself on March 11, Ryerson could be more rested for the inaugural Critelli Cup against Ottawa, McMaster or Queen's.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAlberta Pandas (at large; Canada West bronze medal)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EThe Pioneer has four 20-win teams, and as such, deserves to dominate the seeding. Alberta probably should be the 5 seed, if not higher, but it seemed logical to keep the Pandas and Cougars separate for the first round. The other part to that is the committee is struck with the task of creating good matchups. A seeding is not a ranking. Canada West 2 vs. OUA 1 and Canada West 3 vs. AUS 1 could mean a good set of games.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENear as one can tell, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/en.cis-sic.ca\/information\/members_info\/pdfs\/pdf_playing_regs\/15-16\/Basketball_-W-.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EW-Final 8 seeding regulations don't have the 'Anyone But Carleton' rule that dictates each conference champion must be in the top six seeds\u003C\/a\u003E. A conference champion has not been lower than sixth in the past three years, though.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOttawa Gee-Gees (OUA runner-up) —\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EThe\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003Ebracket in OUA is an upset waiting to happen. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOttawa and Ryerson should get through.\u0026nbsp;As for Saturday's other quarters: what could have more ominous tones than both of the vulnerable five-time champions having their season on the line at the same gym?\u0026nbsp;Vallée's Lancers are at Carleton, before the men's basketball Carletons play their quarter-final against the Brocks.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe survivor from Queen's-McMaster should go toe-to-toe with the Ottawa women. It is hard to see the Gee-Gees not getting it done on their home floor.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EUNB Varsity Reds (host) —\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EPerhaps UNB has a run it at the AUS Final 6 that will vault it into a higher seeding. They have beaten each of the three higher-ranked teams in the conference once, although the win against SMU was three months ago and it was a three-point win in the second leg of a home series.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003EThe 'your an idiot' comments may be left below, thank you. \u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/1492242676677374619\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/bronze-baby-bracketology-marlets.html#comment-form","title":"6 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/1492242676677374619"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/1492242676677374619"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/bronze-baby-bracketology-marlets.html","title":"Bronze Baby Bracketology: Martlets, Huskies (but which one?) top Women's Final 8 projection"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"sager"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08757652892056684490"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HoppI3_eGQc\/VrWGl9xFY2I\/AAAAAAAADEA\/ucwvqUnIa7M\/s220\/Neate1379-4x4M.JPG"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"6"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-2679112329787319288"},"published":{"$t":"2016-02-28T15:53:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-03-05T08:42:41.201-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Axemen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bisons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Capers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Dinos"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Final 8"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Gaels"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ottawa Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Panthers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Redmen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ryerson Rams"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tigers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UBC Thunderbirds"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Varsity Reds"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bracketology: Ryerson, Ottawa and Carleton, and the first shall be third, and vice-versa"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Warning: contents of post might be considered hot takes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWe have reached the point where form and history are in conflict in the Power Conference. With Ryerson holding the No. 1 seed for the OUA Wilson Cup, it sets up that Ottawa will likely have to defeat Carleton for the third time in a row in order to directly qualify for the Final 8. When was the last time a team did that against Carleton?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith that in mind, one should not presume to go all What We Learned while \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/02\/bracketology-first-stab-at-projecting.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eslotting eight teams into the men's basketball CIS Final 8\u003C\/a\u003E. The OUA has a No. 1 playoff seed that is No. 3 in the coaches' poll and was last seen running fifth-year guard \u003Cb\u003EAaron Best\u003C\/b\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/oua.ca\/sports\/mbkb\/2015-16\/boxscores\/20160227_x6uq.xml\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Efor 40 minutes in order to secure a nine-point win against York, the worst team in the OUA playoffs\u003C\/a\u003E. (Ryerson also needed \u003Ci\u003Et\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=54DifLTnqTU\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ewo \u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=54DifLTnqTU\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ebuzzer triples in the second half to escape with a two-point victory on Friday against Queen's\u003C\/a\u003E, whose starting five probably consists of\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;Sukhpreet Singh\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;and four Commerce majors named Tanner, Taylor, Travis and Tyler from 'just outside Toronto.')\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECarleton is No. 1 in the country but No. 3 for the playoffs and is also 0-3 against the Gee-Gees and Rams, but those games were three weeks ago.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe AUS, as per \u003Ci\u003Euje\u003C\/i\u003E, seems like anyone's game; Dalhousie won as the underdog last season and now gets cast as the overdog after winning a very balanced conference with \u003Cb\u003ERick Plato\u003C\/b\u003E's old-school tempo-slowing style. (Per game, the Tigers took six fewer shots per game than anyone else down East, and allowed 8½ fewer points.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBy now, all of you are all familiar with \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/en.cis-sic.ca\/information\/members_info\/pdfs\/pdf_playing_regs\/15-16\/Basketball_-M-.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ERule 4.2.4, which mandates that a conference champion cannot be seeded lower than sixth\u003C\/a\u003E. This is also known as the, \"We Won Our Conference And All We Got Was A Lesson From Carleton, And A Consolation Game\" rule. You have also been around the block enough times to know that the UBC Thunderbirds will be placed in the most sales-driven seed, which likely means No. 5.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETo quote the guy who taught another Plato, the only knowledge is knowing you know nothing. Then again, I bet on the Oklahoma City Thunder for a push against \u003Cb\u003EStephen Curry \u003C\/b\u003Eon Saturday night. Lo and behold, three-point underdog OKC made sure that Golden State did not cover the spread. \u003Ci\u003ESo there. \u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWell, here goes nothing:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOttawa (OUA Wilson Cup champion)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EGive a good team enough chances to learn how to close out fourth quarters, and eventually they will.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERyerson (OUA runner-up)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EThe Rams have not really cemented lead-horse status going into the playoffs. The ATC should take in that stabilizing force \u003Cb\u003EJuwon Grannum \u003C\/b\u003Ehas only played 36 minutes across the past five games due to injuries. It also means that anyone intuiting that history says it might be tough for Ottawa to beat Carleton, thrice, also has to concede the point that it would be about as tough for Ryerson to defeat Ottawa, twice in a row. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EConsider this is a noncommittal attempt to split the difference. If it was a layup attempt, Ryerson's \u003Cb\u003EKadeem Green \u003C\/b\u003Ewould block and redirect the ball for an outlet pass.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECalgary Dinos (Canada West champion)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003ENothing has really happened to indicate it will be any different. Can't cast aspersions on the Dinos while the top six seeds await winners CW's play-in series.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EP.S.: Go Griffins and Wesmen!