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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\/-\/Lancers?alt=json-in-script"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/search\/label\/Lancers"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/-\/Lancers\/-\/Lancers?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":{"$t":"408"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"25"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-7077024032233525250"},"published":{"$t":"2017-07-13T22:47:00.005-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2017-07-14T11:42:12.858-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Axemen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bisons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"CIS football"},{"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":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"McMaster Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mounties"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Regina Rams"},{"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":"UBC Thunderbirds"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"X-Men"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Football: Ultimate U Sports all-star team — one player per school for 27 positions"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Oit2QtTW4T4\/WWD4xR2W5sI\/AAAAAAAADO0\/i0Ufczw22vwMCdqSrJDux0tlvkae2FN9ACLcBGAs\/s1600\/Akiem%2BHicks%252C%2BRams%2Band%2BBears.jpeg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"480\" data-original-width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Oit2QtTW4T4\/WWD4xR2W5sI\/AAAAAAAADO0\/i0Ufczw22vwMCdqSrJDux0tlvkae2FN9ACLcBGAs\/s1600\/Akiem%2BHicks%252C%2BRams%2Band%2BBears.jpeg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EAkiem Hicks with the Regina Rams in 2011 and with the CFL's Chicago Bears in 2016, when he had seven sacks.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003EThere are 27 football-playing universities across our country. There are also, give or take a special teams selection, 27 spots to fill when an all-star team is chosen.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA fun writing exercise — read: it's summer and there's not a lot going on — was hatched from that numerical coincidence. Pick an all-star team drawing from the past 40-some years of the university game while using\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003Eonly one player from each team\u003C\/i\u003E. No loading the lines with Lavals (any number of CFL all-star linemen), or stacking the team with 'Stangs (do you pick two-time Hec Crighton Trophy winner\u003Cb\u003E Tim Tindale \u003C\/b\u003Ewho went on to NFL glory with the Buffalo Bills or record-setting receiver \u003Cb\u003EAndy Fantuz\u003C\/b\u003E, who won a receiving title in the CFL?)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETalk about a Sophie's Choice, although this does not purport to be some all-time all-star team. Leaving out defunct programs (or the departed, hey there Simon Fraser) means being unable to select a legit legend such as \u003Cb\u003ETony Proudfoot\u003C\/b\u003E, since he played at the University of New Brunswick.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother controlled variable was confining choices to a loosely defined modern era. A hard-line historian type would say the modern era begins in 1965 with the establishment of the Vanier Cup. Or 1967, the centennial year, when the format went from an invitational to a four-team playoff, 47 years before the U.S. finally got one. As a habitual goalpost-mover, I'll slide the start of the modern era to some point around 1971, when the Old Four (Queen's, Western, McGill and University of Toronto) was phased out and the current four-conference alignment began taking shape in earnest.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EWithout further ado, here's a squad that reflects the best of each and every program from Acadia on the east coast to to UBC on the west coast and all points in between.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESpecial thanks for this post to Jim Mullin, who was great with putting forward some 1970s players.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EDefence\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDefensive end — Leroy Blugh, Bishop's (Edmonton, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003EBlugh was a prototype for the Canadian pass rusher as an all-Canadian at Bishop's when the \u003Cb\u003EIan Breck\u003C\/b\u003E's Gaiters punched above their weight on the regular in the 1980s. Born in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, raised in Napanee, Ont., Blugh twice had double-digit sack totals during his Gaiters years. From there, he played 15 seasons in the CFL, 14 with Edmonton, during a Canadian Football Hall of Fame career.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBlugh has \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/montrealgazette.com\/sports\/football\/cfl\/herb-zurkowsky-tackling-cancer-diabetes-puts-life-in-perspective-for-cfl-great-leroy-blugh\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Edealt with cancer and diabetes in recent years\u003C\/a\u003E, but still works in football as the defensive line coach for the Ottawa Redblacks. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDefensive tackle — Israel Idonije, Manitoba (Chicago Bears, NFL). \u003C\/b\u003EA true Canadian success story, having gone from playing one high school season on a re-constituted team to making the NFL as an undrafted free agent who had a long-term career at both end and D-tackle. Idonije, fittingly for someone who played in Chicago, was also a Walter Payton Man of the Year Award finalist for his humanitarian work with children in Africa, Manitoba and Chicago.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIdonije, if memory serves, was a defensive end during his U of M days, but he can slide inside for purposes of making an imaginary lineup of football players.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDefensive tackle — Akiem Hicks, Regina (New Orleans Saints, NFL). \u003C\/b\u003EWell, it wouldn't be a complete list without a Californian who found succor in Canada West. Wait, this isn't a basketball article. The great thing about university sport is that the tent is big enough to accommodate Americans who, to put it elegantly, fall off the conveyor belt of the shamateur sports-industrial complex down south and need a Plan B.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHicks, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/sports\/football\/hickss-path-to-the-2012-nfl-draft-has-been-a-long-one\/article4102628\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eafter his plans to play at LSU were thwarted\u003C\/a\u003E, found a home playing at the U of R in 2010 and '11, becoming the first Ram to be taken in the NFL draft.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELong-time Seattle Seahawks punter\u003Cb\u003E Jon Ryan \u003C\/b\u003Elikely also gets the honourable mention from the Rams' alumni roll.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDefensive end — Ricky Foley, York (Argonauts, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003EThe first really tough choice on a school representative, as the pick from the Lions boiled down to either Foley or running back\u003Cb\u003E Andre Durie\u003C\/b\u003E. In the end, the difference in stature between the two long-time Toronto Argonauts mainstays wasn't as big as it was between two other OUA running backs extraordinaire from early aughts (oh, guess which ones) and other possibilities from their respective teams.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThree of the four defensive line picks have small-town roots. Foley came out of Courtice, Ont., to develop at York, before going on to an 11-year CFL career that included contributing to three Grey Cup-winning teams. It's a shame his playing days might have ended so inelegantly — \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/sports\/football\/cfl\/ricky-foley-argos-released-by-text-1.4050503\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Egetting cut from the Argos by text message\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;— but what endures is about Foley with the Argonauts is that he \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/ublicly%20stuck%20up%20for%20and%20believed%20wholeheartedly%20in%20his%20hometown%20organization%20when%20others%20wouldn%E2%80%99t.\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Epublicly stuck up for and believed wholeheartedly in his hometown organization when others wouldn’t\u003C\/a\u003E.\"\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELinebacker — Michael O'Shea, Guelph (Ticats and Argonauts, CFL).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EBreaking this team down to distinct defensive and offensive line positions is way too granular, even for this blog. It is safe to say O'Shea is the Mike linebacker.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYou already know the boilery stuff with O'Shea — second player in CFL history to record 1,000 career tackles across 16 seasons on each side of the Argos-Ticats rivalry. One seared memory is of his first go-round in Hamilton in the mid-1990s. The Tiger-Cats were a gong show for pretty much the whole decade, but you couldn't laugh at them as long as the Canadian linebacker from North Bay was out there competing so intensely.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EO'Shea's string of championships include leading Guelph to a Yates Cup in 1992.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELinebacker — Jason Van Geel, Waterloo.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003ERunning back\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003EMike Bradley\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003Eis the ultimate Warrior, of course, and could fill the role of \"national player who's third on the depth chart at running back and plays on all special teams,\" since that's what Bradley did for six seasons in the CFL with Edmonton. Bradley's position, though, has competition.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat shifted the Warriors' shortlist over to the dark side, defence, and it came down to same-name stars from Waterloo's first Yates Cup winner in 1997, Van Geel at linebacker and\u003Cb\u003E Jason Tibbits \u003C\/b\u003Eat cornerback. Twenty years ago this fall, Van Geel was the national defensive player of the year after helping Waterloo reach a summit many UW folk probably thought was unattainable in the days when the school set a dubious mark for consecutive football losses.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe first point of reference with those Waterloo teams that won the Yates in '97 and '99 — against Western at J.W. Little Stadium both times, the latter time in the final game there — is probably the offence. Tuffy Knight had the Warriors running the wishbone, with Ryan Wilkinson as the triple-option triggerman. The second point of reference, of course, is that a Waterloo guy got tackled illegally by Ottawa's mascot during the '97 national semifinal.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHowever, the Warriors also had success they had never seen before (or since) because they played some great defence. Van Geel was at the forefront of that, and Tibbits (a five-times OUA all-star, four times at corner and once as a returner) covered things well on the back end.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELinebacker — Frank Balkovec, University of Toronto (Edmonton, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003EHere's your hook for this linebacker selection: Balkovec \u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003Ewas the top pick back in 1984 after playing just a single season of football for the Varsity Blues\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBalkovec, at least from a three-decades-removed vantage point, embodies a bygone era before everyone and everything became over-scheduled and multi-sport student-athletes were still easy to find. Everything is more intense now and in some ways we're poorer for it.\u0026nbsp;Balkovec was a \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/varsityblues.ca\/hof.aspx?hof=149\u0026amp;path=row\u0026amp;kiosk=\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethree-sport guy at U of T\u003C\/a\u003E who contributed to a Yates-winning team in 1983 and was also a three-time Canadian champion in indoor shot put. After university, he was an eight-year CFLer.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDefensive back — Marc-Olivier Brouillette, Montreal (Alouettes, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003EWait, is this based on university feats or pro accomplishments? To quote Abe Simpson, it's a little from Column A, a little from Column B. Brouillette converted from quarterback with the Carabins to a hard-hitting defensive player with the CFL's Als, playing both safety and linebacker.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBrouillette recently retired as a player to pursue a legal career. He was a CFL East all-star in 2016, so he ended on a personal high note.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDefensive back — Mark Montreuil, Concordia (San Diego Chargers, NFL). \u003C\/b\u003EBefore Laval, Montréal and Sherbrooke came along to create a truly Quebec conference, Montreuil came up through the North Shore Broncos juniors and the Stingers to make the NFL. The cornerback, who remains the last Stinger chosen in the NFL draft, played three seasons with the San Diego Chargers and also played in NFL Europe with the late and lamented London Monarchs.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAn alternate from the Stingers is linebacker \u003Cb\u003ECory Greenwood\u003C\/b\u003E, an undrafted free agent who was a special teams player for Kansas City earlier this decade. Greenwood is the second-most accomplished Kingston, Ont., athlete to wear No. 93.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDefensive back —\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELaurent Deslauriers, UBC.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EA \u003Cb\u003EJim Mullin \u003C\/b\u003Enomination, Deslauriers was an all-Canadian and Vanier Cup champion for the Thunderbirds and a CFL West all-star and Grey Cup champion as a pro with Edmonton. Deslauriers was primarily a defensive halfback — by the way, isn't that position due for a renaming? — but \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.gothunderbirds.ca\/hof.aspx?hof=40\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ewas dominant in all three phases\u003C\/a\u003E. He set still-extant school records as a return man and played slotback when the Thunderbirds won the Vanier in 1982.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDefensive back —\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPaul Bennett, Laurier. \u003C\/b\u003ESomething about Canadian football that's often lost on its detractors is how it still makes room for a certain amount of community spirit and volunteerism. (Some of that is borne from necessity; or as one former player once put it to me, \"everyone knows there's no money in Canadian football.\")\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhat was cool, at least to an incorrigible sports nerd, about reading up on Bennett, was a testimonial from \u003Cb\u003EScott Taylor\u003C\/b\u003E about how \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/mytoba.ca\/news\/paul-bennett-still-a-manitoba-hero\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehis greatest work might have come after he left the game\u003C\/a\u003E.\" Bennett, a volunteer high school coach in Winnipeg, also came up with the idea of creating community recognition awards for people \"who have devoted their lives to acting without thought of reward for themselves.\" That speaks to the personalities that football developed in the 1960s and '70s, people were about social justice.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUntil last year, Bennett was the only Ontario conference player with five punt return touchdowns in one season.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDefensive back — Richard Karikari, St. Francis Xavier. \u003C\/b\u003EIt was a six-of-one decision with St. FX, since linebacker\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003EHenoc Muamba \u003C\/b\u003Eand now-retired defensive back Karikari have each been CFL all-star selections. Muamba was also a league-wide pick whereas Karikari was a East selection.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHowever, Karikari might have been a more impactful university player. In the early aughts, he gave the X-Men that \"offensive defensive back,\" as a pass defender who was also a touchdown threat as a return man. It's relatively rare for a defensive player to be a finalist for the Hec Crighton, but Karikari achieved that in 2002.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt goes without saying that the greatest X-Men footballer remains\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003EPaul Brule\u003C\/b\u003E, who scored 45 touchdowns in two seasons — including eight in one game — in the 1960s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhether it's Karikari or Muamba from St. FX, five of the 12 defensive players were born outside Canada. \u003Ci\u003EBig tent, people!\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ci\u003EOffence\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOffensive line — Miles Gorrell, Ottawa (Stampeders, Concordes, Rough Riders, Ticats and Blue Bombers, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003EThe roster would be incomplete if the Gee-Gees rep was someone who was not part of the all-time dominant 1975 team. Gorrell might be the first person to gently point out he was in his first season on the varsity in '75. However, one can only extrapolate how good he must have been in his final season with the Gees, 1977, in order to rate being named team MVP whilst at a position that generally gets the least attention.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat period where Gorrell \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ottawasun.com\/2013\/10\/02\/ottawa-redblacks-scout-miles-gorrell-entering-canadian-football-hall-of-fame\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Egrew up in Ottawa\u003C\/a\u003E\" sowed the seeds for an association with the CFL that's gone on almost 40 years. As a scout, Gorrell had a vital role in helping the CFL's Redblacks win the Grey Cup as a third-year team in 2016.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI wasn't alive in 1975, but those Gee-Gees \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/ottawacitizen.com\/sports\/football\/fast-football-friends-1975-gee-gees-walk-in-glory-together\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Estill have a hold on the city's sports imagination, especially among sportswriters of a particular vintage\u003C\/a\u003E. They are the only football team ever inducted into the city's sports hall of fame.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOffensive line — Mike Schad, Queen's (Philadelphia Eagles, NFL).\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;A personal reason for getting emotionally invested in university football as an adolescent around 1989 was the discovery that Schad, who blocked for my first favourite football player, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback \u003Cb\u003ERandall Cunningham\u003C\/b\u003E, had grown up 30 minutes down the 401 in Belleville, Ont, and had played at Queen's, not one of those U.S. football factories featured on ABC and CBS on Friday afternoons. \u003Ci\u003EWow, he made it from here to the NFL\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGranted, there were other reasons for becoming a hardcore football fan around that point in my miseducation (one, my mother went back to school and that created a bond to Queen's and two, I kept getting cut from rep teams in hockey and fast-pitch softball and was too short for basketball, so football became the refuge for my sports fantasies). But enough about me.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESchad remains the lone Canadian university player ever selected in the first round of the NFL draft, going No. 23 overall to the L.A. Rams in 1986. His NFL years were spent mostly in Philly, where he played guard on some teams that were playoff regulars. Going in the first round is a singular achievement unlikely to ever be matched. Every year around NFL draft time when my Twitter timeline fills with updates on Canadian players who might get picked up in the seventh round or get a mini-camp invite I can't help but have a haughty internal response (poor character, I know): \u003Ci\u003EYeah, but my alma mater produced a NFL first-round pick.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOffensive line — Pierre Lavertu, Laval (Stampeders, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003EProof positive that the upper crust of university football has pro-ready graduates. Lavertu has yet to dress out for Calgary this season due to injuries, but as interior lineman who can play centre or guard, he has been part of a Stampeders offensive line that has arguably has the most sustained success of any position group in the CFL since 2014.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELavertu was an RSEQ all-star in all four of his seasons with the Rouge et Or from 2010-13 and since he was at Laval, you know all four of those seasons involved making it to the last game of the season. It seems fitting that the power program of the past two decades is represented by an offensive lineman. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOffensive line — Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, McGill (Kansas City Chiefs, NFL). \u003C\/b\u003EStarting guard on a playoff team, while also working toward becoming a doctor. Duvernay-Tardif and his ghostwriter at \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.theplayerstribune.com\/le-docteur-laurent-duvernay-tardif-kansas-city-chiefs\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThe Players' Tribune can explain that better than I can\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe McGill \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/sports\/football\/j-p-darche-and-laurent-duvernay-tardif-tread-remarkably-similar-paths\/article33888922\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ealternate is also a doctor who played in the NFL with Kansas City\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EJean-Philippe Darche\u003C\/b\u003E. A linebacker at the university level, Darche was a long snapper in the NFL and played in Super Bowl 40 with the Seahawks.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOffensive line —\u0026nbsp;Scott Flory, Saskatchewan (Alouettes, CFL).\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;It could be either Flory or Gene Makowsky repping Huskie Pride.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EFlory: 15 seasons with the same CFL team, nine-time all-star, two-time Outstanding Offensive Lineman recipient, president of the CFL Players' Association, now helping coach the Huskies\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMakowsky, 17 seasons with the same CFL team, five-time all-star, now a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Saskatchewan, deadpan \u003Ci\u003ECorner Gas \u003C\/i\u003Eguest spot.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ETheir teams went head-to-head in the 2009 and '10 Grey Cup games. Flory's team won both. So, totally arbitrarily, Flory \u0026gt; Makowsky, although the latter played more offensive tackle.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIf positional integrity is a must, there are Laval and Saskatchewan alumni who currently start at right tackle in the CFL — \u003Cb\u003EJason Lauzon-Séguin\u003C\/b\u003E with Ottawa and\u003Cb\u003E Patrick Neufeld \u003C\/b\u003Ewith Winnipeg.