\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMcGill Redmen (RSEQ champion)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003ENothing new to add other than Dave DeAveiro's crew has won four in a row and wrapped up RSEQ Final Four\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EUBC Thunderbirds (host)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003ESee what was said above UBC getting the pragmatic treatment from the organizers. The 'Birds will surely play that late quarter-final on Thursday night. That would mean the top seed out of Ontario, which already had a tantamount four-hour time zone change with the combination of Daylight Savings (March 13) and the cross-Canada trip, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/en.cis-sic.ca\/championships\/mbkb\/2016\/championship\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ewill play in a 9 p.m. ET\u0026nbsp;quarter-final and 8:30 p.m.. ET \u0026nbsp;semifinal\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe geographical bias went the other way almost exclusively for generations, so that's not a complaint. Just a consideration.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAcadia Axemen (AUS champion)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EThe best conference playoffs in the country have the dominoes arranged in a fun way, as always. \u003Cb\u003EJavon Masters \u003C\/b\u003Eand the fourth-seeded UNB Varsity Reds are the 4 seed; if they keep their composure, they can get by Saint Mary's on Friday. Acadia winning against Cape Breton, the Power That Is \u003Cb\u003EMeshack Lufile \u003C\/b\u003Enotwithstanding, is the form pick in the 6 vs. 3 quarter-final since the Axemen won 3-of-4.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat would set up a great set of semifinals: AUS scoring champ Masters and the V-Reds against the tenacious, defend-all-day Dalhousie Tigers; Acadia taking on their old friends \u003Cb\u003ETyler Scott\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EBradley States\u003C\/b\u003E of UPEI. I am little fixated on the fact that Acadia limited AUS foes to 32 per cent from three-point land. \u003Ci\u003EIf they defend, they can do it.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Panthers swept a two-game set from Acadia recently, but the fouls were 45-27 in their favour that weekend on Prince Edward Island. \u003Ci\u003EWhat happens in a mainland matchup?\u003C\/i\u003E Anyway, one over-simplification from Upper Canada is that an Acadia\/UPEI winner rides the momentum to the conference banner. This a conference that is never that simple; it is the CIS equivalent to a lovable, one-bid D1 mid-major that's much more watchable during Conference Championship Week than any Power Five conference that's thrown together for football purposes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDalhousie is the best defensive ball club, though, and that is why it is top seed and the default pick to go to the Left Coast.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECarleton Ravens (at large; OUA bronze medal)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EThere is no road map for how the behemoth off of Bronson Ave. will react if it loses a go-to-nationals OUA semifinal and has to regroup for the OUA bronze game in fewer than 24 hours' time. Carleton has never had to play a bronze game during their entire dynasty.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe men's basketball solons were still holding out on a Final 8 bronze game when the Ravens lost national semifinals in both 2008 and '10. In 2006, they lost to \u003Cb\u003ETut Ruach \u003C\/b\u003Eand the York Lions in the OUA East semifinal with\u003Cb\u003E Aaron Doornekamp \u003C\/b\u003Eout with a sprained ankle. \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2006_CIS_Men%27s_Basketball_Championship\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EAfter getting the wild card and a No. 3 seed, they beat UQAM, Cape Breton and Victoria by a combined margin of 21 points for National Title No. 4\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBesides, Final 8 wild-card implications mean that bronze-medal games at provincials are much different than those at nationals. Carleton beat McMaster on the road on Feb. 13, so they get a tentative benefit of the doubt.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EManitoba Bisons (Canada West auto berth)\u0026nbsp;—\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EThe great \u003Cb\u003EWayne Thomas\u003C\/b\u003E has all the Canada West playoff coverage one could ever desire. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/canadawesthoops.com\/play-off-schedule-all-stars\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EPoring over the bracket that Thomas posted\u003C\/a\u003E, the one thought is that less is more when it comes to the student-athlete experience.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn other words, Canada West spends a lot\u0026nbsp;of miles in the air and nights in a hotel on a postseason that is stacked against lower seeds and not overly media-friendly. The lower seeds have to travel a province or three to beat\u0026nbsp;a team twice in three falls on its own floor, then travel again to win a go-to-nationals semifinal.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECanada West is probably sated with realignment. I also happen to like-like the whole Explorers and Pioneers idea, even if it was made at the point of the 'UBC is going to take its ball and bolt for the NCAA' gun.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWould it not make more sense, especially to a media partner such as Shaw, to just blow the dust off the GPAC and have two single-site final fours for the berths? Let each team have a banner as Canada West co-champion and week off for reading in the physiotherapy room.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECircling back, if all top four seeds go through, the CW Final Four is Manitoba-Calgary and Thompson Rivers-UBC. \u003Cb\u003EKirby Schepp\u003C\/b\u003E's Bisons rate a good chance at winning at least one game against that field.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003EI consider myself shockproof; the only shock could come from being proven correct.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/2679112329787319288\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/02\/bracketology-ryerson-ottawa-and.html#comment-form","title":"16 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/2679112329787319288"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/2679112329787319288"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/02\/bracketology-ryerson-ottawa-and.html","title":"Bracketology: Ryerson, Ottawa and Carleton, and the first shall be third, and vice-versa"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"sager"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08757652892056684490"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HoppI3_eGQc\/VrWGl9xFY2I\/AAAAAAAADEA\/ucwvqUnIa7M\/s220\/Neate1379-4x4M.JPG"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"16"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-8029703686305835815"},"published":{"$t":"2016-02-15T11:28:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-02-15T18:35:05.571-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bisons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Dinos"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Final 8"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ottawa Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Panthers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Redmen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ryerson Rams"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tigers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UBC Thunderbirds"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Varsity Reds"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bracketology: First stab at projecting CIS Final 8 men's seeds"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Alternate title: \u003Ci\u003EHow Do You Solve A Problem Like UBC?\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy now, astute fans of our Canadian university basketball have the gist of men's CIS Final 8 seeding. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/en.cis-sic.ca\/information\/members_info\/pdfs\/pdf_playing_regs\/15-16\/Basketball_-M-.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EConference champs cannot be seeded lower than No. 6\u003C\/a\u003E, even if they were unranked before getting hot for two games at the RSEQ Final Four or for three in the AUS Final 6. Matchups of teams from the same conference are allowable; after all Ryerson and Windsor met in the 7 vs. 2 quarter-final last season.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis exercise assumes no upsets, so here's a first crack at Nate Silver-ing the seeding for five weeks from now:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERyerson (OUA champion)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EThe Rams \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/cishoops.ca\/mbb2015\/ouarpi-scenario.php?Gender=MBB\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eproject for top spot in the OUA RPI \u003C\/a\u003Eand the home-floor advantage throughout the Wilson Cup playoffs. They will be awfully tough in that environment, especially now that the RU community has really come down with Rams Fever.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOttawa (OUA runner-up)\u0026nbsp;—\u003C\/b\u003E Some shine probably came off Ottawa with that split weekend against the Central's 1-2 punch. Overall, \u003Cb\u003EJames Derouin\u003C\/b\u003E's crew is 23-4 in CIS play \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/cishoops.ca\/mbb2015\/cissrs.php\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ewith the fourth-toughest strength of schedule among the 47 hooping schools\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECalgary (Canada West champion)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EForm pick from a fellow who is only following C-Dub from afar. There should be no way the conference's champion, or best team, gets in ahead of the OUA's two best if the Eastern bastards don't have any true upsets in the early rounds.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMcGill (RSEQ champion)\u0026nbsp;— David DeAviero\u003C\/b\u003E's Redmen will complete a cycle of road wins against the other four Q schools if they defeat Laval on Friday. McGill has only three league games left before the RSEQ Final Four. They go nine deep and that Ottawa win, even if was in October, left a powerful impression.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EUBC (host)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EAh, there is the rub: a tournament in Vancouver will need some local interest to have any hope of getting traction the way the 2015 nationals did in Toronto. And, even then, it might only go so far. That is why it figures that the Thunderbirds, albeit a \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/blogs.theprovince.com\/2016\/02\/14\/howies-hamper-02-14-16-fab-four-moments-from-the-local-university-sports-weekend\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Egraduation-depleted\u003C\/a\u003E\" iteration with only three seasoned rotational players as per \u003Cb\u003EHoward Tsumura\u003C\/b\u003E, slide into a 5 seed against a team that will be three time zones from home.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat means McGill, or whoever wins the Q, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/en.cis-sic.ca\/championships\/mbkb\/2016\/championship\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ewould be tipping off at 11 p.m. Eastern on March 16\u003C\/a\u003E. Of course, Montreal's not really a late-night town.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDalhousie (AUS champion)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003ENever take anything for granted with the AUS, since that first-round bye for the top two finishers seems to be a double-edged gift quite often. Dal is defending champ, so they are the default choice.\u0026nbsp;Selfishly, it would be fine if\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003EJavon Masters\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;and UNB, who have played a tough schedule are a high-scoring team, somehow got hot in the playoffs.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOver at CANHoops, there is a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/canhoopsca.wordpress.com\/2016\/02\/15\/upei-follow-up\/?fb_action_ids=165813580465460\u0026amp;fb_action_types=news.publishes\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Elittle kerfuffle over a wholly factual post about how many more fouls are whistled on visiting teams than on the UPEI Panthers during games in Charlottetown\u003C\/a\u003E, going back across the last few seasons. For example, the Panthers, not that they haven't had full agency in their turnaround, have come out ahead in the fouls in 33 of their last 39 AUS games in Charlottetown. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne wonders how many of the Panthers fans carping about the article also had occasion \u0026nbsp;to read Wayne Kondro's \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/sports\/cis_news\/2015-16\/releases\/officiatingcanada\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eexamination of the lack of training and travel support for Canadian basketball officials\u003C\/a\u003E. Kondro noted, \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/sports\/cis_news\/2015-16\/releases\/officiatingcanada\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EGames in PEI, for example, will never be called by officials from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or Newfoundland \u0026amp; Labrador\u003C\/a\u003E.\" Please understand highlighting that isn't meant to impugn anyone, but it's a reality there are probably only so many university basketball refs on Prince Edward Island.\" In other words, a nationwide problem might be particularly acute in that case.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOf course, by the time that gets fixed, we'll have also have reversed climate change. Memorial University's definition of an assist will still be wonky, though.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnyhow, the AUS might be a four- or five-team derby come the first weekend of March. That very much includes UPEI, and generally if you have no skin in the game, selfishly root for a team that has gone the longest without a nationals visit. The Panthers last went in 2003.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMcMaster (at large; OUA bronze medal)\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003E—\u0026nbsp;Martin Timmerman\u003C\/b\u003E's \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/cishoops.ca\/mbb2015\/ouarpi-scenario.php?Gender=MBB\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ewhat-if tool\u003C\/a\u003E, my new favourite toy, suggests the Marauders and Carleton Ravens might be on a collision course for an OUA quarter-final at the Ravens' Nest on Sat., Mar. 5. Presuming no outliers or WTF one-off upsets, Ryerson, Ottawa and Carleton would be seeded 1, 2 and 3 for the Wilson Cup playoffs. Brock and Windsor would slide into the 4-5 slots, with Mac at No. 6.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe rub with Carleton, who did look better last weekend, is that aside from that win against very young and very thin Brock, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/cishoops.ca\/mbb2015\/cisteamgames.php?Team=Carleton\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E75 points seems to be their plateau against high-quality competition\u003C\/a\u003E. They have a lot of say over whether a game will go into the 80s, of course, but McMaster plays fast and pushes the pace. Just saying.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn any event, the wild card is coming from Ontario, again. Sorry, not sorry.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EManitoba (Canada West auto berth)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EThe Bisons are tied with UBC for the second-best 'last 10' record at 8-2, finishing 15-5 overall. They will have two weeks before hosting a best-of-3 quarter-final, meaning \u003Cb\u003EAJ Basi\u003C\/b\u003E,\u003Cb\u003E Keith Omoerah \u003C\/b\u003Eand everyone else should have plenty of juice in their legs to play three games in as many days if that's what asked of them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith UBC hosting nationals, the Canada West bronze-medal game is potentially a play-in game for the 7 or 8 seed.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/8029703686305835815\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/02\/bracketology-first-stab-at-projecting.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/8029703686305835815"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/8029703686305835815"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/02\/bracketology-first-stab-at-projecting.html","title":"Bracketology: First stab at projecting CIS Final 8 men's seeds"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"sager"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08757652892056684490"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HoppI3_eGQc\/VrWGl9xFY2I\/AAAAAAAADEA\/ucwvqUnIa7M\/s220\/Neate1379-4x4M.JPG"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-4756368846550919329"},"published":{"$t":"2013-03-03T16:08:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-04T20:11:44.376-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Axemen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Capers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Final 8"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Redmen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Thunderwolves"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UBC Thunderbirds"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Vikes"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bracketology: One last time..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Our panel have provided their final guesses at the Final 8 bracket:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-c2CZ2TbjDN8\/UTVGJJJL-bI\/AAAAAAAABLc\/LYQwyPbGiuE\/s1600\/bracketology_mar3.png\" imageanchor=\"1\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-c2CZ2TbjDN8\/UTVGJJJL-bI\/AAAAAAAABLc\/LYQwyPbGiuE\/s1600\/bracketology_mar3.png\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEveryone here gave the wildcard spot to Acadia, with most placing them 8th. The No. 2 seed in our scenarios will always go to Cape Breton or UBC, and McGill is a popular choice for the No. 6 spot (the lowest they can be, by rule, as a conference champion). \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor further men's basketball coverage, check out our coverage of the OUA, AUS, and RSEQ championships this week:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOUA\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/03\/basketball-carleton-crushes-banged-up.html\"\u003ELakehead-Carleton semifinal\u003C\/a\u003E (by Scott Hastie)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/03\/basketball-worldwide-performance-leads.html\"\u003EOttawa-Windsor semifinal\u003C\/a\u003E (by Scott Hastie)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/03\/basketball-carleton-and-ottawa-play-for.html\"\u003EDay 1 recap\u003C\/a\u003E (by Neate Sager)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/03\/basketball-lakehead-shoots-lights-out.html\"\u003EBronze-medal game\u003C\/a\u003E (by Neate Sager)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/03\/basketball-ottawa-takes-carleton-to.html\"\u003EFinal\u003C\/a\u003E (by Neate Sager)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAUS\u003C\/b\u003E (all by Kevin Garbuio)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/03\/basketball-capers-off-to-aus-final-and.html\"\u003ECBU-StFX semifinal #1\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/03\/basketball-acadia-routs-smu-in-aus-semi.html\"\u003EAcadia-SMU semifinal #2\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/03\/basketball-cape-breton-wins-aus-title.html\"\u003EFinal\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERSEQ\u003C\/b\u003E (all by John Edwards)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/02\/home-cooking-rules-day-in-rseq.html\"\u003EMen's and women's semifinals\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/03\/basketball-mcgill-does-double-for-first.html\"\u003EMen's and women's final\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/4756368846550919329\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/03\/bracketology-one-last-time.html#comment-form","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/4756368846550919329"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/4756368846550919329"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/03\/bracketology-one-last-time.html","title":"Bracketology: One last time..."