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn to the GLORY BOYS:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReceiver — Andy Fantuz, Western (Roughriders, CFL).\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;Granted, offensive stats accumulated in the '00s-era OUA have to be taken with the same grain of salt as scoring stats from the 1980s NHL, but it's wild to revisit just how far ahead of everyone Fantuz is on the career lists for yards and receiving touchdowns. His tally of 4,123 in the former is almost 1,000 ahead of \u0026nbsp;the next most prolific pass receiver and his 41 TD catches (remember, regular season only) is eight more than the next guy.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETo put the second one in perspective: \u003Cb\u003EDanny Vandervoort\u003C\/b\u003E, who is getting his feet wet at slotback with the B.C. Lions, averaged almost one touchdown per game across four seasons with McMaster. He finished 12 TDs shy of Fantuz' mark.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFantuz delivered on his potential over 11 seasons in the CFL, with the high point coming in 2010 when his league-most 1,380 yards made him the first Canadian to win a receiving title since another 'Stang, \u003Cb\u003EDave Sapunjis\u003C\/b\u003E, back in 1995.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReceiver — Brian Fryer, Alberta (Washington, NFL; Edmonton, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003EA \"first\" guy — the first Canadian university receiver to gain 1,000 yards in a season and the first player, full stop, to be drafted by a NFL team and go directly into the league, as he played for the Washington NFL team during the American bicentennial year of 1976. Out of context, that's impressive enough, but in context it stands out even more since that was during the\u003Cb\u003E George Allen \u003C\/b\u003Eera in D.C. and Allen was known to over-emphasize playing veterans.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAfter calling it a career on the field — with a Vanier Cup title with the Golden Bears and a role in the five-in-a-row Edmonton CFL dynasty —\u0026nbsp;he made a successful move into a second career as executive director of Football Alberta.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReceiver — Don Blair, Calgary (Lions, CFL).\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;The first non-lineman to represent Canada in the East-West Shrine Game showcase! The Dinos have had their share of superlative offences and individual talents over the last four decades. It will take something ludicrous to bump out the seared image of the 1995 Vanier Cup, when Blair scored four touchdowns (three receiving, one by recovering a blocked punt) when Calgary dropped 54 points on Western. Fun fact, unless you're from London: the Dinos did most of the damage with their backup quarterback after the starter was knocked out of the game.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBlair was a No. 1 overall choice who had a stellar CFL career. Like Fantuz and Fryer, he set a national receiving record and won the Hec Crighton. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReceiver — Samuel Giguère, Sherbrooke (Ticats and Alouettes, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003EThe second-newest program manages to sneak a player in at a deep position. While Sherbrooke has generally been the Partick Thistle to Laval and Montréal's Celtics and Rangers in the Quebec conference, the small school has helped a few individual talents blossom over their 14 seasons.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGiguère was one of the first bona fide prospects to emerged at Sherbrooke, possessing enough specs to earn a couple NFL trials before returning north to fulfill the role of national wide-side receiver. Now 33 years old, he's playing for the Alouettes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother Vert et Or receiver who's in the CFL, \u003Cb\u003ESimon Charbonneau\u003C\/b\u003E, could have also been the pick. Charbonneau was borderline unstoppable in the 2010 Dunsmore Cup when Sherbrooke nearly upset Laval. (That day, we were just a couple plays away from an Ottawa-Sherbrooke Uteck Bowl instead of a been-there-done-that Western-Laval matchup.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERunning back — Daryl Stephenson, Windsor (Blue Bombers, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003EIn 2006, there was some discord when Stephenson won the Hec Crighton, but it wasn't about him. It was more about having seven winners in a row from the OUA. To some extent, and I didn't articulate this well enough at that time, it was also about the virtues and drawbacks of the \"career award bias,\" so-called. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELikewise, for reasons having nothing to do with Stephenson, the only rusher to ever top 5,000 career yards, this was the hardest piece of the puzzle. First it involved whether to have a fifth pass receiver to reflect the Canadian game of 2017 instead of a second running back. There was also a thought that the choice should reflect that this fictional team would actually play against fictional juggernaut, like the Monstars with Laval's and UBC's combined budget. That would mean giving some weight to receiving skills.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUltimately, though, better to have a second running back. That brought it down to, as hinted in the preamble, the three star rushers from the early-aughts: Stephenson of Windsor, Durie of York and, you guessed it, \u003Cb\u003EJesse Lumsden\u003C\/b\u003E of McMaster. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUltimately, the (ir-)rationale was that Stephenson exemplifies the best of Windsor so much more than anyone else. He was a dogged competitor and gave everything to make Windsor, for a time, a playoff team. As a pro, he also made a great adjustment to being a depth player with the Blue Bombers, which surely must be tough for university players who are used to being the focal point as a feature back.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo that's how it turned out: Stephenson in, Lumsden over to the bobsleigh track.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERunning back \u0026nbsp;— Éric Lapointe, Mount Allison (Alouettes, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003ELapointe is in the Hall of Fame as an amateur player, but it could just as easily be as builder. I'll just do a \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/neatesager.blogspot.ca\/2007\/02\/ric-lapointes-lasting-impact-just-ask.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Emini-oral history from some people who were around him every day at Mount A\u003C\/a\u003E:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMathieu Gauthier, defensive end:\u003C\/b\u003E \u003Ci\u003E\"Éric was one of the first French football players to make it into the mainstream pop culture in Quebec ... One quick example of his influence is in a recent recruiting event at a Montreal CEGEP. While the MTA recruiters had qualified only 5-6 guys who seamed like a right fit for MTA (only these kids got an invitation to the event), 34 kids showed up for the presentation when they learned that Éric Lapointe was going to be there.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\"He certainly had an influence on a generation of kids, who chose football instead of hockey and other sports.\"\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EJorge Barrera, a Mounties rookie in 1995 who is now an investigative reporter with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network:\u003C\/b\u003E \u003Ci\u003E\"Éric Lapointe had the aura of a star the moment he walked into the Mount Allison football locker room in his rookie year. While other rookies were subjected to the humiliating rituals of initiation, Lapointe moved above it all, his hair long and safe from the clippers.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\"On the field he made things simple for his coaches. The offensive co-ordinator once remarked that running the Mt. A. offence with Lapointe was like playing Nintendo football: Sweep right, sweep left and Lapointe outran them all.\"\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EJulian Dickinson, receiver: \u003C\/b\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\"If you never saw him play at Mount Allison, you have no idea how good he really was. There was one play that probably best illustrates what he could do on the football field and what he could do for a team. It was 1996, Eric's second year. We were playing St. FX in the AUAA finals in Antigonish and we got absolutely pummelled in the first half. We must have been down at least three touchdowns and I'm sure most people in the locker room thought that game was over.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\"But Eric came out in the second half and ripped off a 99-yard run that snaked all over the field, left about 10 defenders rolling on their bellies in the mud and ended with Eric in the end zone. It was the best individual play I've ever seen in a football game. He went on to rush for about 300 yards that game and brought us within a few points of winning that game. And this wasn't a cupcake defence. There were All-Canadians on the X defence, which would eventually play in the Vanier Cup.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\"It was an amazing feat. At the end of the game he was bloody, bruised, covered in mud and his jersey was torn like he'd been through a war. I remember he did a TV interview after the game with his helmet on because he was so busted up about losing, he couldn't show his face.\"\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETwenty-three spots down. By process of elimination, you should know who is QB1.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EQuarterback — Chris Flynn, Saint Mary's (Montreal Machine, World League; Rough Riders, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003ENo. Words. Necessary.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" class=\"YOUTUBE-iframe-video\" data-thumbnail-src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/S4P12kfxMNk\/0.jpg\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S4P12kfxMNk?feature=player_embedded\" width=\"320\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Flynn legend only grows with time, perhaps in part since it was an unfinished symphony-type thing since there was no second act in the CFL.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ci\u003ESpecialists\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003EKicker \u0026nbsp;— Al Charuk, Acadia (Lions, Argonauts).\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;Total Calvinball cop-out with choosing the \u003Ci\u003Ebotteur\u003C\/i\u003E, since it's more about picking a definitive Acadia player whose feats included using his foot. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn a four-season span in the 1970s, Acadia had three Hec Crighton winners — Charuk in '74, followed by The Bobs back-to-back with receiver\u003Cb\u003E Bob Stracina \u003C\/b\u003Eand quarterback \u003Cb\u003EBob Cameron \u003C\/b\u003Ein '76 and '77. \u0026nbsp;In 2014, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.sportsnet.ca\/usports\/top-50-cis-football-players-of-vanier-cup-era\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESportsnet\u003C\/a\u003E ranked Cameron the 28th-best player of the Vanier Cup era with Charuk 35th and Stracina 37th. The former, of course, punted in the CFL for nigh on a quarter-century. Charuk and Stracina, between scoring touchdowns and placekicker, each scored more than 100 points in a season for Acadia.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe default selection was Cameron, due in perhaps to a stronger association since he had the longest pro career. On second thought, Charuk was a two-way player who won the Hec as a defensive back — where he once had a 10-interception season — and fashioned a CFL career as a receiver.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERush cover — Jason Arakgi, McMaster (Lions).\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;As the man himself put it, \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/vancouversun.com\/sports\/football\/cfl\/bc-lions\/jason-arakgi-qa-on-the-art-of-the-tackle-anthropology-and-furniture-building\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eyou're only as good as the bottom guy\u003C\/a\u003E\" and well, Arakgi is the CFL's career leader in special teams tackles and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3downnation.com\/2016\/08\/18\/life-outside-spotlight-fine-arakgi\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eplayed on all special teams even in his final season, 2016\u003C\/a\u003E. One could also hold up his career arc — \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bclions.com\/2017\/06\/19\/jason-arakgi-story-quiet-leader\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Espend nine seasons all with one team, perform a significant function very well and then leave the game on one's own terms to step into a second career\u003C\/a\u003E — as a good example for young athletes to emulate. Only a very, very few get to play forever, but there are other entry points to parlaying athletic aptitude into a good life.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReturner — Tunde Adeleke, Carleton (Stampeders).\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;Special teams touchdowns are supposed to be a rare treat, but Adeleke made them a staple in Carleton's offensive diet over his four seasons. In 2016, he became the first player since\u003Cb\u003E Paul Bennett \u003C\/b\u003Ewith five punt return touchdowns in one season.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" class=\"YOUTUBE-iframe-video\" data-thumbnail-src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/LWAfpV3myPU\/0.jpg\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LWAfpV3myPU?feature=player_embedded\" width=\"320\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was just wild how people around the Ravens just came to expect the brilliant breakaway runs. Like no one before him (at least in my time), Adeleke combined with psychic peripheral vision with high-class wheels, since he also had the fastest 40-yard dash at the 2017 CFL combine.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFeel free to disagree with the selections, or the process. But please remember that any substitutions either have to be at the same position or require a two-position switch.\u0026nbsp;\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\/7077024032233525250\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/07\/football-ultimate-all-star-team-one.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7077024032233525250"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7077024032233525250"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/07\/football-ultimate-all-star-team-one.html","title":"Football: Ultimate U Sports all-star team — one player per school for 27 positions"}],"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\/-Oit2QtTW4T4\/WWD4xR2W5sI\/AAAAAAAADO0\/i0Ufczw22vwMCdqSrJDux0tlvkae2FN9ACLcBGAs\/s72-c\/Akiem%2BHicks%252C%2BRams%2Band%2BBears.jpeg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-2631401513016402399"},"published":{"$t":"2016-10-02T13:18:00.002-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-10-02T21:35:59.154-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Hockey"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Varsity Reds"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Hockey: CIS vs. NCAA games get heated, as per usual; only the stick-swinging is serious"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Bad things come in threes. Or fours. The #cawlidgehockey folks all need to have their monocles replaced after some discord during CIS-NCAA exhibition men's hockey on Saturday.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJust the facts:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUNB had 107 penalty minutes, including five misconducts, against Merrimack, who was dinged for 65 PIMs. Reports also stated that Varsity Reds goalie \u003Cb\u003EÉtienne Marcoux\u003C\/b\u003E, after being ejected for slashing, \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.themackreport.com\/news\/merrimack-beats-new-brunswick-in-penalty-filled-opener\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eswung his stick at a young fan who was hanging over the wall, and appeared to be heckling the 23-year-old goaltender\u003C\/a\u003E.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EReporter Mike McMahon's description changed between the initial Tweet and the article. The tweet said Marcoux \"\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeMcMahonCHN\/status\/782395653586640898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eflung\u003C\/a\u003E\" his stick and the story said he \"swung his stick.\" It's terrible either way, but one cannot jump to conclusions unless a video surfaces.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003EUNB goalie, who was ejected, was getting yelled at by a 10-year-old kid above the aisle, and the goalie flung his stick up to hit the kid.\u003C\/div\u003E— Mike McMahon (@MikeMcMahonCHN) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeMcMahonCHN\/status\/782395653586640898\"\u003EOctober 2, 2016\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003EHope you enjoyed the last game you will ever play, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/etmarcoux\"\u003E@etmarcoux\u003C\/a\u003E. Tossing your stick at a 10 year old kid? Classy.\u003C\/div\u003E— thepuckdude (@thepuckdude) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/thepuckdude\/status\/782641019070345216\"\u003EOctober 2, 2016\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003EOf course, you can guess whether TSN's sports blog for terrible humans went with the more sensational description. I'll wait.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWindsor and Bowling Green scuffled after their game ended.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Buccigross\"\u003E@Buccigross\u003C\/a\u003E full team brawl following the Windsor\/BGSU game. \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/76POGjhNSP\"\u003Epic.twitter.com\/76POGjhNSP\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— Brice Baumgardner (@bbaumgardner22) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bbaumgardner22\/status\/782300116321533956\"\u003EOctober 1, 2016\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThat's bad.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUPEI played Boston U and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.goterriers.com\/boxscore.aspx?id=5929\u0026amp;path=mhockey\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethere were 122 PIMs: 58 to the Panthers and 64 to the Terriers\u003C\/a\u003E. The only reference to the penalty total \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/dailyfreepress.com\/2016\/10\/01\/pat-harper-freshman-class-lead-terriers-win-prince-edward-island\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ewas buried well below the fan-boying over the Terriers' litter of freshmen\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAcadia's game against Northeastern had \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.gonu.com\/boxscore.aspx?path=mhockey\u0026amp;id=6108\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E114 PIMs, 78 to the Axemen\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENortheastern D-man \u003Cb\u003EJeremy Davies \u003C\/b\u003Ewas clearly appalled: \"Playing a Canadian team, guys are a lot bigger and stronger. That really gets us ready for next weekend and the season, so I’m really glad we had this test.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EActually, he does not sound appalled at all.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAcadia goalie \u003Cb\u003EBrandon Glover\u003C\/b\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hockeyeastonline.com\/men\/boxes17.php?macaprv1.o02\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ewas also ejected for spearing against Providence on Sunday\u003C\/a\u003E. Come on, man.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003EThe first two instances are a bad look, and then some. This isn't an automatic thing; \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/goholycross.com\/fls\/33100\/statistics\/m-hockey\/Exhibitions\/hcexgame.htm?_ga=1.214958037.371458762.1475431897\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECarleton and Holy Cross' exhibition was pretty sedate\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBoth UNB's\u003Cb\u003E Gardiner MacDougall\u003C\/b\u003E and Windsor's\u003Cb\u003E Kevin Hamlin \u003C\/b\u003Eare intelligent enough men to know they are accountable, and there will probably be meetings with their superiors to clear up what happened.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe stick-swinging allegation against UNB and Marcoux is the sole disturbing part. \u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWindsor scuffling with Bowling Green should not be condoned, but it also didn't seem very serious. As much as there has been a lot of welcome progress toward curbing fighting and dirty play in hockey, it will happen from time to time.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAt every level of competitive hockey in North America, there is a higher frequency of fisticuffs when two teams meet for the only or last time. Players get a little bolder against opponents they won't be seeing for the rest of the season.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat is not enough reason for #HotTakes calling for an end to early-season exhibitions between CIS and D-1 teams. The schools from the four-letter cartel would not schedule Canadian teams if they didn't believe there student-athletes need that exposure before the NCAA season. The whole reason for exhibition games is to be exposed to something different, in the hope of it creating a benefit down the line.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFrom a CIS vantage point, negative media coverage does warrant some response. It does suck, on some low level, when media outlets who half-pay attention to CIS teams suddenly snap to it when there is something negative to report. At the same time, that can point up the need to show there are consequences for hockey players behaving badly. There's no equivocation in a case, speaking in the hypothetical, where a player intimidated a child, whether the stick was flung or swung.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor the record, OUA recognizes suspensions imposed by Hockey Canada and USA Hockey. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/static.psbin.com\/n\/f\/owadfva7ueateo\/SECTION2-PlayingRegulations-2016_MH.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EAtlantic University Sport's section on suspensions in the men's hockey regulations doesn't mean honouring suspensions\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;from other associations. Doing so is fairly boilerplate, though.