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"The CIS Blog"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04279535209746489243"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-c2CZ2TbjDN8\/UTVGJJJL-bI\/AAAAAAAABLc\/LYQwyPbGiuE\/s72-c\/bracketology_mar3.png","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-6299846019108502208"},"published":{"$t":"2013-02-26T16:02:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-03T15:47:46.403-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Axemen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Capers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Final 8"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gaiters"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Redmen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Thunderwolves"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UBC Thunderbirds"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Vikes"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Wesmen"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bracketology: Carleton No. 1, then what?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Our panel of eight have provided their first guesses at the men's basketball Final 8 seedings ten days in advance of the tournament.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-1MfFQeBMohc\/UTO24oU-aiI\/AAAAAAAABK8\/_PZwvjC5PLI\/s1600\/bracketology_feb26.png\" imageanchor=\"1\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-1MfFQeBMohc\/UTO24oU-aiI\/AAAAAAAABK8\/_PZwvjC5PLI\/s1600\/bracketology_feb26.png\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/6299846019108502208\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/02\/bracketology-carleton-no-1-then-what.html#comment-form","title":"6 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6299846019108502208"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6299846019108502208"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/02\/bracketology-carleton-no-1-then-what.html","title":"Bracketology: Carleton No. 1, then what?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"The CIS Blog"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04279535209746489243"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-1MfFQeBMohc\/UTO24oU-aiI\/AAAAAAAABK8\/_PZwvjC5PLI\/s72-c\/bracketology_feb26.png","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"6"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-6243477686135768311"},"published":{"$t":"2012-03-05T20:32:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2012-03-13T20:59:51.540-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Editorializing"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Final 8"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Thunderwolves"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"U of S Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"X-Men"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Dissenting Thoughts: Issues with the Final 8 selections and seeding"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt wouldn't be March without \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2011\/03\/dissenting-thoughts-why-andrew-doesnt.html\" style=\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003Esome disagreement\u003C\/a\u003E over the bracket of a basketball tournament. The seeds for the Final 8 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/championships\/mbkb\/2011-12\/releases\/20120304-seed\" style=\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003Eare out\u003C\/a\u003E, they diverge significantly from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/03\/bracketology-so-uh-about-that-first-oua.html\"\u003Ethe predictions\u003C\/a\u003E, and there are potential issues with both who's in (Lakehead over Saskatchewan in the wild-card spot) and the seedings of the teams that did make it. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003EFirst, here are the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/championships\/mbkb\/2011-12\/files\/Basketball_M_11_12.pdf\" style=\"font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;\"\u003Ecriteria\u003C\/a\u003E CIS uses for selecting the wild-card berth:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote style=\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003E1. Final regular season conference record.\u003Cbr \/\u003E2. Games vs. other teams under berth consideration and teams that have already qualified for the national championship.\u003Cbr \/\u003E3. Games results against non-conference opponents (overall record vs. CIS teams in non-conference play. All teams - including games against conference opponents in non-conference games.) Include record and date\/location Home \/ Away \/ neutral court and game score should be considered within this category.\u003Cbr \/\u003E**** Non-conference refers to CIS teams only.\u003Cbr \/\u003E4. Best 5 weeks in Top 10 rankings beginning with the first Top 10 ranking following November 15 to end of regular season for that team.\u003Cbr \/\u003E5. Games vs. teams (CIS teams only) with a winning percentage of greater than .800 (this category includes games with a winning percentage greater than .650 and .500 as well.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E6. Games vs. teams (CIS teams only) with a winning percentage of greater than .650 (this category includes games with a winning percentage greater than .500 as well.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E7. Games vs. teams (CIS teams only) with a winning percentage of greater than .500\u003Cbr \/\u003E8. Games vs. teams (CIS teams only) with a winning percentage of less than .500\u003Cbr \/\u003E9. Play-off Performance\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd here are some thoughts from four of our staffers, \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/camcharron\"\u003ECam Charron\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/decker_brian\"\u003EBrian Decker\u003C\/a\u003E,\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/andrewbucholtz\"\u003EAndrew Bucholtz\u003C\/a\u003E \u003C\/b\u003Eand \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/robpettapiece\"\u003ERob Pettapiece\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E on the bracket.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECam: \u003C\/b\u003EWhat irks me about Lakehead's entry over Saskatchewan is that in a competitive Canada West field, out of the four teams that went to the Final Four last week, Saskatchewan was indubitably the best.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWe all watched on Friday night Ryerson upset Lakehead for an automatic Final 8 bid for the CIS men's basketball championship. Later that night, Saskatchewan dropped their own \"win and go to Halifax\" game at home in the Canada West Final Four, albeit to an Alberta team that is much superior to Ryerson (and I expect that will show on Friday evening in Halifax).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd as we're aware, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/championships\/mbkb\/2011-12\/releases\/20120304-seed\"\u003ESaskatchewan lost out on the wildcard spot to Lakehead\u003C\/a\u003E. Not only that, but they got hosed. Completely.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELet's pause and back up a week. In our first \"Bracketology\" panel, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/02\/bracketology-let-great-experiment.html\"\u003Eseven of nine panellists selected the wildcard team as a member from Canada West\u003C\/a\u003E. This is reasonable enough; Fraser Valley, Victoria and Alberta are all very capable teams. Unfortunately, one game that was played on national TV thousands of kilometres away was the one that sealed the fate for all but two of the teams in the field.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESaskatchewan played Alberta, and they were ranked higher in the top 10 for every week but one this season, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/sports\/mbkb\/2011-12\/files\/top10_mbball11\"\u003Ethe one that came out on November 15\u003C\/a\u003E. As soon as Ryerson beat Lakehead, one of these teams, the best two teams in the conference according to both Ratings Percentage Index and Simple Ranking System, wasn't going to make it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESure, Lakehead is also very good as well, but is \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/spreadsheets.google.com\/ccc?key=0Ar0xEkmR7QNKdFBTeExuYjhxQmI2Q1lrV0c2ZUVNWWc\u0026amp;hl=en\"\u003E11th in RPI and 4th in SRS\u003C\/a\u003E behind both Saskatchewan (2nd and 2nd) and Alberta (1st and 3rd). \u003Ci\u003E[Ed. note: see comments below. --RP]\u003C\/i\u003E These measurements don't mean much, except to measure how good a basketball team is. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe fact that they can get blown out by Ryerson and that somehow means that the loser of the Huskies\/Golden Bears game will miss the tournament is strange. At least after getting beat, Saskatchewan turned around the next day and beat Victoria for the Canada West bronze medal game. Lakehead now comes into this tournament not having to win a game to get in.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFollowing that OUA semifinal, the Huskies were no longer qualified to be the wild card team, due to Lakehead's superior conference record and record against conference opponents who earned berth consideration (1-1 vs. 1-2). I'm not sold on this criteria, since nowhere in there does \"being the better team\" count for anything.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWe also have records against OUA teams and records against CWUAA teams. Of course, a .650 OUA team isn't as strong as a .650 Canada West team, so Saskatchewan's wins against Calgary or Lethbridge don't count in this. As for .800 Canada West teams, well, the Huskies were the only one, so that's nixed as well.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBrian: \u003C\/b\u003EMy main problem with the selection is around the 'body of work' argument, something clearly important based on the selection criteria. I think teams' body of work tends to be judged on the whole, especially when fancy numbers like 30-3 are thrown around in comparison to 24-6. It's easy to say Lakehead's CIS record is better than Saskatchewan's when you put it that way; in fact, it becomes difficult to argue against it. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut to me that's flawed because the teams don't play the same competition. Lakehead's strength of schedule was 42nd in the country and Saskatchewan's was 2nd. That's huge, and I think needs to be more accurately reflected in the 'body of work' area.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI also think the body of work that includes non-conference play from October and November, which for CIS teams approaching nationals, is an eon ago. Every year you have new players to integrate and veteran players that might not play if they have nagging injuries (see: Barrett, Jamelle) to preserve them for the second semester. We don't call it a pre-season, but coaches often treat them as exhibition games, and yet we rely on them heavily to evaluate a team's body of work.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis undervalues the qualities of team that plan to peak at the right time of year — in the playoffs, when games and accomplishments are typically at a greater value. It's obviously important not to overrate teams that go on a hot streak and somehow make it to their conference finals (Ryerson), but pretending that the best teams are as good in November as in March is wrong.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAndrew: \u003C\/b\u003EMuch like Brian, I think there's far too much emphasis on the start of the season compared to its conclusion. Preseason non-conference action and early-season games from November play too large of a role in both the selection of teams and in the eventual seeding, and this devalues the conference playoffs. Out east, Acadia \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/thechronicleherald.ca\/sports\/70144-axemen-celebrate-aus-victory\"\u003Ebeat St. Francis Xavier 82-71\u003C\/a\u003E to win the Atlantic title; their reward was being seeded eighth and running into the Carleton machine of death in the first round of the Final 8. Meanwhile, the X-Men were given the sixth spot despite losing the AUS title, and they get a much easier draw by facing Concordia first (a team none of us had as high as third). The difference between the teams? X was 16-4 in the regular season, while Acadia was 14-6. Thus, clearly it's more valuable to pick up a win or two in the regular season than it is in the conference final. That goes against the logic of most CIS sports, and most sports in general, and it makes it awfully hard to sell the conference playoffs as meaningful games to fans or viewers when the seeding committee consistently overlooks their results. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's not just the Axemen who got a tough break, either. Ryerson emphatically thumped Lakehead 86-70 in the Wilson Cup semifinals, but the Rams are seeded seventh and have to face Canada West champs Alberta in the first round, while the Thunderwolves picked up the wild-card berth and were seeded fourth, so they get to face a less-intimidating opponent in UFV. Sure, season records shouldn't be completely thrown out, but in my mind, it would make sense to reward surprising teams for playoff upsets with better seeds, while giving teams like the X-Men and Thunderwolves a tougher road in the Final 8 thanks to their playoff losses. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERob\u003C\/b\u003E: I agree that the conference tournament has to mean something beyond awarding a regional banner that most teams would sacrifice if it meant getting a chance at a national one. That was precisely the reason why I didn't go to last year Wilson Cup final after having attended the semis — the seedings were, whether or not anyone wants to admit it, already determined. It's not like Lakehead would get seeded above Carleton in 2011, right?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd while I do lean towards the Huskies in this argument, I am not really feeling strongly one way or the other (I chose Lakehead in my ballot as a what-will-happen thing, not a what-should-happen). \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMy problem is with the criteria themselves (why do we have four separate categories to tease out strength of schedule when we can just use a direct SOS measurement?). The issues are more evident when you imagine the following situation:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESuppose St. F-X lost their conference semifinal. Just like the other teams under consideration for the at-large berth. If you give CBU that win on Saturday then, bizarrely, not only do the X-Men still have a claim on a Final 8 appearance, the rules dictate that \u003Ci\u003Ethey might even get it\u003C\/i\u003E. Taking the criteria one-by-one:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETheir conference record, 16-4, was the same as Saskatchewan's, so they're tied for second.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETheir record against teams in the Final 8 (or up for consideration for it) was 7-1 — remember, in our scenario they didn't play Acadia on March 4, and their regular-season games against Cape Breton now count. A 7-1 record puts them in the top spot for this category.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThey won all their non-conference games, so that's easy: tied for first.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETheir five best top 10 rankings were all No. 2, starting November 15 (the earliest week that can be considered here) and staying there five weeks in a row until January 10. That makes them tied for first as well.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThe X-Men had one game against a team with an .800 or better record, Concordia, and won it, so they're tied for first there too.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThey went 8-1 against teams with a .650 or better record, mostly in AUS, and that winning percentage is higher than, you guessed it, both the Thunderwolves and Huskies.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAgainst .500 or better: 14-2, also the best.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAgainst .500 or worse: 12-2, and here they are third.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPlayoff performance: 1-1 in our scenario, so tied for second with Lakehead.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003EThat's six categories where they're in first (either tied or alone), two in second, and one in third. In other words, based on the criteria used, there's a really strong case that a St. F-X loss on Saturday means they should get waved through to the Final 8 anyway. Keeping one of Lakehead and Saskatchewan out of the tournament is unpleasant but had to be done; keeping both out so that three AUS teams can go is utter nonsense. Yet that's what the rules would say.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/6243477686135768311\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/03\/dissenting-thoughts-issues-with-final-8.html#comment-form","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6243477686135768311"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6243477686135768311"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/03\/dissenting-thoughts-issues-with-final-8.html","title":"Dissenting Thoughts: Issues with the Final 8 selections and seeding"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"The CIS Blog"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04279535209746489243"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-683242774135617377"},"published":{"$t":"2012-03-04T19:03:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2012-03-04T19:03:07.075-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Axemen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cascades"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Final 8"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Bears"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ryerson Rams"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stingers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Thunderwolves"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"U of S Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"X-Men"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bracketology: So, uh, about that first OUA semifinal..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"It didn't take too long for \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/02\/bracketology-let-great-experiment.html\"\u003Eeveryone's brackets from last week\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHere are our final guesses at the seedings, which are to be released by CIS soon:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-6khx5ozuuOE\/T1QCcv0JUMI\/AAAAAAAABFg\/hqoYDhRsD0k\/s1600\/mar4.png\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-6khx5ozuuOE\/T1QCcv0JUMI\/AAAAAAAABFg\/hqoYDhRsD0k\/s400\/mar4.png\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESome disconnected thoughts:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESt. F-X is as high as second and as low as eighth. \u003C\/li\u003E \u003Cli\u003EAcadia, same deal: from No. 3 to No. 8.