\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\/2631401513016402399\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/10\/hockey-cis-vs-ncaa-games-get-heated-as.html#comment-form","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/2631401513016402399"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/2631401513016402399"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/10\/hockey-cis-vs-ncaa-games-get-heated-as.html","title":"Hockey: CIS vs. NCAA games get heated, as per usual; only the stick-swinging is serious"}],"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-4423386163116875401"},"published":{"$t":"2016-03-12T18:45:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-03-12T20:05:51.585-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"CIS 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":"OUA"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Wilson Cup"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"OUA Wilson Cup bronze: Ottawa 90, Windsor 77, Gees firm up wild-card case: 'I don't think there's any doubt who should go'"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"TORONTO — With \u003Cb\u003ECaleb Agada \u003C\/b\u003Etaking over with a LeBron-like line to help\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003EMichael L'Africain \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003Einto the groove of\u0026nbsp;a share-the-ball system, Ottawa completed their CIS Final 8 wild-card application by defeating the Windsor Lancers 90-77 in Saturday's OUA bronze-medal game.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAgada, the best two-way player in CIS, had 23 points, 12 rebounds, four steals and an 8-to-3 assist\/turnover ratio, with 83.3 per cent eFG. The fourth-year wing also helped limit Windsor's fine fifth-year guard \u003Cb\u003EAlex Campbell \u003C\/b\u003Eto a muted 24 points (on 58.8% eFG), only eight of which came in the first 28 minutes. Overall, fewer than 24 hours after losing control of their destiny with that desultory defeat against No. 1-ranked Carleton, the No. 2-ranked Gee-Gees were locked in, albeit against a team they had already beaten by 30-plus points in November. The fancystats included a 58.2% eFG and 18-to-11 assist\/turnover ratio. Ten Gee-Gees scored.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"Realistically, with this win, I don't think that leaves any doubt on who should go,\" said Gee-Gees coach James Derouin, whose team is 29-5. \"The at-large was going to go the bronze [winner] from this tournament from the start. You had number one [Carleton] beat number two [Ottawa] in the semifinal, now one and three [Ryerson] are playing in the final. That was the way it should have panned out. The one, two and three have got to go. I'm confident that will be the case.\" \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe gameflow was much like the Windsor-Ryerson semifinal. L'Africain, who made only 3-of-28 from the floor across the two games, stepped up with an assist in transition and some strong takes to get to the free-throw line during a 9-0 run that opened an 11-point mid-third quarter lead. Windsor had some pushback, but after frosh backup point guard \u003Cb\u003ECalvin Epistola \u003C\/b\u003Ecanned a buzzer three off an Agada assist to end the third, Ottawa had a secure grip on the game. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin: 0px;\"\u003EOttawa's stretch-four,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb style=\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003EMatt Plunkett \u003C\/b\u003E(16 points on 66.7% eFG), had three triples during a first half-finishing 18-7 Gee-Gees surge. Plunkett had another three-ball to buckle Windsor down the stretch. Ottawa got a little from everyone, including \u003Cb\u003EBrody Maracle\u003C\/b\u003E inside (12 points in 19) and L'Africain (11 points, six rebounds, 3\/2 assist turnover, two steals). The urgency was back.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin: 0px;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\"Last night would change anybody,\" Plunkett said. \"Our season was on the line. We knew if we lost we might not get this wild card – and we still might not, but we would put ourselves in the best possible situation if we won today. We went out with a 'win or go home' attitude\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"That bitter taste [after losing to the Ravens] is still in my mouth today,\" Plunkett added. \"I won't lose that until we win nationals.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWindsor, which interim coach \u003Cb\u003ERyan Steer \u003C\/b\u003Egot to within a game of a Final 8 spot with a seven-man rotation and seven rookies on the roster, rated leaving the floor with heads held high. Rookie 6-foot-5 guard \u003Cb\u003EIsiah Osborne\u003C\/b\u003E (20 points, 54.5% eFG) battled with a clearly injured left hand. Third-year southpaw guard \u003Cb\u003EMike Rocca \u003C\/b\u003E(17 points, eight rebounds, four assists, 51.9% eFG) was the Lancers' lifeline with four first-half triples. Rocca only scored three points after the break. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"He's just a wild player, and I mean that in the positive way, who's capable of getting hot and capable of getting cold,\" Derouin said of the 5-foot-10 Rocca. \"He hit tough contested shots. We just continued to play good defence.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECampbell's all-Canadian-worthy postseason bears highlighting. The Brampton, Ont., native averaged 27.3 points and 9.3 rebounds. Holding him to fewer than 25 was a win.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"The game plan was for me to guard Alex Campbell and do what I am capable of,\" Agada lauded. \"He still had 24. He's a great player.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIf they get the at-large berth on Sunday, Ottawa will be in the Final 8 for the fourth consecutive season. McGill beating Laval for the RSEQ title would takes another Top 10 team out the wild-card consideration.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThompson Rivers' Top-2 Canada West finish should create space for the wild card to draw into the 4 vs. 5 quarter-final.\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\/4423386163116875401\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/oua-wilson-cup-ottawa-90-windsor-77-in.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/4423386163116875401"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/4423386163116875401"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/oua-wilson-cup-ottawa-90-windsor-77-in.html","title":"OUA Wilson Cup bronze: Ottawa 90, Windsor 77, Gees firm up wild-card case: 'I don't think there's any doubt who should go'"}],"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":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-6638656016600083278"},"published":{"$t":"2016-03-12T12:14:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-03-12T12:19:45.595-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bronze Baby"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bronze Baby Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Griffins"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Martlets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pandas"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Regina Cougars"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ryerson Rams"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"SMU Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"U of S Huskies"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bronze Baby Bracketology: McGill faces win-and-in, bronze games could bust bracket"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"There is little belaboring the self-evident, since other than a re-shuffling of Ryerson and Ottawa depending on how Critelli Cup unholds on Saturday.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWindsor's five-year title reign is on life support, of course, after their semifinal loss on Friday. \u003Cb\u003EChantal Vallée\u003C\/b\u003E, needless to say, is owed a debt for raising the bar in the women's game.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMcGill Martlets (RSEQ champion)\u003C\/b\u003E — No. 1, with a bullet. Host Laval for the Q banner at 3 p.m. on Saturday.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaskatchewan Huskies (Canada West champion)*\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;— Holy hot take bait, Huskies! Actually, coach \u003Cb\u003ELisa Thomaidis\u003C\/b\u003E was sage to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.canadawest.org\/sports\/wbkb\/2015-16\/postseason\/box_scores\/20160311_zze7.xml\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Erun her first V for 32-plus minutes apiece, as the bench did not even score one basket during their 78-68 qualifying win against Alberta\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003Cb\u003ESabine Dukate\u003C\/b\u003E was on all cylinders like her finally crafted two-wheeled namesake, hooping 29 with a 76.7% eFG.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBasically going five deep does not seem like Why do you do that in the Huskies' position? Ensuring you're on the plane to Fredericton is paramount, and the U of S has a good enough case for a 3 seed even as the Canada West runner-up.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYou have to win the one in front of you. Otherwise it's like a football coach pulling his star running back who's banged up from a close playoff game because they're going to need him the following week. Who does that?\u003Ci\u003E Oh, right.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaint Mary's Huskies (AUS champion)* — \u003C\/b\u003EGood luck to the commentators who end up calling a Huskies-Huskies semifinal. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERyerson Rams (OUA champion)*\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003ERare to see a 13-assist game at any time of year in CIS, but RU's\u003Cb\u003E Keneca Pingue-Giles \u003C\/b\u003Epulled that off on Friday.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETo reiterate: Ryerson has never won an OUA basketball title, and the female and male teams could complete the double on the same night. The last double was more recent than one might think: McMaster, in 2006.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI dare Ryerson to make that the trivia contest answer during the first media timeout of the Wilson Cup.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERegina Cougars (Canada West runner-up)*\u003C\/b\u003E — Held off game MacEwan and \u003Cb\u003EMegan Wood\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAlberta Pandas (at large, Canada West bronze medal)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E— The 4-7 slots are in flux until those 6 p.m. ET neutral-floor bronze games, Mac-Windsor and MacEwan-Alberta.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOttawa Gee-Gees (OUA runner-up)*\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E— Twenty-five offensive rebounds? That is ... gritty.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFun fact: the Ottawa-Mac women's basketball playoff game had one fewer point (56-42 Gees) than the same schools' football game (57-42 Marauders).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother Gees-inspired tangent, stemming from Sparks' Sprites having two sets of same-named starters with\u003Cb\u003E Kellie Forand\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EKellie Ring\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EKatherine Lemoine \u003C\/b\u003Eand \u003Cb\u003ECatherine Traer\u003C\/b\u003E. There's a Netflix series to be made about a high school math teacher who turns around a perennially struggling girls basketball team by installing a full-court press and using analytics to develop twins who shoot corner threes. \u003Cb\u003ERob Pettapiece\u003C\/b\u003E is attached to this project, although he does not know that yet.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EUNB Varsity Reds (host)*\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E— \u003Cb\u003EJeff Speedy\u003C\/b\u003E. Great coach name, or greatest coach name?\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cbr \/\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\/6638656016600083278\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/bronze-baby-bracketology-mcgill-faces.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6638656016600083278"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6638656016600083278"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/bronze-baby-bracketology-mcgill-faces.html","title":"Bronze Baby Bracketology: McGill faces win-and-in, bronze games could bust bracket"}],"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-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":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-3863860821628205246"},"published":{"$t":"2016-03-11T22:01:00.005-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-03-11T23:10:26.278-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"CIS Final 8"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ryerson Rams"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Wilson Cup"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"OUA Wilson Cup: Ravens-Rams for CIS Final 8 No. 1 seed; Ryerson 96, Windsor 77 "},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"TORONTO — The takeaway was \u003Cb\u003EAaron Best \u003C\/b\u003Ebeing a takeover artist. And Ryerson might soon take over the province and country.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne would have anticipated a sizable spread on Friday for the home-court Ryerson Rams, who indeed had an 96-77 win against the game Windsor Lancers in the second OUA Wilson Cup semifinal. That made Ryerson, with Thompson Rivers knocking off CIS Final 8 host UBC 72-69 in the first Canada West semifinal out in Calgary, the fifth team into the nationals. It also sets up a Carleton Ravens-Rams Saturday night fight for the No. 1 seed. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFirst things first: Ryerson, with post defender nonpareil Kareem Green doing work with 12 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots, has shown that loss in Guelph was an anomaly. On to Carleton.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\"We want to make history,\" said Best, who had his own 18-point, 11-rebound double-double with a 59.1 per cent eFG. \"We have to go in tomorrow with the same defensive intensity and do something big for our school.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\"By no means is tomorrow a pushover game,\" added Best, whose Rams defeated Carleton 79-61 on Jan. 22, seven weeks ago. \"Carleton is not going to take a night off. They're going to come for us, especially after what happened during the season. Definitely, tomorrow, we have to come with the same focus \u0026nbsp;if we want to win again.\"\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003EIt was a good night for the sixth man. The actual super-utility player,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003EJean-Victor Mukama\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;went\u0026nbsp;off for a game-high 23 on a flawless 5-of-5 night on triples. The figurative sixth man was a story, too.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003EFive seasons ago, there was about as demand to see the Rams as there was for a Full House reboot. Now they have a full house every night at the second-floor court, which has become a scale model of what you see south of the border. Or, if you need a CIS analog, a small, everyone-knows-everybody eastern school such as Acadia, Cape Breton, St. Francis Xavier or Bishop's back in the '90s during the peak\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003EEddie Pomykala\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;era. Except this isn't in a town of 5,000, it's in the downtown of a city of some 5 million people, where it's so easy to be detached. It's such a diamond in the rough for the city of Toronto.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003EAll that is missing is a banner.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\"We've had the OUA Final Four here – twice – in the past and both times we did not play in it,\" OUA coach of the year\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;Patrick Tatham\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003Enoted, referring to the '13 and '14 OUA finals. \"This year we've got it on our home court, where we are undefeated since 2014. We're going for it. We want to be the first team to bring a banner to Ryerson.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\"We've played one game against Carleton this year and we beat 'em pretty badly. So we know there's some sort of revenge in their blood for tomorrow. We're going to continue doing what we're doing, shoot the ball well, transition, play defence.\"\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003EAnyway, about the way Best and the Rams put away Windsor, which will regroup for a bronze-medal game against Ottawa that is a de facto play-in for the Final 8 wild card. The Lancers hung around for 25 minutes until 'Best mode' was invoked. The fifth-year southpaw shooting guard who is one of the holdovers from program architect \u003Cb\u003ERoy Rana\u003C\/b\u003E's first Final 8 team in 2012, willed and skilled his way to three baskets to spur a quarter-capping\u0026nbsp;18-4 run.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003EThat surge including Best getting a putback to clean up after\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003EManny Diressa\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;had a hard-luck driving layup try. A Best steal and a driving layup got the lead to nine. Minutes later, Best dunked to bring the house down, and it became evident that the Lancers' caffeine crash was coming quickly.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\"Our crowd is amazing – they give us that boost that we need to keep our energy up,\" Best said. \"When the other team goes on a run, they get us back in the game. They are like a sixth man on the floor for us.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\"Once we started to win games here, word started to spread. They stick by us. They stick by us.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003ERyerson has a shot at an OUA double, with the women's basketball Rams advancing to the Critelli Cup final after downing Windsor 79-62 to make the W-Final 8.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003EWhat it all means ....\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003EFor the Ryersons — \u003C\/b\u003EPlay Carleton in the Wilson Cup. They won the first matchup by 18 points.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EFor the Windsors — \u003C\/b\u003EFace Ottawa in the bronze-medal game.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThat Guelph game was a purposeful loss\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EIf Ryerson cuts down the nets in nine days' time, it will be a footnote that it contrived to loss to a non-playoff team, Guelph.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"For our guys, they really get up when they play teams that have a ranked number beside their name,\" Tatham said. \"If it's Carleton with a number one, they get fired up. If it is Brock with a five, our guys are fired up. For Guelph, they were not fired up. They didn't take it seriously enough. They learned that the hard way. We needed the loss before playoffs because we had not loss since November, really. We needed that to shake us up and get us back to what we do well.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003EI mean, they have guys\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EThe game exhibited how Ryerson boasts two unique X factors rarely seen in CIS, presently. Green was a trump card as a post defender, which would be essential if they have to play Calgary next weekend.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"Kadeem is a luxury for us,\" Tatham said. In this league, 6-8, 6-9, long, lean, can protect the rim and can step out and shoot. Without him here, it's a different game. We hope we can keep him around for the next four games.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMukama's PER, presumably, was off the charts. His 23 came on eight shots from the floor. The 6-foot-8 guard, when he was starting, sometimes evinced a tendency to rush things, which would lead to turnovers. He had only one on Friday\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\"JV brings so much to the table – he can play the one, he can play the two, he can play the three, he can play the four,\" Tatham said. \"His shooting ability, at 6-8, is unheard of. He is a secret weapon for us.\"\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWindsor has another shot\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EFor whatever it is worth (likely not much), Ottawa beat Windsor by 34 points at home in the regular-season game on the last weekend of the first half.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003EThe Lancers had an 11-win streak snapped Friday. Hitting 14 threes made it interesting, but it just seems to be Ryerson's time.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EIn case you were wondering — \u003C\/b\u003EThose two Final Four weekends that Ryerson hosted were both in the main venue of the MAC, where it also lost the national semifinal in March 2015 before copping a bronze medal.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe rink is being used for a blind hockey tournament, so it wasn't available. Let's be honest, for a lot of universities, it makes dollars-and-sense to have an arena to tap into the lucrative ice rental market. Because, Canada.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlso, because Canada. \u003Ci\u003EIf only\u003C\/i\u003E CIS could have ridden the coattails of the NBA all-star weekend and had the Final 8 at Ryerson again.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe bid process to host a championship is a labyrinth written by lawyers. So it's not clear when the 2016 bid opened. However, the Raptors were given the all-star game on Sept. 30, 2013. About three weeks later, Oct. 18, 2013, Ryerson got the '15 nationals. If only someone had thought to ask, \"Could you take it two years in a row?\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESome times it's best to act unilaterally. It would not go over well, but given that Carleton once hosted five times in seven seasons, the precedent has been set.\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\/3863860821628205246\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/oua-wilson-cup-ravens-rams-for-cis.html#comment-form","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/3863860821628205246"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/3863860821628205246"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/oua-wilson-cup-ravens-rams-for-cis.html","title":"OUA Wilson Cup: Ravens-Rams for CIS Final 8 No. 1 seed; Ryerson 96, Windsor 77 "}],"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-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":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-5835909379066687395"},"published":{"$t":"2016-03-09T16:20:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-03-09T16:28:59.826-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bronze Baby"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bronze Baby Bracketology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Critelli Cup"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Griffins"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Martlets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ottawa Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pandas"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Regina Cougars"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ryerson Rams"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"SMU Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"U of S Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Varsity Reds"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bronze Baby Bracketology: McGill on top, with a deep dive down the wild-card rabbit hole"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"(Ibid., see \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/bronze-baby-bracketology-marlets.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Elast week's draft of the presumptive draw for next week in Freddy Beach\u003C\/a\u003E.