\u003C\/li\u003E \u003Cli\u003EAccording to us, Alberta and Ryerson will always play each other in the quarterfinals, as will Concordia and Fraser Valley.\u003C\/li\u003E \u003C\/ul\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/683242774135617377\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/03\/bracketology-so-uh-about-that-first-oua.html#comment-form","title":"16 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/683242774135617377"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/683242774135617377"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/03\/bracketology-so-uh-about-that-first-oua.html","title":"Bracketology: So, uh, about that first OUA semifinal..."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Rob Pettapiece"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-6khx5ozuuOE\/T1QCcv0JUMI\/AAAAAAAABFg\/hqoYDhRsD0k\/s72-c\/mar4.png","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"16"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-750592779181202937"},"published":{"$t":"2012-02-26T22:58:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2012-03-04T17:31:03.210-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Axemen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cascades"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Final 8"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Bears"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Panthers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stingers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Thunderwolves"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"U of S Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Vikes"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"X-Men"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bracketology: Let the great experiment uninformed guesswork begin!"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"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:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-N_cGvybbjAY\/T1Ps2BCBkiI\/AAAAAAAABFI\/m8i2ia2jPx8\/s1600\/feb26.png\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-N_cGvybbjAY\/T1Ps2BCBkiI\/AAAAAAAABFI\/m8i2ia2jPx8\/s1600\/feb26.png\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ENo two ballots are exactly alike, though \u003Cb\u003EWayne Thomas\u003C\/b\u003E and I came close, with different flips of the coin producing a different Canada West third-place finisher in our imaginary universes. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd 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 \u003Cb\u003EPeter James\u003C\/b\u003E expects someone other than St. F-X to win the AUS. Overall we have only 11 different teams on our nine ballots. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMost people gave the wild card spot to the bronze medallist from out west (Victoria, UFV, or Alberta, depending on the panelist). \u003Cb\u003EGreg Colgan\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EAndrew Bucholtz\u003C\/b\u003E put McMaster in there instead.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/750592779181202937\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/02\/bracketology-let-great-experiment.html#comment-form","title":"10 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/750592779181202937"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/750592779181202937"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/02\/bracketology-let-great-experiment.html","title":"Bracketology: Let the \u003Cstrike\u003Egreat experiment\u003C\/strike\u003E uninformed guesswork begin!"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Rob Pettapiece"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-N_cGvybbjAY\/T1Ps2BCBkiI\/AAAAAAAABFI\/m8i2ia2jPx8\/s72-c\/feb26.png","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"10"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-692986859246678105"},"published":{"$t":"2011-03-06T16:17:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2012-08-12T23:30:12.367-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Axemen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Final 8"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Spartans"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stingers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Thunderwolves"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tigers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"U of S Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UBC Thunderbirds"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bracketology: Under the wire..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"The actual seedings will be released later today. For now, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-fmDSXSyxUxU\/TXP5bAuV97I\/AAAAAAAABAE\/onBtxEoMO2g\/s1600\/bracketology-mar6.png\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E are our panel's final guesses at what the field will look like five days from now:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cimg src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-fmDSXSyxUxU\/TXP5bAuV97I\/AAAAAAAABAE\/onBtxEoMO2g\/s1600\/bracketology-mar6.png\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENeedless to say nobody had the Acadia Axemen in this one. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETheir OT win put them in the Final 8 and, it would appear, knocked out Cape Breton, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2011\/02\/bracketology-few-changes-entering-last.html\"\u003Ea consensus top-4 pick here last week\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E(Click \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-fmDSXSyxUxU\/TXP5bAuV97I\/AAAAAAAABAE\/onBtxEoMO2g\/s1600\/bracketology-mar6.png\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E if your browser doesn't display the image properly.)\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/692986859246678105\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2011\/03\/bracketology-under-wire.html#comment-form","title":"5 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/692986859246678105"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/692986859246678105"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2011\/03\/bracketology-under-wire.html","title":"Bracketology: Under the wire..."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Rob Pettapiece"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-fmDSXSyxUxU\/TXP5bAuV97I\/AAAAAAAABAE\/onBtxEoMO2g\/s72-c\/bracketology-mar6.png","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"5"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-4140821024055739730"},"published":{"$t":"2011-02-27T21:15:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2011-02-27T21:15:46.310-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Final 8"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bracketology: Few changes entering last week of conference playoffs"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Not much to say this week ... the only real upset playoff wins were Ottawa over Toronto and Laurier over Windsor, but the Lancers and Blues only showed up on a few ballots anyway. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cimg src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-tdfVqB3CmYQ\/TWsEl4AnB1I\/AAAAAAAAA_g\/fFMldRYLDRY\/s1600\/bracketologyfeb27.png\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/4140821024055739730\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2011\/02\/bracketology-few-changes-entering-last.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/4140821024055739730"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/4140821024055739730"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2011\/02\/bracketology-few-changes-entering-last.html","title":"Bracketology: Few changes entering last week of conference playoffs"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Rob Pettapiece"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-tdfVqB3CmYQ\/TWsEl4AnB1I\/AAAAAAAAA_g\/fFMldRYLDRY\/s72-c\/bracketologyfeb27.png","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-6229870427041410021"},"published":{"$t":"2011-02-20T21:30:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2011-02-20T21:43:44.011-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Final 8"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bracketology: Consensus on top four"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"This week, all of our panelists -- except Bucholtz, who likes to file within 30 seconds of his deadlines -- put Carleton, UBC, Cape Breton, and Saskatchewan in the top four. This is almost necessary given the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2011\/02\/bracketology-four-weeks-to-go.html?showComment=1297653280644#c8300998953659048506\"\u003Erestrictive bracket rules\u003C\/a\u003E this year. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENot much else has changed, since the top teams have generally done what's expected so far, but that may not be the case after we get into the conference playoffs (which start for OUA and Canada West this week).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EClick through (and then on) for our panel's second guesses at the Final 8 seedings:\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-scLTpSLgCtc\/TWHM9GWZsaI\/AAAAAAAAA9g\/OYZXLaur7vg\/s1600\/bracketologyfeb20.png\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"117\" width=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-scLTpSLgCtc\/TWHM9GWZsaI\/AAAAAAAAA9g\/OYZXLaur7vg\/s400\/bracketologyfeb20.png\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/6229870427041410021\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2011\/02\/bracketology-consensus-on-top-four.