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe outcome that you should root for, if you're not imbued with Gee-Gee garnet or Ram blue, is for Ottawa to win the Wilson Cup on Ryerson's floor whilst the women's basketball Ryersonians do a turnabout is fair play deal to the Ottawans in the inaugural Critelli Cup final four. Otherwise, why did we do all this? \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOh, and good luck to everyone who has sweat equity in these championships. It's not bias to say you're rooting for a particular outcome, because you like a convoluted storyline that will confuse the non-followers. \u003Ci\u003EJournalism!\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe W-Final 8 picture probably has not changed terribly much, apart from fifth-year forward\u003Cb\u003E Megan Cook g\u003C\/b\u003Eoing Megatron in the Grant MacEwan Griffins' Canada West quarter-final sweep of Victoria. Leading a team to its first playoff series victory in your final home games as a fifth-year, that is a great senior moment. It needs to be acknowledged like a \u003Cb\u003EMartin Prince\u003C\/b\u003E-polished geode.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESaint Mary's is in, and the other five qualifiers will be determined Friday night, between the Quebec final and a pair of semifinals. There is not much reason to change from last week.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMcGill Martlets (RSEQ champion) — \u003C\/b\u003EIf they win, they are the top seed by virtue of a one-loss regular season. Likely the at-large berth in a championship-game upset scenario, since \u003Cb\u003ERyan Thorne\u003C\/b\u003E's team would be 21-3 overall. No other faint-hope wild-card hopeful will have fewer than five losses.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaskatchewan Huskies (Canada West champion)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EThe U of S has home floor. What could go wrong?\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaint Mary's Huskies (AUS champion)*\u0026nbsp;—\u003C\/b\u003E \u003Ci\u003EThe Chronicle-Herald\u003C\/i\u003E union-busting made for sparse coverage of the AUS championships. Thankfully, one of the finest reporters around, \u003Cb\u003EKristen Lipscombe\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;— Laurier hockey alumna! \u003Ci\u003EHerald\u003C\/i\u003E alumna! Kingstonian!\u0026nbsp;—\u0026nbsp;was there to capture how SMU \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.metronews.ca\/news\/halifax\/2016\/03\/06\/saint-mary-s-huskies-win-fourth-straight-aus-women-s-basketball-.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehas had its fill of being a conference dynasty\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERyerson Rams (OUA champion)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003ESince it is Windsor-Ryerson on Friday in a go-to-nats game for \u003Cb\u003ECarly Clarke\u003C\/b\u003E's Rams and \u003Cb\u003EChantal Vallée\u003C\/b\u003E's still-breathing five-time champion Lancers, it's behooving to back up 3½ months to their regular-season matchup.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWindsor took a 95-79 win that Wednesday night after the Rams maintained the three-quarter lead, before the Lancers had a 31-11 fourth. In hindsight, a fade is in tune with travelling down Hwy. 401 for a midweek game. Ryerson should have more rest and less travel this time around. The same cannot be said of Windsor going to Ottawa on back-to-back weekends.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAny two of the four, in either order, could likely emerge from OUA.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERegina Cougars (Canada West runner-up)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EShould get by MacEwan to seal their spot.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAlberta Pandas (at large, Canada West bronze medal)\u0026nbsp;—\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003ETime to deep dive into the selection\u0026nbsp;criteria for the at-large berth, since those on the conference call will need at least three beers and their conversation hats. It could very well come down to \"the tied team who has the highest winning percentage vs. the Top 12 teams in the final RPI.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe best primer is to put the two Edmonton teams that are underdogs in Canada West Final Four (one more so than the other) and all four extent OUA teams into a table. The records reflect that each bronze-medal game winner will, of course, have a 1-1 weekend. The RPI is the overall RPI, and the SRS is the current one.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstyle type=\"text\/css\"\u003E table.tableizer-table { font-size: 14px; border: 1px solid #CCC; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; } .tableizer-table td { padding: 5px; margin: 5px; border: 1px solid #CCC; } .tableizer-table th { background-color: #104E8B; color: #FFF; font-weight: bold; } \u003C\/style\u003E\u003Ctable class=\"tableizer-table\"\u003E\u003Cthead\u003E\u003Ctr class=\"tableizer-firstrow\"\u003E\u003Cth\u003E\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003EPW\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003EPL\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003ERPI\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003EShort\u003C\/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003ESRS\u003C\/th\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/thead\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EAlberta\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E22\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E6\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003E0.604\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E16.55\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EMacEwan\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E20\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E6\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E0.558\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E7.44\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EMcMaster\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E20\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E8\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E0.584\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003E16.74\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EOttawa\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003E25\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003E5\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E0.583\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E8.78\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003ERyerson\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003E25\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003E5\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E0.579\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E15.21\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EWindsor\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E20\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E10\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E0.571\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E9.55\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOf course, only the bronze-medal game winners will be in consideration. There is an Alberta advantage going into the weekend. \u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOttawa Gee-Gees (OUA runner-up)\u0026nbsp;—\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EThe table underlines the urgency for Ottawa to beat Mac,\u0026nbsp;not that the Marauders have any less urgency. The grey team in from the city of 670,000 merely has a better wild-card case than the grey team from the city of 700,000. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is hard to imagine the gritty Gees letting a berth go through their grasp at home, though.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EUNB Varsity Reds\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EThe V-Reds might not be long for the championship side, but one has to say something nice. Kudos to coach \u003Cb\u003EJeff Speedy \u003C\/b\u003Efor having a roster that is 50 per cent drawn from the province and 75% from Atlantic Canada. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGuilty as charged for harping on this when the budgetary ax has arced over women's hockey teams down east, but local and regional matters when talking about playing opportunities in CIS. Athletes are talented people, and need reasons to keep them in the region.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is an apples\/oranges comparison, of course, to contrast that with UNB men's hockey, which\u0026nbsp;20.8% New Brunswickans, and 33.3% from Atlantic Canada. That said,\u0026nbsp;UNB coach\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003EGardiner MacDougall \u003C\/b\u003Ecannot be begrudged how hard he was worked to build a national recruiting network. It's just about introducing that perspective.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E(Editor's note, W-Final 8 is the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/static.psbin.com\/u\/w\/idbtw8m8fmkhfs\/Basketball_-W-.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Epreferred nomenclature in the regulations\u003C\/a\u003E. Paraphrasing Michael Scott after he hit Meredith Palmer with his car: \"You should have to have a 'W' in front of everything so that people know it's women's sports, but that's where we are in America.\" Or maybe the 'W' indicates the unique strength of women. This will be discussed at the Diversity Day seminar.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E(* Already determined.)\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\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\/5835909379066687395\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/bronze-baby-bracketology.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/5835909379066687395"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/5835909379066687395"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/bronze-baby-bracketology.html","title":"Bronze Baby Bracketology: McGill on top, with a deep dive down the wild-card rabbit hole"}],"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-7946050246252963415"},"published":{"$t":"2016-03-05T18:10:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-03-06T20:57:55.783-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Axemen"},{"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":"Bronze Baby"},{"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":"Golden Gaels"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Griffins"},{"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":"Pandas"},{"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":"Regina Cougars"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ryerson Rams"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"SMU Huskies"},{"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":"WolfPack"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Basketball: Dalhousie gets it done, repeats in AUS; MacEwan Griffins game away from W-Final 8"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Windsor's\u003Cb\u003E Alex Campbell\u003C\/b\u003E is making our weekend, and a few other ballers have done so as well.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor a certified hoser hoophead, the antepenultimate weekend is like what the slow build-up to the New Hampshire and Iowa primaries is for a politics junkie. It is down to a quartet vying for the two auto-berths in Canada West and Ontario University Athletics, with the Dalhousie men and Saint Mary's women reigning on Championship Sunday set down east.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJust as one does not simply walk into Mordor, one does not try to outdo\u003Cb\u003E Mark Wacyk \u003C\/b\u003Efor comprehensive coverage of the university men's game in this country.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe bullet points: Dalhousie is the first qualifier for the men's Final 8 after doing a hella survive-and-advance deal, with\u003Cb\u003E Ritchie Kanza-Mata\u003C\/b\u003E posting 21 points, an 8\/4 assist-to-turnover, and five steals during a breathless 87-85 win against UPEI on Sunday. Dal will surely be the No. 6 seed and likely get the Canada West champion in the quarter-final. Whether the Tigers will be able to get off offensively at nationals in 10 days is a question that can wait. Winning by two in the final after the one-pointer against Saint Mary's in the semifinal is stellar. It's fair to interpret the result as Dalhousie rallying after a close call.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETwo other men's playoff games on Saturday were one-point games, including \u003Cb\u003EMike L'Africain \u003C\/b\u003Edonning his Superman cape to save No. 2 Ottawa's season while Dalhousie had a survive-and-advance deal through Saint Mary's bricking a free throw with zeroes on the clock in the second AUS semifinal. Meantime, exalt the Explorer! \u003Cb\u003EMegan Wood\u003C\/b\u003E went off for 34 points and the Grant MacEwan Griffins are going to their first Canada West Final Four.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Cliff Notes on what happened for the few, the proud, on the Path to Point Grey and the Battle for Freddy Beach (patents pending).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAUS championship\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003E— UPEI-Dalhousie (Sunday)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETigers go back to nationals — \u003C\/b\u003EDal survived a physical test from the rugged UPEI Panthers, and pulled out the narrow victory after trailing inside of the 80-second mark in regulation. Rick Plato's team had all five starters in double digits, and survived having 6-foot-2 forward Kashrell Lawrence foul out. Guards \u003Cb\u003ECedric Sanago\u003C\/b\u003E and\u003Cb\u003E Jarred Reid\u003C\/b\u003E made a difference, since they combined for 23 points on a 69.2% eFG.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDalhousie is a throwback team, with 6-5 \u003Cb\u003ESven Stammberger\u003C\/b\u003E being the only starter above 6-2. Yet they took 15 O-boards on Sunday.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOUA Final Four\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003E— Windsor-Ryerson, Carleton-Ottawa (Friday and Saturday, Ryerson)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWindsor crashes the party —\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;Winners go to the Final 8 and the others play for bronze and a likely wild-ticket to Vancouver. A pair of one-point finishes made that possible.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETwo years in a row, \u0026nbsp;Campbell, et al., ended McMaster's season on its home floor. There is little more noble than a fifth-year who will not let her or his tenure end, and Campbell went for \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/canhoopsca.wordpress.com\/2016\/03\/05\/oua-lancers-do-it-again-at-mac\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E33 on 58.7% eFG to help short-benched Windsor prevail 79-78\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Lancers basically cut down to a six-man rotation, but let's not spoil it by wondering what the chance (slim, probably) is of that working against Ryerson at the MAC next Friday. Campbell has been superlative; he also had a 37-10-5-4 line (with 66.7% eFG) against Laurentian on Wednesday.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EL'Africain rescues Ottawa — \u003C\/b\u003EIt was hardly an auspicious outcome for No. 2 Ottawa, which eked past upstart Queen's 73-72 by the margin of fifth-year point guard \u003Cb\u003EMike L'Africain\u003C\/b\u003E's layin with 1.1 seconds left.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe telltale stat: L'Africain, who scored 27 points on a 48.1% eFG and\u003Cb\u003E Caleb Agada\u003C\/b\u003E, who had the 18-point, 15-rebound double-double but was 30.4% eFG, took \u003Ci\u003Enearly two-thirds \u003C\/i\u003Eof Ottawa's shots. This is a callback to a discomfiting pattern Ottawa had late last season when they weren't as able to share the ball successfully; it started sticking. The upshot is this game is behind them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EQueen's, by most accounts, defended well all night. It was just that on the Gee-Gees' last possession, with a midcourt inbound, the Gaels' scrappy on-ball defender Sammy Ayisi just wasn't able to deny L'Africain the ball. That allowed the fifth-year point guard to get to the cup and keep Ottawa alive.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EL'Africain also hit a buzzer shot at the end of the first half. Queen's, with \u003Cb\u003ESukhpreet Singh\u003C\/b\u003E putting his team on his shounders and tallying 19, made a game of it. No doubt it hurts to come that close, but \u003Cb\u003EStephan Barrie \u003C\/b\u003Eis building something promising at Queen's, which is a historic underachiever on the men's side.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt would have been Queen's biggest win since 2000, when John Purdy and Derek Richardson spurred a quarter-final upset of nationally ranked Ryerson. That was so long ago that the OUA East and OUA West didn't even play in the regular season and only came together for the Wilson Cup.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Ravens routed Brock 90-52; the spread was 20 after a quarter and 24 by halftime. One shouldn't take the point spread as an indicator of anything. Brock was really just happy to be there and Carleton pounced on an undermanned opponent.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECanada West Final Four\u0026nbsp;— Manitoba-Calgary, UBC-Thompson Rivers\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBisons lean and mean\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E— Manitoba coach \u003Cb\u003EKirby Schepp \u003C\/b\u003Erecently shared a Bisons best-of highlight video and, man, that is an athletic starting five. Quick, explosive to the hoop, able to shoot the three. Alas, since a precedent was set by concern-trolling about Windsor getting one bench point in their quarter-final win, it must be pointed out \u003Cb\u003EA.J. Basi\u003C\/b\u003E (40 minutes),\u003Cb\u003E Keith Omoerah\u003C\/b\u003E (40), \u003Cb\u003EJustus Alleyn\u003C\/b\u003E (38) and\u003Cb\u003E Wyatt Anders\u003C\/b\u003E (37) all went long in the 77-72 OT clincher against Fraser Valley. The Bisons also overcame 25 turnovers.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETop four go through — \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EThompson Rivers survived getting extended by Regina, coming through in the clincher through double-doubles from \u003Cb\u003EVolodymyr Iegorov \u003C\/b\u003E(21 and 14 boards, 55.6% eFG) and \u003Cb\u003EJosh Wolfram\u003C\/b\u003E (15 apiece, only 33.3% eFG). Thompson Rivers reduced Regina to some Costanza-ian chucking of 32.7% eFG, including 7-of-35 from downtown. Trying that many threes probably explained the 20-plus offensive rebounds allowed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWomen\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAUS championship: Saint Mary's\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003EHuskies — \u003C\/b\u003EShout-out to Huskies sixth woman \u003Cb\u003EJenny Lewis\u003C\/b\u003E for hooping 29 in 34 minutes across the two playoff games, including Sunday's 63-49 win against Cape Breton.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Capers' best inside presence, Alison Keough, was limited to three minutes of court time. Sounds like an injury deal..\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOUA Final Four: Windsor-Ryerson, McMaster-Ottawa (at Ottawa, Friday and Saturday)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELancers' reign lasts another six days \u0026nbsp;at least — Chantal Vallée\u003C\/b\u003E's charges put up 16 fewer shots than host Carleton and yet won by 15 points, pulling away in the fourth for a 63-48 victory. Low post stalwart\u003Cb\u003E Cheyanne Roger \u003C\/b\u003Ehelped Windsor stay in the hunt while it played from behind during the first 20 minutes, and finished with 17 points, 10 boards and five blocked shots.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERyerson likes to get out and run, and that might not be Windsor's game.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECarleton hit 27.4% on two-pointers. That is, how do you say, not good. It is impolitic to harp on this whilst discussing a a 15-point game, but the end of the first half was odd and off-putting. Carleton, up four, took possession with 15 seconds left. Instead of playing for one shot, Carleton's\u003Cb\u003E Elizabeth Leblanc \u003C\/b\u003Edrove for a layup with about nine seconds on the clock. The Lancers rebounded, ran the floor and got some hidden offence from two free throws. That four-point swing didn't necessarily dictate what happened in the second 20 minutes, of course.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe OUA does not have a stronger wild-card argument than Canada West.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECanada West: Alberta-Saskatchewan, Regina-MacEwan (at Saskatchewan, Friday and Saturday)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWe flew 1,000 kilometres for this? — \u003C\/b\u003EIt is a small \u0026nbsp;sample, granted, but the home teams went 8-0 this week. On the men's side, 8-1.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnyone else like the notion of Canada West copying the AUS model of combining the women's and men's tournaments, except having subregionals to decide each nationals berth? It would be more cost-effective and more media-friendly, and rarely can you feed those two birds with one scone.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAgain, though, after the wrangling that went into the last realignment, it's doubtful they want to go there again.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGood Griffs\u0026nbsp;—\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EWood, of course, averaged 18.7 in regular-season play but scored more than 25 only once. The Griffin who can \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.edmontonsun.com\/2016\/02\/19\/macewan-griffins-womens-basketball-team-clinches-first-in-canada-west-explorers-division\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eshoot the ball from anywhere\u003C\/a\u003E\" carried her side as MacEwan advanced to their first Final Four.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo there is a chance of a Battle of Saskatchewan for the Canada West banner and higher Final 8 seed, and a Battle of Edmonton for bronze and the wild-card ticket for the Final 8.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EQuebec's final fours are next weekend. McGill is not going to lose either.\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\/7946050246252963415\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/basketball-aus-canada-west-oua-thread.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7946050246252963415"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7946050246252963415"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/basketball-aus-canada-west-oua-thread.html","title":"Basketball: Dalhousie gets it done, repeats in AUS; MacEwan Griffins game away from W-Final 8"}],"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":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-7169832032799803905"},"published":{"$t":"2016-03-01T15:46:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-03-01T15:54:15.977-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bisons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Carabins"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"CIS Issues"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Eligibility"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Football"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gaiters"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Gaels"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lions"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Media Coverage"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mount Royal Cougars"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Panthers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Soccer"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UBC Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Volleyball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Wilson Cup"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"X-Men"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Eligibility: York Lions' brief history of OUA forfeits"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"How many people does it take to check player eligibility? Or more to the point, how many times can York University play an ineligible player and not have severe consequences?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFurther to that, what does it say about the state of Ontario University Athletics that media — choose your adjective(s); corporate media, old media, legacy media, traditional media, the salary-and-benefits media — does not even deign to cover it? Apart from the blogs maintained by us hobbyists who find other ways to get paid, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/02\/york-lions-booted-from-oua-wilson-cup.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYork Lions' men's basketball team's ouster from the OUA Wilson Cup\u003C\/a\u003E was hardly covered, by anyone.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis is a public university, funded by the province, and no one seems to care that one of its most public departments is dropping the ball. By unofficial count, starting with the most recent first, York has forfeited games five times since \u003Cb\u003EJennifer Myers\u003C\/b\u003E' \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/yfile.news.yorku.ca\/2012\/05\/16\/jennifer-myers-named-president-of-ontario-university-athletics\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehire as director of sports and recreation in 2008\u003C\/a\u003E. Myers is also a past OUA president.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2015-16, men's basketball — \u003C\/b\u003EForfeited nine games after using \u003Cb\u003ERaheem Isaac\u003C\/b\u003E, who was not eligible since he had played exhibition games for Windsor and OUA rules proscribe playing for two teams in one season.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2011-12, women's volleyball — \u003C\/b\u003EDisqualified from hosting the OUA final four after playing middle hitter \u003Cb\u003EMichelle Pierce d\u003C\/b\u003Euring a 3-0 quarter-final against the RMC Paladins. Pierce, another Windsor transfer, had not played an OUA match in 365 games, but was not eligible for the playoffs since she had not competed during the regular season. As a result, OUA had to move the final four to Ottawa. As CIS Blog alumnus \u003Cb\u003EAndrew Bucholtz\u003C\/b\u003E put it at that time, \"\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/ca.sports.yahoo.com\/blogs\/eh-game\/top-seeded-york-women-volleyball-team-disqualified-oua-002334879.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EFrom what's come out, York has to bear most of the blame for this fiasco\u003C\/a\u003E.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2010-11, women's soccer\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003ERelatively minor, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.oua.ca\/sports\/wsoc\/2010-11\/releases\/7272.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Esince this was self-disclosed\u003C\/a\u003E, although the culprit was midfielder \u003Cb\u003ERita Keimakh\u003C\/b\u003E, who was a former national under-20 and Big Ten player. On Tuesday after Thanksgiving weekend, Keimakh dropped a class, reducing her load to 7½ hours per week. York required 9 hours in order to be considered a full-time student and, thus, OUA-eligible. Keimakh competed one day later. It was caught and the game was forfeited to McMaster six days later. To her credit, Keimakh competed for York in later seasons.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2009-10, football\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E—\u003Cb\u003E Patrick Hooey\u003C\/b\u003E had played for Saint Mary's in 2008, and enrolled at York with intentions to start a new degree, so he could play right away. Instead, he was enrolled as a \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2009\/09\/football-york-discloses-it-played.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Efull-time undergraduate student\u003C\/a\u003E\" but coach\u003Cb\u003E Mike McLean\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003Eallowed him to play in the season opener against Windsor. If memory serves, York self-disclosed the error, calling it a \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/yfile.news.yorku.ca\/2009\/09\/11\/new-u-of-t-library-fee-hits-york-students-staff-and-faculty\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ebreakdown in communications\u003C\/a\u003E,\" after Saint Mary's athletic director \u003Cb\u003ESteve Sarty \u003C\/b\u003Ealerted them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMcLean (career record: 0-16) left coaching after that season.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2008-09, men's soccer\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003E\u003Ci\u003EWhere have you gone, \u003Cb\u003EAndrea Lombardo\u003C\/b\u003E? A shut-in sports blogger turns his lonely eyes to you, woo-woo-woo.\u003C\/i\u003E Actually, Lombardo works at York, in the admissions department, and no doubt is great at his job. Hopefully, he would be a good sport about his line of work seeming ironic, lo, these many years later. In 2008, he played four games for the No. 1-ranked men's soccer Lions after having played for Toronto FC during its maiden Major League Soccer campaign.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs \u003Ci\u003EMacLean's\u003C\/i\u003E put it: \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/general\/york-universitys-soccer-scandal\/\"\u003EThe fact that they managed to play four games with this illegal player ... is just mind blowing. The fact that they didn’t know it was illegal is somewhat hilarious\u003C\/a\u003E.\" \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI apologize, fully completely, to Mses. Keimakh and Pierce and Messrs. Hooey, Isaac, Lombardo and even McLean that unpleasant incidents from their past have to be exhumed. It's just that a thread runs through all of this, which is that is seems like this isn't begin taken very seriously, by anyone whatsoever.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat is very, very bad. That goes for the scary thought that this happens since there is essentially no check and balance. Those have to be there. It can derive from \u003Cb\u003E1) \u003C\/b\u003Esome combination of intensely local news coverage that has a collective long memory; \u003Cb\u003E2) \u003C\/b\u003Eengaged alumni who expect more from an alma mater's varsity sports program and \u003Cb\u003E3) \u003C\/b\u003Ean athletic conference, OUA in this case, keeping member schools accountable. Honestly, I feel like the Walter Sobchak character in \u003Ci\u003EThe Big Lebowski\u003C\/i\u003E, minus the concealed carry, of course.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThis is not 'Nam ... this is high-performance sport. There are rules.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" class=\"YOUTUBE-iframe-video\" data-thumbnail-src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/P41gT4eicrE\/0.jpg\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/P41gT4eicrE?feature=player_embedded\" width=\"320\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYork is far from alone in having had player eligibility issues, of course, and this is not meant to be a call-out or a castigation. It just bears pointing out that a serious sports conference takes these matters seriously. That might help with getting the media to pay attention outside of Vanier Cup and Super Championship Weekend time, when they wonder why no one cares when they do a drive-by on something they have ignored for the other 49 weeks of the year.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHere is a brief list of other eligibility-related forfeits in recent years:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2015-16\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EWaterloo men's volleyball\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2014-15\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EQueen's football; Calgary football; Mount Royal men's soccer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2012-13 —\u003C\/b\u003E Bishop's football; UPEI men's soccer; St. Francis Xavier men's soccer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2011-12 — \u003C\/b\u003EUBC football; Montreal football\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2010-11 — \u003C\/b\u003ELaurier football\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2009-10 — \u003C\/b\u003EManitoba football; Simon Fraser football.\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\/7169832032799803905\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/eligibility-york-lions-brief-history-of.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7169832032799803905"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7169832032799803905"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/eligibility-york-lions-brief-history-of.html","title":"Eligibility: York Lions' brief history of OUA forfeits"}],"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$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/P41gT4eicrE\/default.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-2677801174095343939"},"published":{"$t":"2016-02-29T12:54:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-02-29T15:52:24.864-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lions"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"RPI"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Varsity Blues"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Wilson Cup"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"York Lions booted from OUA Wilson Cup playoffs over ineligibility snafu — report"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"While March might come in like a lamb, it is out with the Lions.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMonday morning, 60 hours before the start of the OUA Wilson Cup playoffs, with teams and athletic departments arranging travel and for Wednesday playoff games, the report from \u003Cb\u003EMark Wacyk \u003C\/b\u003Edropped that the York Lions have been bounced due to using an ineligible player for nine games.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn other words, two August exhibition games, the ones that Windsor used \u003Cb\u003ERaheem Isaac\u003C\/b\u003E in before he enrolled at York, are affecting the playoffs in March. Over to the oracle:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"tr_bq\"\u003E... the Lions used 6’1″ Raheem Isaac for 9 games earlier this season before he was released from the team. Isaac had also played in two games for Windsor in August during Lancers NCAA\/CIS series vs. Indianapolis at the St. Denis Center. By allowing Isaac to play for them after suiting up for a different OUA team in the same season, apparently by ruling, York forfeits at least the 9 games Isaac played in and as such U of T finishes third in the OUA Central. Still no word on why Toronto will go to Queen’s: clearly with U of T in the playoffs instead of York, RPI- calculated seedings are very likely change, throwing the entire bracket into uncertainty. With it being Monday morning and games on Wednesday and the other 6 playoff teams already preparing for their initial opponents, OUA likely was trying to think practically in the adjusted bracket. (\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/canhoopsca.wordpress.com\/2016\/02\/29\/eligibility-issue-reverses-oua-playoff-seedings\/\"\u003ECANhoops.ca\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Ci\u003EQuelle clusterfudge! \u003C\/i\u003EIt goes without saying OUA is following the manual, adhering to protocol, and trying to do as little harm as possible to teams' prep for playoff opponents. Not to be Mr. Negativity, since it is always better to be prescriptive ... but if it was not determined until 2-3 days prior to the playoffs that York was in the wrong by using Raheem Isaac, then, well, it's too late to do anything about it that affects the outcome of the 2015-16 season.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThis presumes using Isaac was all that was wrong. It might not be prudent to bring this up now, but York guard \u003Cb\u003EShane Reader \u003C\/b\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/oua.ca\/sports\/mbkb\/2015-16\/players\/shanereaderhug2?view=gamelog\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Edid not play any games\u003C\/a\u003E after Feb. 6. He played 30 minutes in his last game, and that typically means someone was healthy.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESanctioning York and levying a fine would have been much more of a direct punishment to the alleged offender, which is the men's basketball program\u003C\/b\u003E. Isaac has already been punished with his release. The Lions players have done nothing wrong. Moreover, coaches and players on seven to 11 other playoff teams shouldn't have the distraction of wondering if they are playing or going somewhere else. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUpdated: The big takeaway from the OUA release is that, fortunately, the recalculated RPI after York vacated the three wins that Isaac played in, didn't affect any other teams. Toronto went into the No. 10 seed:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"tr_bq\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe University of Toronto Varsity Blues, who previously finished tied for third with York, finish in third place in the OUA East Division and qualify for postseason play.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"tr_bq\"\u003EWith the updated division standings, the Varsity Blues were included in a recalculation of the Rating Percentage Index (RPI) resulting in amended playoff matchups. Toronto will enter the playoffs as the tenth seed, a position that was previously held by York. (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.oua.ca\/sports\/mbkb\/2015-16\/releases\/20160229l1g94l\"\u003EOUA\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/blockquote\u003EWell, then, everything has been wrapped up a in neat little package. Sorry if it came out sarcastically.\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnyone want to take bets on whether we see some tweaks to RPI come OUA AGM time?\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\/2677801174095343939\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/02\/york-lions-booted-from-oua-wilson-cup.html#comment-form","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/2677801174095343939"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/2677801174095343939"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/02\/york-lions-booted-from-oua-wilson-cup.html","title":"York Lions booted from OUA Wilson Cup playoffs over ineligibility snafu — report"}],"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":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-1393772720855805554"},"published":{"$t":"2016-02-27T22:45:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-02-28T11:45:29.872-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Badgers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Gaels"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gryphons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lions"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ottawa Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"RPI"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ryerson Rams"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Thunderwolves"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Voyageurs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Wilson Cup"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"#RPIProblems: Ryerson nabs OUA No. 1 seed due to Brock beating Guelph; tanking appears to have been avoided"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Updated ... since the OUA doesn't go to the fourth digit, Brock (.5128 RPI) and Queen's (.5130 RPI) are technically tied for the sixth seed. The Badgers move up due to having 13 regular-season wins to Queen's 11. Far be it to argue that instead of using a Tie Breaking Policy, the sixth seed could actually go to the team with the better RPI, even if it is by two-ten thousandths of a point.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlso, far be it to wonder whether any team contemplated the reality that if you're not a Top 4 bye team, it's really immaterial where you finish. There is a 'shifting deck chairs' aspect to sweating out whether you're fifth, sixth or seventh when you have one more hurdle to get to the OUA Final Four or CIS Final 8 than Ryerson, Ottawa, Carleton and McMaster, which probably also have deeper benches.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBrock Badgers coach \u003Cb\u003ECharles Kissi \u003C\/b\u003Ehad\u003Cb\u003E Dani Elgadi \u003C\/b\u003Eplay 35 minutes and three other starters play at least 30 (\u003Cb\u003ETyler Brown \u003C\/b\u003Ehad only 22 before fouling out) in their 65-62 win at Guelph, which became RPI-irrelevant since it eliminated the Gryphons.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd as it turned out, Brock would have got sixth if it had lost on Saturday. Their outcome \u0026nbsp;mainly flipped Ryerson above Ottawa for the No. 1 seed, and caused Windsor and Queen's to trade places in the 5 and 7 seeds.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EHere is the official RPI:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-aBK0gNKr2Qw\/VtMREm8yF6I\/AAAAAAAADGQ\/LHt8H-GsRJk\/s1600\/OUAMBBRPI-official.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-aBK0gNKr2Qw\/VtMREm8yF6I\/AAAAAAAADGQ\/LHt8H-GsRJk\/s640\/OUAMBBRPI-official.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo rather than 'pick your poison,' it's more like Kissi was choosing one for \u003Cb\u003ESteph Barrie\u003C\/b\u003E and the Queen's Gaels.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe upshot is no one tanked. So there is that. For comparison's sake, here is how it would have shook out with a Guelph win on Saturday:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-_kHvHZA-Mag\/VtJpLJlo1MI\/AAAAAAAADGA\/65h40WLWmZE\/s1600\/OUAwhatifGuelphbeatsBrock.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-_kHvHZA-Mag\/VtJpLJlo1MI\/AAAAAAAADGA\/65h40WLWmZE\/s640\/OUAwhatifGuelphbeatsBrock.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EConvoluted, much? One could put forth an argument that if it is between this and knowing the playoff matchups weeks ahead, then let's create the chaos apace.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe next level from that is that since it's not unheard of for teams in other university sports to rest key players before the playoffs, well, it's not that underhanded to tank in the last week of the regular season to try to exert control over potential matchups. There is a moral difference between tanking when the system rewards it and actual game-fixing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat said, Ontario University Athletics owes it to all concerned to make one simple change: \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003Einclude all 19 teams in the RPI. \u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003EThis issue would not come up again. It must be noted, though, that in Year 1 of the RPI playoffs, it protected the top four teams, Ottawa, Carleton, Ryerson and Windsor. It didn't this time, since the OUA is more balanced among its top strata of teams and its pretty good teams.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo, mea culpa for not remembering at 11 p.m. Saturday night that the the official RPI didn't go to the fourth digit. Here is what it looked like at CIS Hoops:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-5TFfeHIdbMs\/VtMZ2tW4oBI\/AAAAAAAADGg\/tr0HGBxinIw\/s1600\/OUAMBBRPI-unofficial.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"408\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-5TFfeHIdbMs\/VtMZ2tW4oBI\/AAAAAAAADGg\/tr0HGBxinIw\/s640\/OUAMBBRPI-unofficial.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhile we're here, here's what would be nice to see as a future format for the power conference.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EGo to a 20-game schedule for all concerned, with the Central, East and North teams having an extra home-and-home against a non-divisional team. It could rotate through over a number of years.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECap winning margins in the 90th percentile to control for the mismatches that are a fact of life throughout regular-season play in CIS, and use Simple Ranking System (SRS) to determine a 12-team playoff field. Whether that continues to involve an even three per division or something more akin to the NHL's divisional format with at-large\/wild-card teams is irrelevant.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003EAnyway, hopefully the playoffs are half this frenetic. Put the calculators down and get the popcorn ready.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is a modified bracket. The winner of the 12 vs. 5 game will play the 4 seed on Quarter-Final Weekend; winner of 11 vs. 6 visits the 3 seed, and so on. The OUA re-seeds for the Final Four, which Ryerson is in the driver's seat to host if it defeats either Lakehead or Western.\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\/1393772720855805554\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/02\/rpiproblems-ryerson-nabs-oua-no-1-seed.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/1393772720855805554"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/1393772720855805554"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/02\/rpiproblems-ryerson-nabs-oua-no-1-seed.html","title":"#RPIProblems: Ryerson nabs OUA No. 1 seed due to Brock beating Guelph; tanking appears to have been avoided"}],"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$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-aBK0gNKr2Qw\/VtMREm8yF6I\/AAAAAAAADGQ\/LHt8H-GsRJk\/s72-c\/OUAMBBRPI-official.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-3732909126425878631"},"published":{"$t":"2014-03-10T09:00:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2014-03-10T14:42:20.912-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"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 Gaels"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Martlets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pandas"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"SMU Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"statistics"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"U of S Huskies"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Women's basketball: Final 8 odds"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Same format \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2014\/03\/mens-basketball-final-8-tournament-odds.html\"\u003Eas the men's\u003C\/a\u003E: \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cfont size=4\u003E\u003Cpre\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E Semi Final Champ\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E1 WSR 94.5 83.7 56.2 \u003Cbr \/\u003E2 SMU 74.4 63.1 31.2 \u003Cbr \/\u003E7 ALB 25.6 17.0 4.7\u003Cbr \/\u003E3 SSK 82.5 18.9 3.9 \u003Cbr \/\u003E4 MCG 59.7 9.7 2.6\u003Cbr \/\u003E5 UFV 40.3 4.9 1.0 \u003Cbr \/\u003E8 WLU 5.5 1.7 0.2 \u003Cbr \/\u003E6 QUE 17.5 1.1 0.1 \u003C\/pre\u003E\u003C\/font\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe playoff results in Canada West, where Alberta finished third behind Saskatchewan and Fraser Valley, require the strange scenario of a 7 seed being third-most likely to win, and the 2 seed having with a tougher matchup in Round 1 than in Round 2.