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6229870427041410021"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6229870427041410021"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2011\/02\/bracketology-consensus-on-top-four.html","title":"Bracketology: Consensus on top four"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Rob Pettapiece"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-scLTpSLgCtc\/TWHM9GWZsaI\/AAAAAAAAA9g\/OYZXLaur7vg\/s72-c\/bracketologyfeb20.png","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-2243164780755841279"},"published":{"$t":"2011-02-13T21:00:00.043-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2011-02-13T23:04:19.259-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Final 8"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bracketology: Four weeks to go"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"And so it begins again.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis year's Bracketology series will, admittedly, be a little less wild and crazy. The rules and regulations (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/static.psbin.com\/l\/h\/het0x2fm5vz7wz\/Basketball_M.pdf\"\u003EPDF\u003C\/a\u003E) state, \"When there are 2 teams from the same Sport Conference they shall be placed on opposite sides of the draw.\" Since we're going to have two teams from \u003Ci\u003Ethree\u003C\/i\u003E conferences, it requires us to narrow down our possibilities. (Some of us, at least ... I forgot to inform all the panelists of this rule, as you'll see.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E(They waived this rule for a conference that has three teams at the Final 8, though keen students of mathematics will know they have no choice but to waive it, lest they run afoul of the pigeonhole principle. That wasn't a pun.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOur panel, eight strong this week, includes resident roundball 'riters \u003Cb\u003EBrian Decker\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003ECam Charron\u003C\/b\u003E, and \u003Cb\u003EAndrew Bucholtz\u003C\/b\u003E, as well as guest panelists in the form of \u003Cb\u003ERay Bala\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EWayne Thomas\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EDale Stevens\u003C\/b\u003E, and \u003Cb\u003EAlexandre Tourigny\u003C\/b\u003E. (Click through to see our picks.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003EWe have all chosen the same three Canada West teams--which means we all gave the at-large berth to the West. We have all chosen Carleton for the 1- or 2-seed, and tapped Cape Breton to come out on top in the AUS. Seven of the eight of us chose Lakehead to finish second in the OUA; the Great Group of Dudes [Teammates] will be knocking on Can Ball Ray's door about that one...\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd some of us even put the QUBL winner higher than 8th!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHere are the panel's first stabs at the Final 8 seedings (you'll have to click to embiggen, because after three years on this blog I still can't embed images properly):\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-0ccHKYCYIn4\/TViUu_BKGoI\/AAAAAAAAA9A\/OduRhPXnbio\/s1600\/bracketology_feb13.png\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-0ccHKYCYIn4\/TViUu_BKGoI\/AAAAAAAAA9A\/OduRhPXnbio\/s400\/bracketology_feb13.png\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAny pithy comments we have to share about our ballots will come in the comments, where you are free to join us in debate.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/2243164780755841279\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2011\/02\/bracketology-four-weeks-to-go.html#comment-form","title":"7 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/2243164780755841279"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/2243164780755841279"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2011\/02\/bracketology-four-weeks-to-go.html","title":"Bracketology: Four weeks to go"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Rob Pettapiece"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-0ccHKYCYIn4\/TViUu_BKGoI\/AAAAAAAAA9A\/OduRhPXnbio\/s72-c\/bracketology_feb13.png","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"7"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-3549424944847010613"},"published":{"$t":"2010-03-14T13:58:00.011-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2012-08-12T23:30:12.612-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Capers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Citadins"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Dinos"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Final 8"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Thunderwolves"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UBC Thunderbirds"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"X-Men"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bracketology: Selection Sunday!"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"The seeding committee will soon get on a conference call now that Cape Breton has soundly defeated St. FX 94-77 in the AUS championship game in Sydney.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe panel has its own picks. Below the jump are brackets from CHOQ-FM's\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003E Alexandre Tourigny\u003C\/span\u003E, \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003EDale Stevens\u003C\/span\u003E of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/cubdl\"\u003ECUBDL\u003C\/a\u003E and resident roundball aficionados \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003EJared Book\u003C\/span\u003E, \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003EAndrew Bucholtz\u003C\/span\u003E and \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003ERob Pettapiece\u003C\/span\u003E:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003EJared Book\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECarleton (OUA champion\/host)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESaskatchewan (Canada West champion)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECape Breton (AUS champion)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUBC (wild card)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWindsor (OUA runner-up)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECalgary (Canada West runner-up)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUQAM (QSSF champion)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ELakehead (OUA third place)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003EAndrew Bucholtz\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECarleton (OUA champion\/host)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECape Breton (AUS champion)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESaskatchewan (Canada West champion)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWindsor (OUA runner-up)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUBC (wild card)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ELakehead (OUA third place)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECalgary (Canada West runner-up)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUQAM (QSSF champion)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERob Pettapiece\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECarleton (OUA champion\/host)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESaskatchewan (Canada West champion)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECape Breton (AUS champion)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWindsor (OUA runner-up)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUBC (wild card)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECalgary (Canada West runner-up)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ELakehead (OUA third place)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUQAM (QSSF champion)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003EAlexandre Tourigny\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECarleton (OUA champion\/host)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESaskatchewan (Canada West champion)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECape Breton (AUS champion)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUBC (wild card)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWindsor (OUA runner-up)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECalgary (Canada West runner-up)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ELakehead (OUA third place)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUQAM (QSSF champion)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003EDale Stevens\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECarleton (OUA champion\/host)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECape Breton (AUS champion)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESaskatchewan (Canada West champion)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWindsor (OUA runner-up)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUBC (wild card)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ELakehead (OUA third place)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECalgary (Canada West runner-up)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUQAM (QSSF champion)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003ENeate Sager\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECarleton (OUA champion\/host)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESaskatchewan (Canada West champion)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECape Breton (AUS champion)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUBC (wild card)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWindsor (OUA runner-up)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECalgary (Canada West runner-up)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ELakehead (OUA third place)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUQAM (QSSF champion)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003EAs you can see, the panel was split on the 2-3 seed (Cape Breton or Saskatchewan). This is an open thread, so feel free to add your own either in the comments, via e-mail (neatesager AT yahoo DOT ca) or via Twitter (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/outofleftfield\"\u003Eoutofleftfield\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy the way, who knew two Canada West Prairie teams and two OUA West teams would qualify for nationals? Praise be the cross-over playoff formats.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/3549424944847010613\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2010\/03\/bracketology-selection-sunday.html#comment-form","title":"10 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/3549424944847010613"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/3549424944847010613"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2010\/03\/bracketology-selection-sunday.html","title":"Bracketology: Selection Sunday!"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"sager"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08757652892056684490"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HoppI3_eGQc\/VrWGl9xFY2I\/AAAAAAAADEA\/ucwvqUnIa7M\/s220\/Neate1379-4x4M.JPG"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"10"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-7102644969721765892"},"published":{"$t":"2010-03-08T21:47:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2012-08-12T23:30:12.614-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Capers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Citadins"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Dinos"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Final 8"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Rouge et Or"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"U of S Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UBC Thunderbirds"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"X-Men"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bracketology: Halfway home, with 11 days to go"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"The disarray \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2010\/03\/bracketology-with-seven-spots-left-to.html\"\u003Epredicted before the weekend in men's basketball\u003C\/a\u003E indeed happened: UBC's loss in the Canada West semifinals dropped them from a consensus first-place seeding to anywhere between third and fifth on our ballots this week, rocketing Carleton back to No. 1 and a predicted first-round matchup against a team that's either 24th or 25th in the RPI.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBecause UBC now gets the wildcard spot in all of our ballots, that leaves out the AUS runner-up (three of us think that CBU will lose the AUS Final 6 to St. F-X). \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECarleton, Windsor, Calgary, and Saskatchewan are the four teams with guaranteed spots in the Final 8 at this point; the last four will be filled after Lakehead flies to Ottawa for the OUA bronze-medal game, after the AUS names a conference winner, after Laval and UQAM play the QUBL final, and after the seeding committee determines whether UBC deserves the wild-card spot.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EJared Book\u003C\/b\u003E:\u003Cbr \/\u003E1. Carleton (OUA winner \/ host)\u003Cbr \/\u003E2. St. F-X (AUS winner)\u003Cbr \/\u003E3. Saskatchewan (Canada West winner)\u003Cbr \/\u003E4. UBC (wild card)\u003Cbr \/\u003E5. Windsor (OUA runner-up)\u003Cbr \/\u003E6. Ottawa (OUA third-place)\u003Cbr \/\u003E7. Calgary (Canada West runner-up)\u003Cbr \/\u003E8. UQAM (QUBL winner)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAndrew Bucholtz\u003C\/b\u003E:\u003Cbr \/\u003E1. Carleton (OUA winner \/ host)\u003Cbr \/\u003E2. St. F-X (AUS winner)\u003Cbr \/\u003E3. Saskatchewan (CW winner)\u003Cbr \/\u003E4. Windsor (OUA West)\u003Cbr \/\u003E5. UBC (wild-card)\u003Cbr \/\u003E6. Ottawa (OUA third-place)\u003Cbr \/\u003E7. Calgary (CW runner-up)\u003Cbr \/\u003E8. Laval (QUBL winner)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERob Pettapiece\u003C\/b\u003E:\u003Cbr \/\u003E1. Carleton (OUA winner \/ host)\u003Cbr \/\u003E2. St. F-X (AUS winner)\u003Cbr \/\u003E3. Saskatchewan (Canada West winner)\u003Cbr \/\u003E4. UBC (wild card)\u003Cbr \/\u003E5. Windsor (OUA runner-up)\u003Cbr \/\u003E6. Ottawa (OUA third-place)\u003Cbr \/\u003E7. Calgary (Canada West runner-up)\u003Cbr \/\u003E8. Laval (QUBL winner)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENeate Sager\u003C\/b\u003E:\u003Cbr \/\u003E1. Carleton (OUA winner \/ host)\u003Cbr \/\u003E2. Cape Breton (AUS winner)\u003Cbr \/\u003E3. UBC (wild card)\u003Cbr \/\u003E4. Saskatchewan (Canada West winner)\u003Cbr \/\u003E5. Windsor (OUA West)\u003Cbr \/\u003E6. Ottawa (OUA third-place)\u003Cbr \/\u003E7. Calgary (Canada West runner-up)\u003Cbr \/\u003E8. UQAM (QUBL winner)\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/7102644969721765892\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2010\/03\/bracketology-halfway-home-with-11-days.html#comment-form","title":"17 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7102644969721765892"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7102644969721765892"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2010\/03\/bracketology-halfway-home-with-11-days.html","title":"Bracketology: Halfway home, with 11 days to go"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Rob Pettapiece"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"17"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-6065607737740742916"},"published":{"$t":"2010-03-07T21:50:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2010-03-07T22:28:24.372-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Editorializing"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Final 8"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Editorializing: Another March, another quarterfinal head-scratcher"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"It wouldn't be the week before a Final 8 if we didn't quibble with the first-round matchups.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENeate has \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2010\/03\/basketball.html\"\u003Ealready mentioned\u003C\/a\u003E today's release of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/sports\/wbkb\/2009-10\/releases\/20100307-seeding\"\u003Eseedings\u003C\/a\u003E for the women's Final 8. And there's something that might need a fix, from the fans' point of view.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELast year, it was the Carleton\/Western\/Ottawa side of the bracket \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2009\/03\/basketball-final-8-seedings-somewhat.html\"\u003Ethat got us all hot and bothered\u003C\/a\u003E. This time, it's another OUA set of No. 2 Windsor and No. 7 Ottawa, who will face off, again, \u003Ci\u003Eless than a week\u003C\/i\u003E after the Lancers won the OUA title 83-55 over the Gee-Gees. That's not at all redundant, is it?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENow, it's not \u003Ci\u003Ethat\u003C\/i\u003E bad (there are 40,320 ways to arrange this bracket, and this way is better than maybe 40,313 of them), but there's a simple fix. Flipping Windsor and Regina isn't difficult, and it would result in the following:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESFU vs. McMaster \/ Regina vs. Laval\u003Cbr \/\u003EWindsor vs. Cape Breton \/ Saskatchewan vs. Ottawa\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnder this change, there is the issue of Windsor (2nd in RPI) having to play CBU (3rd in RPI) even though that may be unfair to the OUA champion. But in the setup we have now, the Capers (another conference champion, remember) have to play the Huskies, who are pretty good themselves. Either way, you'll have two good teams play each other on Friday, which is more desirable than repeating a playoff game.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEven Mac at 7 and Ottawa U at 8 wouldn't be so bad. But then again, you'd have to get the team that was 3-1 in the playoffs to accept being seeded below the team that went one-and-done. Not to mention we'd have another Ottawa-SFU matchup, after last year's blowout excited tens of fans.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnyway, one trusts that the coaches (one from each conference, natch) who made this decision had their reasons, and did so without resorting to petty regionalism. Who knows, perhaps their alternative was something else that would have people like me railing against it just as much. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EWe'll be all over the women's Final 8 just like we will be for the men's draw next weekend, so be sure to hang around for our excellent coverage of the tournament, including live coverage of all championship-side games, our occasionally-correct insight, and Westdale-area restaurant reviews. We'll be joined courtside by \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/thesil.ca\/blog\/category\/sports\/\"\u003EThe Sil's\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cb\u003EBrian Decker\u003C\/b\u003E, who'll keep you company while some of us deal with pesky afternoon classes in another city.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/6065607737740742916\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2010\/03\/editorializing-another-march-another.html#comment-form","title":"5 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6065607737740742916"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6065607737740742916"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2010\/03\/editorializing-another-march-another.html","title":"Editorializing: Another March, another quarterfinal head-scratcher"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Rob Pettapiece"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"5"}}]}});