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESome may give Laurier half of the home bonus, being relatively close to the site of the tournament, but they are treated the same as any non-Windsor team here. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/championships\/wbkb\/2014\/schedule\"\u003Equarterfinal matchups\u003C\/a\u003E, viewable at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/cis-sic.tv\/\"\u003ECIS-SIC.tv\u003C\/a\u003E, are:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFri Mar 14\u003Cbr \/\u003E1:00pm ET - (7) Alberta vs. (2) SMU (\u003Ci\u003Epredicted score: SMU 68-63\u003C\/i\u003E)\u003Cbr \/\u003E3:00pm ET - (6) Queen's vs. (3) Saskatchewan (\u003Ci\u003ESaskatchewan 66-56\u003C\/i\u003E)\u003Cbr \/\u003E6:00pm ET - (8) Laurier at (1) Windsor (\u003Ci\u003EWindsor 80-48\u003C\/i\u003E)\u003Cbr \/\u003E8:00pm ET - (5) UFV vs. (4) McGill (\u003Ci\u003EMcGill 59-55\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\/3732909126425878631\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2014\/03\/womens-basketball-final-8-odds.html#comment-form","title":"5 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/3732909126425878631"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/3732909126425878631"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2014\/03\/womens-basketball-final-8-odds.html","title":"Women's basketball: Final 8 odds"}],"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":{"$t":"5"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-57199377769104478"},"published":{"$t":"2014-03-01T19:58:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2014-03-05T22:18:37.864-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"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":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Wilson Cup"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Basketball: McMaster punches ticket for CIS Final 8, first appearance since 2006"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"TORONTO \u0026mdash; In what could be the final game for the trio with the most regular season wins in Windsor Lancers history, Enrico Diloreto, Josh Collins and Lien Phillip faltered. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMcMaster prevailed 93-89 behind a late fourth-quarter and overtime rally in the OUA Bronze medal match, and the three fifth-years on Windsor combined for 20 turnovers. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDiloreto shot 2-9 and the Collins-Phillip duo both shot 5-14. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWindsor owned a 10-point lead early in the third quarter, but Mac would slowly chip away at the lead. Like last night, the marauders did not have production from their main offensive weapons – Taylor Black and Joe Rocca. Black shot 2-11 and Rocca only shot 2-4.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMac’s Trevon McNeil made a three with 13 seconds remaining, putting McMaster up 81-79. Collins got fouled with .7 and cashed in two free throws to send it to OT. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAdam Presutti nailed two threes and hit a pair of free throws with 23 seconds left to put McMaster up four and put the final result at 93-89. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was the play of Leon Alexander on Phillip that was the game-changer. Alexander, a transfer from a United States junior college, is listed at six-foot-five but was able to bother the six-foot-11 Phillip and force ten turnovers and 5-14 shooting night. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELancers coach was disappointed with the team’s performance, pointing to missed free throws (20-32) and turnovers as the issues. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“You pretty much do it to yourself sometimes. Full credit to Mac, they played well enough to win the game,” said Oliver. “That was not our best effort and this team is good enough to be at Nationals. There’s a lot of disappointment in that locker room.” \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor Mac, it was a goal realized. Making it to the CIS Final 8 has been the repeated and seldom goal of the Marauders, and with the victory, they book a spot at the tournament. McMaster was the most local school in the Final Four and was well supported. Head coach Amos Connolly immediately praised the fans post-game. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“It was nice to have those people there and their support, especially after yesterday,” said Connolly. The Maroon and Grey had to battle numerous times, after being down seven at half, a bizarre non-time-out that was turned into a media time-out, and the foul with .7 seconds left where Collins tied the game. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERookie Trevon McNeil has been outstanding all weekend. He led the team in minutes against Windsor, logging 35 in the OT affair. McNeil also dropped a game-high 23 points on 7-13 shooting. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMoving forward, the Lancers are an outside shot to make the CIS Final 8. Rotimi Osuntola Jr., the new “cornerstone” of the team according to Oliver, did his best to make up for the failings of the seniors. His energy, rebounding and consistency made him the lone bright spot. Osuntola Jr. shot 10-15 from the field, knocked home two threes for 23 points and led the game with 11 rebounds. He only committed two turnovers in 38 minutes of play. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMcMaster will grab a lower seed after finishing third in the OUA. Ottawa and Carleton will be the other OUA representatives.\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\/57199377769104478\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2014\/03\/mcmaster-punches-ticket-for-cis-final-8.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/57199377769104478"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/57199377769104478"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2014\/03\/mcmaster-punches-ticket-for-cis-final-8.html","title":"Basketball: McMaster punches ticket for CIS Final 8, first appearance since 2006"}],"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"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-2968439315204215947"},"published":{"$t":"2014-02-28T20:00:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2014-03-02T18:18:17.774-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Final 8"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Wilson Cup"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Basketball: Carleton tops Windsor 84-71 in early OUA semifinal; Lancers look to regroup for bronze game"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"TORONTO — Ending a good season with consecutive losses when a CIS Final 8 berth was one win away might be the worst feeling in university basketball.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Windsor Lancers, left with such a bitter taste 52 weeks ago at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, will likely have to win Saturday's OUA Final Four bronze-medal game to avoid a repeat after losing 84-71 to the No. 1 Carleton Ravens in Friday's early semifinal. Carleton did what Carleton does, getting separation in the first half with a quarter break-bridging 12-2 run and a 10-0 run just before recess. The Lancers got the deficit down to single digits only twice in the second half, but couldn't come back.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWindsor will face McMaster at 4 p.m. Saturday for the bronze medal, with the OUA's second berth on the line. Cross-town rivals Carleton and Ottwa will play in the Wilson Cup for the second season in a row with each already having a tournament ticket in hand.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"We have to put it behind us, we have to refocus on tomorrow, and I don’t think it’s going to be hard,\" said Lancers fifth-year centre Lien Phillip, whose team lost go-to-nationals games in 2013 to Ottawa and Lakehead after star guard Josh Collins was injured in practice the day before the Final Four. \"We understand that we put our best effort forward. We’re looking forward to Saturday. It was good because we know that we can play with [Carleton]. They just made us pay for every mistake.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"Definitely, being here before is something we can apply,\" said Phillip, who had 12 points and five rebounds. \"It has a lot to do with how we respond. We don’t want the same thing to happen again. I think we’ll be ready.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECarleton (30-0 in CIS play) was denied its trademark three-point game, but the Final 8 host turned the Lancers' aggressiveness against it with a characteristic passing display. Phil Scrubb, who's gunning for his third consecutive Moser Trophy, led the way with 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Thomas Scrubb added a 17-8-7 line. Kevin Churchill took advantage of some out-of-sync Windsor rotations to hoop 14. The three-time all-Canadian forward Tyson Hinz added 11 and Victor Raso had 11 off the bench without trying a two-pointer.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"Every team’s capable of beating us,\" Phil Scrubb said. \"We just have to bring more fire, especially on the defensive end.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDave Smart's main post-game talking point was that Carleton caught a break from Windsor, which shot an effective 35.3 per cent (16-of-51 overall, 4-21 from three) having a cold night. The 13-point margin was Carleton's third-tightest game vs. a Canadian foe this season\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"Compared to our past teams, we’re struggling on defence,\" he said. \"The ball is not going where it needs to go. Offensively, we're doing well.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy the time Collins (held to seven on 3-for-11 shooting) and fellow fifth-year guard Enrico Diloreto (17 points) got going, the deficit was insurmountable. The kicker for the Lancers is that it cancelled out Carleton on the boards (37-36 for Ravens) and at the line (going 21-for-26 to the Ravens' 22-for-27). A 28% eFG in the opening 20 was the killer.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"We obviously settled down in the second half,\" Lancers coach Chris Oliver said. \"We played much better offensively. It’s interesting because clearly Carleton makes you pay for every mistake you make. The second half, every time we made a defensive mistake whether it was a missed assignment or defensive rotation, they made us pay. And that’s why they’re so good.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"If you look at pure stats, we did a lot of things that we want to do,\" added Oliver, whose team got 11 points from Alex Campbell and a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double from Rotomi Osuntola Jr.. \"We rebounded with them, we got to the free-throw line and made them, we didn’t turn the ball over [giving it up only eight times].\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Lancers got within nine near the midpoint of both the third and fourth quarters. Each time, as if everyone had read the script, the Ravens regrouped and stretched the lead. In the fourth, right after a Khalid Abdel-Gabar triple to cut the margin to 72-63 with 5:21 left, Carleton broke down Windsor for a Churchillian layup to get back to a double-digit spread. It was a similar story in the third after the Lancers, otherwise dormant from downtown, cut loose with three consecutive triples to get within nine with 5:06 left. Smart took timeout rather than wait out a possession or two for the media timeout. Following the resumption of play, Thomas Scrubb canned his only triple of the night to spark a mini-run.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"Our coach made some adjustments and it got easier to move the ball better and we made some plays,\" said Phil Scrubb, whose team had 19 assists against just 10 turnovers.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWindsor's length and collective springiness gave the Ravens some difficulty during the first quarter. The Ravens had some bouts of being static on offence, leading to broken possessions. It pulled away early in the second, however, holding the Lancers without a bucket while Scrubb hooped five points and Clinton Springer-Williams sank a triple during that aforementioned 12-2 run.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWindsor, relying on some well-sprung traps, got back to six later in the quarter. Right on cue, Carleton found Raso for consecutive three-pointers from near identical points along the right wing. Carleton took a 16-point lead into the break, and left the Lancers looking for salvation on Saturday in order to look forward to a happy Selection Sunday. Oliver, whose team last went to the tournament in 2010, is confident of a bounce-back. The fact his team didn't throw in towel might be ominous.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"The first thing we said to our games is it’s a mindset game,\" Oliver said. \"We’ll give ’em the two hours this next game [between McMaster and Ottawa] takes to feel down or get mad at themselves or whatever they want to do. Once that’s over, it’s a mindset to say it’s a new day, it’s a new game and our goals are still ahead of us, to get to nationals.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"We had a lot of challenges last year with Josh being injured the day before and the funk that caused. This team has adjusted really well to different things all year.\"\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\/2968439315204215947\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2014\/02\/basketball-carleton-tops-windsor-84-71.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/2968439315204215947"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/2968439315204215947"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2014\/02\/basketball-carleton-tops-windsor-84-71.html","title":"Basketball: Carleton tops Windsor 84-71 in early OUA semifinal; Lancers look to regroup for bronze game"}],"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-5654750421611515705"},"published":{"$t":"2013-12-15T09:00:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-12-15T09:00:00.052-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Track and Field"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Track \u0026 Field Interview: Lancers' Corey Bellemore breaks national junior record"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Wavy hair, a cheeky grin and an easy-going attitude \u0026mdash; qualities you would expect to find with a surfer dude in Honolulu. In this case, you will find them with \u003Cb\u003ECorey Bellemore\u003C\/b\u003E, a second-year criminology student and track and field runner at the University of Windsor.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBellemore, who will turn 20 in the new year, is not your typical criminology student or even a typical trackie: \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/runningmagazine.ca\/university-of-windsor-student-breaks-canadian-record\/\"\u003Ehe broke the Canadian junior indoor 1000-metre record\u003C\/a\u003E at the Blue \u0026 Gold meet on December 3rd. The meet, held at Windsor's St. Denis Centre, was meant to be an early season warm-up for the Lancers. But Bellemore bested both the five-year-old previous record held by \u003Cb\u003EJeremy Rae\u003C\/b\u003E of Notre Dame (2.25:39) and the more recent 2.25.60 from Laval's \u003Cb\u003EAlex Bussières\u003C\/b\u003E. It was a phenomenally fast time for Bellemore with the season so young, and it comes after \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/americasathletics.org\/attachments\/article\/87\/PANAM%20Junior%20COL%20August%202013%20-%20COMPLETE%20RESULTS.pdf\"\u003Ea fourth-place finish in the 800m at the junior Pan Ams\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBellemore took the time to sit down with The CIS Blog and talk about his career and the upcoming season with the Lancers.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E**\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EQ: You broke the Canadian Junior Indoor record for 1000 metres in the first meet of the season for the Lancers. Can you take us through the race and what it feels like to run such a great time at this point in the season?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\"Earlier that day, I decided I was just going to go for a fast time and hopefully get the meet record (2.27) at the same time. I told my teammate \u003Cb\u003EAlex Ullman\u003C\/b\u003E that I was going to take it out hard and I said, 'If I die trying, do your best to pull me through.'\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"So right from the gun I took it out pretty hard and although I felt like I was dying, I held on pretty decently and stayed strong. I was unfamiliar with the exact time of the Canadian record so I wasn’t even thinking about trying to capture it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"After cross-country season, I took just over a week off running and I had only been running for a week before this meet. I only did one tempo, one hill workout and one small track session.”\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EQ: \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.trackie.com\/CIS\/TNF\/Articles\/corey-bellemore-breaks-canadian-1000m-junior-record\/11555\/\"\u003EIn an article about your victory\u003C\/a\u003E, one commenter compared you to former 800-metre gold medallist and world record holder Alberto Juantorena. What is it like to be compared to one of the giants (literally) of the sport?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\"That’s pretty funny, we do have similar structures. Alberto was an amazing runner back in the 1970’s so to be compared to him is unreal. I don’t really like to compare myself to other runners because each runner has such different strengths, but that’s very cool. I love looking up to certain runners and aspiring to be as good as them someday, so Alberto is definitely someone for me in that sense.\"\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EQ: Something I ask all student-athletes; how is it juggling competing and school?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\"First year was a huge adjustment for me, but this year has been much easier. It’s obviously not easy to any degree, but it’s something you get used to. I think it’s important to work just as hard in your school work as you do in your athletics.”\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EQ: Why did you decide to go to the University of Windsor and what has it been like working with \u003Cb\u003EDennis Fairall\u003C\/b\u003E?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“Some people have questioned my decision to go to the University of Windsor, but it was the best fit for me. First off, my main concern was getting an education and Windsor had the program I wanted. It was also a place I found I fit in really well and the talent within the team is comparable to many U.S. schools. Working with Dennis Fairall has been awesome; he’s a very knowledgeable coach and a guy that makes practices fun and enjoyable. Dennis, \u003Cb\u003EGary Malloy\u003C\/b\u003E and our team manager \u003Cb\u003ERich\u003C\/b\u003E [\u003Cb\u003EJohnston\u003C\/b\u003E] have all been amazing figures on the team to help me get where I want and need to be.”\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EQ: Is there one event that you are striving to better yourself in this season?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“This indoor season I’m really trying to improve my speed and strength. I haven’t really decided if I will focus on the 600m or the 1000m yet but I would like to definitely run fast times for both nonetheless.”\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EQ: You mentioned you have some cross-country experience so do you prefer running on the track or out on the trails?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“I love them both in very different ways. I think I am more of a ‘track guy’ but I love the challenge cross-country presents. Also XC builds great strength for the indoor season.”\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E**\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMost CIS teams have stopped for the exam break. Here are some of the remaining meets in 2013:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMcGill University Holiday Classic – Montreal, QC\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDino Opener – Calgary, AB\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDome Super Saturday Series 1 – Ottawa, ON\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\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\/5654750421611515705\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/12\/track-field-interview-lancers-corey.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/5654750421611515705"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/5654750421611515705"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/12\/track-field-interview-lancers-corey.html","title":"Track \u0026 Field Interview: Lancers' Corey Bellemore breaks national junior record"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Graham Neysmith"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18087411272443037026"},"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":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-3988525951823667365"},"published":{"$t":"2013-11-29T10:00:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2014-01-19T22:11:13.770-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Badgers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"statistics"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Basketball: How the OUA season could play out "},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Inspired somewhat by \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/kenpom.com\/blog\/index.php\/weblog\/entry\/in_season_tournament_log5_analysis\"\u003EKen Pomeroy's tournament odds\u003C\/a\u003E \u0026mdash; everything I do is inspired somewhat by something Ken Pomeroy did \u0026mdash; here are the odds of each OUA team finishing the regular season in each playoff spot. Game results as of Wed Nov 27 are included and the rest are simulated. (For those who are interested in the details, the simulations are based on our team rankings and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Log5\"\u003Ethe log5 method\u003C\/a\u003E, with the season being simulated thousands of times to smooth out the outliers.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EWOMEN\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cfont size=3\u003E\u003Cpre\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWest 1 2 3 4 5 6 Elim\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E 1 WSR 99.2 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1\u003Cbr \/\u003E 9 UWO 0.6 64.2 21.3 9.8 4.0 0.0 0.1\u003Cbr \/\u003E11 MAC 0.1 12.7 28.3 31.0 27.3 0.6 0.0\u003Cbr \/\u003E17 WLU 0.0 9.7 21.5 29.2 38.6 0.9 0.1\u003Cbr \/\u003E 7 BRO 0.0 12.6 28.9 29.7 27.6 1.1 0.1\u003Cbr \/\u003E36 LAK 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 1.5 44.1 54.3\u003Cbr \/\u003E24 GUE 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 1.0 52.2 46.7\u003Cbr \/\u003E41 WAT 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.1 98.9\u003C\/pre\u003E\u003C\/font\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBrock's 5-4 in league games, losing all four games by no more than four points or in OT (or both). That is a pretty brutal and unlucky start to the season, if I may say so. As a result their chances of finishing higher in the OUA West are reduced, even if they are still ranked highly.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWestern's win Wednesday night helped them get a leg up on the others here, but they were already pretty high by virtue of their high ranking and 7-1 record against the East (Mac went 6-2, Brock 5-3, and Laurier's ranked a bit lower).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOntario will have three spots at the Final 8 this year, so finishing in a spot to avoid Windsor for as long as possible in the playoffs is key for any OUA West team. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cfont size=3\u003E\u003Cpre\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEast 1 2 3 4 5 6 Elim\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E10 OTT 79.8 15.9 4.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0\u003Cbr \/\u003E14 CAR 13.3 54.1 31.1 1.3 0.1 0.0 0.1\u003Cbr \/\u003E19 QUE 6.9 29.6 60.5 2.8 0.2 0.0 0.0\u003Cbr \/\u003E37 RYE 0.0 0.3 2.6 44.3 33.5 14.5 4.8\u003Cbr \/\u003E27 TOR 0.0 0.1 1.3 37.8 33.4 18.5 8.9\u003Cbr \/\u003E35 YOR 0.0 0.0 0.2 9.5 21.3 40.5 28.5\u003Cbr \/\u003E40 LAU 0.0 0.0 0.1 4.3 11.6 26.5 57.5\u003Cbr \/\u003E45 ALG 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0\u003C\/pre\u003E\u003C\/font\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe East is a little more competitive at the top, as you'd expect with the half of the conference that \u003Ci\u003Edoesn't\u003C\/i\u003E have Windsor. Three teams have a reasonable chance at the No. 1 seed, with Saturday's game having a lot of say in that outcome. Should Ottawa win at Carleton, they'll pretty much have it clinched (about a 90% chance); if they lose, their chances drop to around 55%. Of course they are exceedingly likely to grab a high seed either way.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EMEN\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cfont size=3\u003E\u003Cpre\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWest 1 2 3 4 5 6 Elim\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E 6 WSR 67.7 27.9 4.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1\u003Cbr \/\u003E10 MAC 30.8 58.8 9.3 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.1\u003Cbr \/\u003E15 WLU 1.3 12.1 66.9 14.7 4.6 0.3 0.1\u003Cbr \/\u003E23 LAK 0.1 0.8 13.1 47.4 26.0 9.6 3.0\u003Cbr \/\u003E28 GUE 0.0 0.3 5.5 26.4 43.9 17.0 6.9\u003Cbr \/\u003E40 UWO 0.0 0.0 0.5 8.0 15.5 41.5 34.5\u003Cbr \/\u003E39 BRO 0.0 0.0 0.3 1.4 7.3 22.8 68.2\u003Cbr \/\u003E42 WAT 0.0 0.0 0.1 1.0 2.7 8.8 87.4\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEast 1 2 3 4 5 6 Elim\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E 1 CAR 98.5 1.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1\u003Cbr \/\u003E 2 OTT 1.3 88.1 9.8 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.1\u003Cbr \/\u003E 5 RYE 0.1 9.6 74.6 13.8 1.7 0.1 0.1\u003Cbr \/\u003E11 LAU 0.0 0.8 12.7 70.7 11.9 3.8 0.1\u003Cbr \/\u003E19 YOR 0.0 0.0 1.5 8.7 49.5 36.4 3.9\u003Cbr \/\u003E20 QUE 0.0 0.0 1.3 6.0 35.7 50.6 6.4\u003Cbr \/\u003E35 TOR 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 6.9 92.1\u003Cbr \/\u003E44 ALG 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 2.1 97.7\u003C\/pre\u003E\u003C\/font\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe last time both Warriors teams made the playoffs was 2004-05, coincidentally* right before I started my first year there. Maybe it's time for them to take down the world's tiniest picture of the Queen. She can't be too pleased with what she's been seeing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E(* Or not?...)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor those wondering how the point-differential-in-home-and-home-games tiebreaker is handled...well, it isn't. Any two (or more) teams with equal head-to-head records have their ties broken randomly. It is difficult to predict exactly what the score will be in any game, so it's not that far off to assume it's equally likely to go either way, especially if you assume the teams are close enough in quality to be tied in the first place. But the pure win-loss tiebreakers are themselves incorporated here, so the Western women are up 1-0 on Brock already and it shows up in their odds to some degree. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe effort needled to handle the varying conference tiebreakers correctly is why this is just OUA teams for now. Other conferences will follow, time permitting.\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\/3988525951823667365\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/11\/basketball-how-oua-season-could-play-out.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/3988525951823667365"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/3988525951823667365"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/11\/basketball-how-oua-season-could-play-out.html","title":"Basketball: How the OUA season could play out "}],"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":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-622560274445439394"},"published":{"$t":"2013-11-26T00:02:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-11-26T14:48:15.555-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Gaels"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Hockey"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Men's Hockey: Great Goaltending Lifts Gaels Over Windsor in Weekend Sweep"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"It probably wasn’t the way that head coach \u003Cb\u003EBrett Gibson\u003C\/b\u003E drew things up, but in the end the Queen’s Golden Gaels walked away from a difficult weekend double-header against the #7 Windsor Lancers with four points.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe weekend's game plan ultimately ended up going something like this: allow goaltender \u003Cb\u003EKevin Bailie\u003C\/b\u003E to carry the team, and then capitalize on quick flurries of offense.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003EThat improvisation was certainly in full effect in Friday night’s game at the historic Kingston Memorial Centre.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBailie was tested early, as Queen’s took three penalties in the first period to Windsor’s one. The Lancers managed to fire 14 shots on net, but Bailie was able to withstand the pressure. Not to be outdone, \u003Cb\u003EParker Van Buskirk\u003C\/b\u003E stopped all 10 shots he faced in the Windsor goal.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWindsor, the CIS leaders in team penalty minutes, fell back into their usual undisciplined habits in the second period, but managed to keep the pressure up throughout the second frame. Despite having four power play opportunities, Queen’s managed to put the puck on net just three times. Windsor, on the other hand, tested Bailie eight times, but he was able to stand tall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the third period, Queen’s came out to a flying start. \u003Cb\u003EJordan Coccimiglio\u003C\/b\u003E netted his first of the season at the 3:28 mark of the final frame, off some nice passing between \u003Cb\u003ECorey Bureau\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EChris Van Laren\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EQueen’s managed to maintain the attack through the better part of the first ten minutes of the period, but Van Buskirk stopped everything the Gaels threw at him. Then it was the Lancers turn to put Bailie against the ropes. No matter what they did, Windsor couldn’t beat Bailie, and with less than three and a half minutes to go, \u003Cb\u003EPatrick McEachen\u003C\/b\u003E added an insurance marker for Queen’s on a hard slap shot from the point.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EKelly Jackson\u003C\/b\u003E went on to slot his seventh goal of the season into the empty net, as the Gaels buried the Lancers 3-0, despite being outshot 31-28.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E**\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the second game in as many nights, the Lancers continued to struggle to find a way to beat Bailie. The Gaels, however, didn’t have to wait until the third period to score in the rematch, as \u003Cb\u003EJordan Soquila\u003C\/b\u003E put them ahead just under eight minutes into the first period.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn a power play opportunity just over three minutes later, Windsor finally solved the Queen’s netminder. \u003Cb\u003ESpencer Pommells\u003C\/b\u003E slipped one by Bailie, with assists from \u003Cb\u003EKenny Bradford\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EEvan Stibbard\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDespite the breakthrough, Bailie wouldn’t rattle. Windsor managed to pick up 15 shots in the first period alone, but could only break through the one time.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the second, Queen’s built themselves a lead. \u003Cb\u003ETaylor Clements\u003C\/b\u003E scored his fifth of the year quickly, giving the Gaels the lead at the 4:56 mark. The Gaels went on the power play a couple of minutes later, and \u003Cb\u003EPatrick McGillis\u003C\/b\u003E was able to extend the lead to two on a goal set-up by \u003Cb\u003EPatrick McEachen\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EStephane Chabot\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith just 5:28 remaining in the middle frame, \u003Cb\u003EBraeden Corbeth\u003C\/b\u003E bought the Gaels some insurance with a commanding 4-1 lead.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAfter some early pressure led to no results, Windsor fell back into their rough style of play. The Lancers picked up 17 penalty minutes in the final frame alone, as well as a \u003Cb\u003EJosh Graves\u003C\/b\u003E game misconduct for checking from behind with just 13 seconds to go. The Gaels picked up 12 shots on the numerous power play opportunities, but were unable to extend their lead further, as the buzzer sounded with a 4-1 Queen’s victory.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOver the course of the weekend, Bailie stopped 64 of 65 shots and improved his goals against average to a commanding 1.67, which is tops in the OUA and fifth in the CIS. His save percentage also moved to .942 which is good enough for third in CIS play.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs a team, the victories moved Queen’s to 8-0-5 and they sit at the top of the conference, as they remain the only team in the OUA to have not lost in regulation. With home games against Ottawa and Laurentian next weekend, Queen’s look poised to take that distinction into the December break.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWindsor, meanwhile, fell to 9-4-0 and, having lost three of their last four, should expect to kiss their Top 10 status goodbye. The Lancers continue their road trip next weekend as they travel to London and St. Catharines to face Western and Brock. They then get two weeks off to prepare for their Hockeytown Winter Festival outdoor game against Western at Comerica Park in Detroit, as one of many undercards to the Leafs-Red Wings Winter Classic.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E---\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EJoin us next week as our OUA Game of the Week will cover Saturday’s afternoon matchup between the OUA West-leading Toronto Varsity Blues and the #6 UQTR Patriotes.\u003C\/i\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\/622560274445439394\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/11\/mens-hockey-great-goaltending-lifts.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/622560274445439394"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/622560274445439394"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/11\/mens-hockey-great-goaltending-lifts.html","title":"Men's Hockey: Great Goaltending Lifts Gaels Over Windsor in Weekend Sweep"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Kyle Brown"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/plus.google.com\/100079013344179668072"},"email":{"$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":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-2838127621025349919"},"published":{"$t":"2013-11-24T10:26:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-11-24T10:26:23.723-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bisons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Dinos"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Football"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gaiters"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Gaels"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Hec Crighton"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Rouge et Or"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"statistics"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UBC Thunderbirds"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Football: 2013 quarterback rankings suggest OUA teams may need to scout Finch more closely"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"It's been a few years that we've been ranking quarterbacks across CIS football, and lately it's been \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/12\/football-quinlan-leads-qb-rankings-once.html\"\u003Ethe \u003Cb\u003EKyle Quinlan\u003C\/b\u003E Show\u003C\/a\u003E. He was unable to top the list this year, due to the small technicality of no longer playing in the league. But there are other standout performances to highlight, and maybe a debate (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2009\/10\/football-hec-check-faulds-vs-brannagan.html\"\u003Eagain\u003C\/a\u003E) over the Hec Crighton winner.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EJordan Heather\u003C\/b\u003E's outstanding season made him the first Gaiter winner of the player-of-the-year trophy. Depending on how you view a QB's contribution to his team, however, he could have been only the second-most valuable quarterback in the country during the regular season. Western's \u003Cb\u003EWill Finch\u003C\/b\u003E, as part of the Mustangs' steamrolling disguised as a football season, topped Heather's totals with his passing game being estimated at 4.7 wins above a replacement-level quarterback, compared to Heather's 3.6. The implication there is if you swap the QBs, Western goes 7-1 instead of 8-0.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne could argue that Western was going to win regardless of whether Finch threw for 200 or 400, whereas Bishop's \u003Ci\u003Eneeded\u003C\/i\u003E Heather to be otherwordly (and even then, half of their wins were by one point). But in my view that's the same hair-splitting over the definition of \"valuable\" that sadly pervades MVP discussion in baseball. Extend that argument and nothing Heather nor Finch does is valuable, since Laval and Western were going to win their respective conferences anyway. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the end it doesn't much matter, as our rankings include the playoffs and bowl games, and Finch was much better there than Heather (who managed just 92 yards on 20 attempts in his only game), which kind of puts paid to the whole \"Finch's stats were only good because the games didn't matter\" idea.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETo calculate wins above replacement, we use an admittedly crude method: the player's \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/about\/glossary.htm#ay\/a\"\u003Eadjusted net yards per attempt\u003C\/a\u003E, with a strength of schedule multiplier, then compare to what a replacement-level quarterback would do in the same amount of playing time. (A replacement-level quarterback, in a CIS context, is a QB without much value who can be added to the roster without much effort. You can just think of this as \"any Waterloo quarterback.\") We then convert yards to points, and points to wins. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's Finch first at +5.1; then Manitoba's \u003Cb\u003EJordan Yantz\u003C\/b\u003E, \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.winnipegsun.com\/2013\/05\/04\/prized-bisons-qb-recruit-shows-off-skills\"\u003Ethe B.C. junior league's top offensive player for three consecutive seasons\u003C\/a\u003E\" in case anyone forgot, at +4.0; Calgary's \u003Cb\u003EAndrew Buckley\u003C\/b\u003E at +3.4, showing once again \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/12\/football-quinlan-leads-qb-rankings-once.html?showComment=1354814138196#c8628966037327755164\"\u003Eit is unwise to doubt \u003Cb\u003EJim Mullin\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E; Heather at +3.2; and \u003Cb\u003EBilly McPhee\u003C\/b\u003E of Queen's with +3.2 as well. Both Finch and McPhee get a boost from strength of schedule; Heather experiences the opposite effect.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe full rankings for 2013:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ciframe width='500' height='300' frameborder='0' src='https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheet\/pub?key=0Ar0xEkmR7QNKdFdSbWVoZmtDc043eEZLaTdORTAxaWc\u0026single=true\u0026gid=3\u0026output=html\u0026widget=true'\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIdle observations:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAs noted last year (and in previous years), there are significant team effects at play, not to mention simple variation year-to-year. Last year, there was a Calgary QB ranked second, but it wasn't Buckley. Last year, Heather was 15th. And so on.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EA rank of seventh has to be the lowest for an undefeated Vanier Cup winner in some time, though of course after watching them play for two minutes it's easy to figure out why Laval's offence doesn't have to be pass-focused.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EFinch is fifth in QB WAR since 2009. You may notice that he hasn't played a majority of those seasons. So to you, Rest of OUA, we bid farewell until 2017. Ahead of him in the five-year rankings are Quinlan, the OUA's Forgotten Man (known to most as \u003Cb\u003EAustin Kennedy)\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EEric Dzwilewski\u003C\/b\u003E, and \u003Cb\u003EBilly Greene\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\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\/2838127621025349919\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/11\/football-2013-quarterback-rankings.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/2838127621025349919"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/2838127621025349919"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/11\/football-2013-quarterback-rankings.html","title":"Football: 2013 quarterback rankings suggest OUA teams may need to scout Finch more closely"}],"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":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-8676668087629633698"},"published":{"$t":"2013-11-19T15:44:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-11-19T15:44:02.432-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Hockey"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Patriotes"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Men's Hockey: Lancers and Patriotes Trade Wins Amidst Penalty Parade"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Considering the schools are separated by approximately ten hours of highway, one wouldn’t expect bad blood to exist between \u003Cb\u003EWindsor\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EUQTR\u003C\/b\u003E. However, with the Patriotes visiting the #7 Lancers for back-to-back games, penalties ruled the weekend double feature.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Lancers were coming into the weekend having not lost since opening night, and looking to keep their spot atop the OUA West division. The Patriotes, meanwhile, were on a five-game winning streak of their own, and hungry to capture their first road win of the season.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe fireworks started early, with three players off to the box just 34 seconds in. Windsor quickly took three straight penalties in the first, managing to kill off all three, before UQTR made three straight trips of their own. It was the Patriotes who jumped out on the offensive, though, as \u003Cb\u003EThomas Martin\u003C\/b\u003E scored his first goal of the season on the penalty kill. The Pats took that 1-0 lead into the first intermission, following a period that saw ten minor penalties and a misconduct.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThings improved in the second – briefly. \u003Cb\u003EKenny Bradford\u003C\/b\u003E scored a powerplay marker for the Lancers to tie things up just 3:12 into the second, before \u003Cb\u003EAnthony Verret\u003C\/b\u003E set up \u003Cb\u003EAntoine Quevillon\u003C\/b\u003E to regain the UQTR lead just seventeen seconds later.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat was the opening of the floodgates. Martin scored his second shorthanded marker of the game just four minutes later, and \u003Cb\u003EJason Rajotte\u003C\/b\u003E extended the lead to 4-1 at the end of the period to give the Pats a comfortable lead heading into the third.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith the game looking pretty well out of reach, things got out of hand quick.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWindsor’s \u003Cb\u003EDerek Lanoue\u003C\/b\u003E picked up a game misconduct just over two minutes into the third, and five ten-minute misconducts followed over the rest of the frame. In total, the teams picked up 114 combined penalties, with Windsor taking 70 of those alone on 15 infractions.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMartin completed his hat trick on the powerplay in the final two minutes, while Rajotte added insult to injury, burying his second of the game on the man advantage with 33 seconds left, to give the Pats a whopping 6-1 victory.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMarc-Antoine Gelinas\u003C\/b\u003E stood on his head for UQTR, stopping 37 of 38 shots, while \u003Cb\u003EParker Van Buskirk\u003C\/b\u003E still picked up 40 saves despite giving up six goals. Windsor’s powerplay faltered miserably, converting on just one of nine chances, while the Pats didn’t fare much better, going 2-for-8.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGrudge match exactly that\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe stage was set for an all-out melee as the two teams met again on Saturday night.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EKenny Bradford\u003C\/b\u003E launched the Lancers into an early lead though, as he blasted home the first goal of the game just over a minute into the contest.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe two teams fell into old habits at that point, as they traded trips to the penalty box. The Patriotes were able to convert on the man advantage first, as \u003Cb\u003EKevin Robert\u003C\/b\u003E nodded things up.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnder a minute later, \u003Cb\u003EJulian Luciani\u003C\/b\u003E was fed by defenceman \u003Cb\u003EPaul Bezzo\u003C\/b\u003E to extend the lead back to a goal, which the Lancers took into the first intermission despite being outshot 13-10. Again, penalties ruled the period as the teams combined for eight in the opening frame alone.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWindsor upped the ante in the second period, and \u003Cb\u003ERichard Cameron\u003C\/b\u003E extended the lead to two goals just under five minutes in. Despite an onslaught by the Lancers that saw them outshoot the Pats 16-12 in the frame, it was UQTR’s \u003Cb\u003EFelix Plouffe\u003C\/b\u003E narrowing the lead down to one on an unassisted marker midway through the period. \u003Cb\u003EMatt Beaudoin\u003C\/b\u003E reinstated the two-goal lead with just over two minutes left, though, which was all the Lancers would need. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Pats gained momentum early in the final frame, as \u003Cb\u003EMarc-Olivier Mimar\u003C\/b\u003E scored just 28 seconds in. Unfortunately, Windsor wouldn’t let up and as the third period regressed back into the brawling type of attitude that dominated the previous night, the one-goal lead stood until Bradford notched the Lancers fifth with less than thirty seconds to go.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was a valiant losing effort for Gelinas, who started back-to-back nights, and made 21 saves in the third period, alone. He stopped 43 of 48 shots, while Van Buskirk also started the second game for Windsor, and faced 40 shots, allowing only three goals.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis time around it was UQTR’s power play that faltered, converting just one of six opportunities, as the Lancers racked up thirty-six penalty minutes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith the weekend split, UQTR slid into a tie for the third spot in the OUA East with a 7-4-0 record, while Windsor sit tied with Lakehead (who have a game in hand) atop the OUA with 18 points and a 9-2-0 record.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E-----\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003ETune in again next week, when we follow the Lancers on the road as they travel to Kingston to face the last remaining team to not lose in regulation, the 6-0-5 Queen’s Golden Gaels, in another weekend doubleheader.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\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\/8676668087629633698\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/11\/mens-hockey-lancers-and-patriotes-trade.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/8676668087629633698"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/8676668087629633698"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/11\/mens-hockey-lancers-and-patriotes-trade.html","title":"Men's Hockey: Lancers and Patriotes Trade Wins Amidst Penalty Parade"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Kyle Brown"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/plus.google.com\/100079013344179668072"},"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":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-9141003450508238685"},"published":{"$t":"2013-11-06T13:00:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-11-06T13:00:48.718-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Top Programs Kick Off Basketball Season in Ottawa"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ci\u003ESome of the top men's and women's basketball programs in the country opened their seasons in Ottawa this past weekend, including both defending CIS champions. Here's our recap of those games:\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cu\u003ETough Start for Windsor\u003C\/u\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFollowing a strong regular season that saw them finish atop of the OUA West last season, the \u003Cb\u003EWindsor Lancers\u003C\/b\u003E looked to rebound from a disappointing missed opportunity to play in the CIS Final 8 basketball championship last season as they lost to Lakehead in the OUA bronze medal game. However, things looked optimistic for the Lancers, who entered the season ranked sixth in the nation. Unfortunately for them, the schedulers weren’t so kind, forcing Windsor to open their season on the road at the opposite end of the province against the no. 1 \u003Cb\u003ECarleton Ravens\u003C\/b\u003E and no. 3 \u003Cb\u003EOttawa Gee-Gees\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EComing off of their ninth national championship in the past eleven years, it should be no surprise that the Ravens entered the season ranked atop of the CIS Top Ten. Led by legendary coach \u003Cb\u003EDave Smart\u003C\/b\u003E and a returning class of standouts including\u003Cb\u003E Phil \u003C\/b\u003Eand\u003Cb\u003E Thomas Scrubb\u003C\/b\u003E, as well as \u003Cb\u003ETyson Hinz\u003C\/b\u003E, Carleton looks poised to contend in achieving their campaign of “Again for Ten.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was a high-profile affair to kick off the season at the Raven’s Nest, with a good-sized crowd walking into the arena on a red carpet draped with Ravens cheerleaders on either side while the band provided a traditional university sport soundtrack. A rendition of the national anthem before the game topped off the classy beginning, and the game began.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt took only four seconds for Carleton to put up their first points of the season, as Thomas Scrubb dunked the ball on a fast break off of tip-off. From there, Carleton never looked back, in a game that didn’t see a single lead change. Windsor was able to keep it close through the first quarter, trailing only 23-16.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the second quarter, however, Carleton began to pull away, in particular dominating the boards, outrebounding the Lancers 23-14 at the half. Carleton also worked the outside shot, which led to them outscoring the Lancers 24-11 in the second quarter. Carleton’s 47% FG%, compared to Windsor’s 36%, gave the Ravens a 47-27 lead to start the third.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the third, the Scrubb brothers continued to dominate, while Windsor saw some flashes of brilliance from senior \u003Cb\u003ELien Phillip\u003C\/b\u003E. Windsor tried to claw back into the game, but both \u003Cb\u003EMike Rocca\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EEnrico Diloreto\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;found themselves in early foul trouble. With three quarters gone, Carleton maintained a 70-51 lead.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the fourth, Carleton kept the pressure up causing lots of frustration on the Windsor side, resulting in some unusual mistakes such as bad turnovers and travel calls. Coach Smart got the bench players some work near the end of the contest, when Carleton had taken a commanding 27 point lead. The Ravens went on to take the game by a final of 95-74, with strong performances by both Scrubb brothers. Phil scored 24 points with five assists, while Thomas had 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPhillip remained the standout for Windsor, scoring 20 points and nine rebounds in an otherwise unspirited effort.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn their second contest of the weekend, Windsor headed downtown to face the third-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees, hoping to bounce back from the previous night’s loss. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe game got off to a flying start, with both teams trading scoring runs in the first quarter. The Gee-Gees jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead, before Windsor turned things around on a 12-0 run of their own. Ottawa found their second big momentum swing in the first quarter following a pair of dunks by sophomore \u003Cb\u003ECaleb Agada\u003C\/b\u003E, which led to 15 consecutive points for the Gees. Windsor was able to right the ship, however, closing the gap to 26-18 after the first intermission.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the second quarter, things settled down a bit as the teams more consistently traded buckets. The Gee-Gees were able to get out to a 14 point lead, but Windsor’s \u003Cb\u003EEnrico Diloreto\u003C\/b\u003E, who scored a team-high 29 points on the day, led a Lancers run at the end of the quarter to halve that lead, to 47-40 at the half.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the third quarter, Windsor showed the hunger that was missing in the previous night’s game, as \u003Cb\u003EJosh Collins\u003C\/b\u003E worked from beyond the arc and the Lancers were able to tie things up at 62 apiece, before taking a 66-65 lead into the final quarter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA hot start to the fourth put Ottawa back ahead, though, and they didn’t look back. The Gee-Gees jumped out to a quick 9-0 run, and then it was \u003Cb\u003EJohnny Berhanemeskel\u003C\/b\u003E who put the finishing touches on the game, with a pair of three-pointers and a deep field goal.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Gee-Gees outscored the Lancers 31-19 in the final frame, en route to a 96-85 victory, but at the end of the night all of the attention was on Berhanemeskel. He set a new school record for career three-point scoring, by draining five and attaining 200 over his career. He led the Garnet and Grey offensively, picking up a game-high 34 points in the contest, in addition to snagging six rebounds.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cu\u003EMustangs Suffer Blowouts\u003C\/u\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe other team that was in the national capital this past weekend was the unranked \u003Cb\u003EWestern Mustangs\u003C\/b\u003E, who finished last season in the basement of the OUA West in a season that saw only three wins.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThings didn’t look good for the Mustangs with the tough opening schedule, and neither Ottawa nor Carleton left room for any surprises.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn Friday, Ottawa found themselves with another hot start, putting up 26 on the Mustangs in the first. In the second quarter, the lead expanded as Ottawa outscored Western 29-19, to take a 55-37 lead into halftime.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Gee-Gees continued to shoot well from beyond the arc, sinking eleven three-pointers and shooting 42% from three-point range. As the Mustangs fought to get back into the game, things got worse, as Western committed a whopping 24 turnovers in the contest.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFinally, the buzzer ran out with the scoreboard reading a final of 104-76 in favour of the Gee-Gees.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMost teams would look forward to the opportunity to bounce back from such a devastating loss, but that’s just not true when it’s Carleton waiting to face you.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs expected, things got even worse for the Mustangs in Saturday’s match-up.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECarleton came out firing on all cylinders, and Phil Scrubb and \u003Cb\u003EClinton Springer-Williams\u003C\/b\u003E each nailed a pair of three-pointers, helping the Ravens jump out to an 18-4 lead. By the time the first quarter ended, that lead had been extended to a 33-10.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere were no real changes in the second quarter, and by the time Phil Scrubb made a jump shot to hit the half-century mark for the Ravens, their lead was extended to 33 points. Heading into halftime, Carleton was leading 57-21. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the second half, Western could only muster an additional 23 points, while Carleton hit the century mark with about seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the lead at that point being 100-36.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPerhaps in retribution for a 71-4 licking that the Mustangs football program laid on the start-up Ravens, Carleton’s basketball team went on to win by 75 points, 117-42. In a game that saw scoring dispersed evenly between the key starters and bench players, Springer-Williams finished with a game-high 17 points.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cu\u003ELancers Drop Opener\u003C\/u\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMeanwhile, in women’s hoops, the roles were reversed in Friday’s Carleton-Windsor matchup. The Lancers entered ranked first in the country following three consecutive championships, and many believed they would have little problem jumping to a quick 2-0 start.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Ravens, playing at home in front of an electric crowd, had other plans.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAfter an even first quarter, Carleton was led by \u003Cb\u003ELindsay Shotbolt\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EMcKenzie Sigurdson\u003C\/b\u003E in the second quarter, scoring double the Lancers' nine points to take a 36-24 lead into halftime. Sigurdson had an explosive start, scoring 11 points in the first half alone.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECarleton fought to withhold the Windsor attack in the third quarter, and were able to equal the Lancers' offence and take a 51-41 lead into the fourth.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat’s when Windsor upped the ante, and began to claw back into Carleton’s lead. \u003Cb\u003EKorissa Williams\u003C\/b\u003E scored five points to help the Lancers jump out to a 7-0 run to start the quarter, closing the lead to three. Sigurdson hit a clutch three to extend the lead, but Windsor again closed the gap, \u003Cb\u003EMiah-Marie Langlois\u003C\/b\u003E three-pointer with 4:34 left shrunk the lead to a point.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith just over two minutes left, Windsor were finally able to restake the lead, and had momentum on their side. However, Sigurdson just could not be contained, as she sunk another shot from beyond the arc with 1:25 left to give Carleton a 60-58 lead. The Ravens clamped down on defense, and a pair of free throws following an intentional foul was enough to allow the Ravens to escape with a massive 62-58 upset to start the season.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnsurprisingly, Sigurdson led all players in scoring with 20 points, and shot 100% from beyond the arc. \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\/9141003450508238685\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/11\/top-programs-kick-off-basketball-season.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/9141003450508238685"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/9141003450508238685"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/11\/top-programs-kick-off-basketball-season.html","title":"Top Programs Kick Off Basketball Season in Ottawa"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Kyle Brown"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/plus.google.com\/100079013344179668072"},"email":{"$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":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-8020016309213055041"},"published":{"$t":"2013-11-05T11:38:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-11-05T19:07:39.285-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Algoma Thunderbirds"},{"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":"Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Gaels"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gryphons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lions"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"previews"},{"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":"Thunderwolves"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Varsity Blues"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Voyageurs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Tiers of the OUA: A Men's Basketball Season Preview"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"For the 2013-14 OUA preview, I've divided all the teams up into tiers. Ontario is deep this year with four teams being in the conversation for nationals. There are other teams who could surprise too, if they get a few lucky bounces and some transfers pan out. Then, we have some programs floundering in the basement without a shred of hope of making noise. For each team, I've given a projected finish and a player to watch. That player is a combination of on-court entertainment while also being a barometer for the success a team will have. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003ECIS Title Contenders\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003ECarleton Ravens\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere is no weakness in the Ravens’ game. Sure, their jerseys are lacking in creativity, but that’s the most significant criticism I can find. The team that claimed its ninth CIS title in 11 seasons this past year, Carleton will put more distance between themselves and the rest of the pack come March 2014.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBehind \u003Cb\u003ETyson Hinz\u003C\/b\u003E, the \u003Cb\u003EScrubb\u003C\/b\u003E brothers, and transfer \u003Cb\u003EVictor Raso\u003C\/b\u003E there is just no way another team beats these guys. We’re talking about a team that nearly beat the Syracuse Orange.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPhil Scrubb\u003C\/b\u003E is the best player in the country — this much is tough to debate and until he shows any signs of slowing down, Carleton is a lock to compete for the W.P. McGee Trophy. Scrubb led the conference in PER (with Tyson Hinz and \u003Cb\u003EThomas Scrubb\u003C\/b\u003E right behind him) and he shoots 47 per cent on two point shots and 41 per cent on three point shots. (Unless otherwise specified, all statistics refer to the 2012-13 season.) \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELast year, Dave Smart orchestrated the best offence and defence in the country. Not just the OUA — the entire CIS. The Ottawa Gee-Gees had an offensive rating of 107, second in the country to Carleton’s 122 (!). The gap between the Ravens and the field for defensive was closer — Carleton put up a defensive rating of 84, with the next closest figure being 89 from the Ryerson Rams.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECarleton owns the best REB% in the league at 41 per cent. They get to the line at a great pace – second to McMaster – and shoot the highest 78 per cent at the charity stripe. The Ravens hold teams to a 40 per cent eFG% too. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIf you haven’t caught on yet, Carleton can do it all and their key players all fall somewhere in the top ten in the nation. Expect another dominating season from the Ravens.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Phil Scrubb. I just want to know what this guy’s ceiling is. He opened the year with 38 points on 13 shots through two games. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: CIS Finals – Wilson Cup Champions\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EWindsor Lancers\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis is a veteran team. \u003Cb\u003EJosh Collins\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EEnrico Diloreto\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003ELien Phillip\u003C\/b\u003E are all in their fifth year of eligibility. They are this year’s version of the 2012-13 Lakehead Thunderwolves, relying on experience through the long season. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWindsor’s strength lies in their defence, which plays a suffocating press that forces turnovers at the highest rate in the conference. Phillip grabs 28% of the Lancers’ defensive rebounds, good for No.1 in that category. He’s also a highly capable defender on the block and while not a player who blocks shots (he only had 14 blocks last season), Phillip can bother shots in a help situation.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe concern for this team will be how they function on offence. \u003Cb\u003EMichael Petrella\u003C\/b\u003E played a ton of minutes at guard for the Lancers last year, but with his departure, Windsor has to look elsewhere to get the ball moving on offence. Collins is a top-level point guard, great at distributing the ball to his teammates. His average of 4.1 assists per game put him at 15th in the country. But the issue here is his turnovers. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe talented teams in the OUA prey on turnovers, and if you can’t control turnovers — as Collins has shown — you’re not going to win. Last year, take a look at the OUA teams who made it to the CIS Final 8: Lakehead, with Greg Carter and Dwyane Harvey leading the charge; Carleton, with the Scrubb brothers and Clinton Springer Williams wreaking havoc on ball-handlers; Ottawa, with Johnny Berhanemeskel and Warren Ward finishing top-five in total steals, and the Lancers. Windsor as a team has a low TOV% (20 per cent) but Collins owns a 24 per cent TOV%. It’s tough to build a successful offence around that, proven by their lowly 98 O-Rtg. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother key to shoring up their offence will be reigning in Diloreto. He’s a talented offensive player, but he shoots an abysmal eFG% of 44 per cent. His shooting is only compounded by his USG%, which ranks 13th in the league among qualified players. If coach \u003Cb\u003EChris Oliver\u003C\/b\u003E can move some of those possessions to \u003Cb\u003ERotimi Osuntola Jr.\u003C\/b\u003E - a hyper-efficient guard with range - Windsor should be able to come out on top of the OUA West.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELastly, they need to improve in all areas of free throws — both getting to the line and knocking them down. Their free throw to field goal attempted ratio is second worst in the OUA (to Western), and their free throw percentage is the worst, at 65%. If they can do a better job at getting to the line and setting up that hellacious press that Oliver has crafted, the O-Rtg should improve greatly.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Lien Phillip - Professional-level talent, will be key to maintaining their defence. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Medal at the CIS Championship - potential Wilson Cup finalist\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EContenders for a Final 8 berth\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EMcMaster Marauders\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe talk in Hamilton has been about nationals, and I think that’s a fair conversation to have.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAdam Presutti\u003C\/b\u003E had a rough sophomore season, riddled with injuries causing him to never catch on in the lineup. Outside of that, McMaster’s roster all made significant strides; \u003Cb\u003EJoe Rocca\u003C\/b\u003E become a reliable offensive weapon, \u003Cb\u003ETaylor Black\u003C\/b\u003E emerged as one of the best players in the conference (and nation), \u003Cb\u003ERohan Boney\u003C\/b\u003E won a Rookie of the Year award and \u003Cb\u003ENathan McCarthy\u003C\/b\u003E proved himself to be a top defensive big man. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith all of those players back, the Marauders seemed poised to build off a good season in 2012-13. It started off rough, with only two wins and five losses after the interlock period. But the team would turn it around and finish 13-8 and were this close to getting to the Final Four before succumbing to Lakehead in the Thunderdome. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMcMaster had an average offence, but that was largely a product of Boney and Redpath having to take control when Presutti missed games. When the 2011 CIS Rookie of the Year did play however, he improved the offence with his playmaking ability. Presutti posted a 26 per cent AST% last season, good for second in the conference.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhere McMaster hangs their hat is on defense, and don’t expect a regression there. Boney is a great defender, Black and McCarthy can handle nearly any frontcourt and head coach \u003Cb\u003EAmos Connolly\u003C\/b\u003E has added some other talent to beef up the defense. \u003Cb\u003ETrevon McNeil\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EHamid Nessek\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003ELeon Alexander\u003C\/b\u003E — all in their first year with the program — are solid players who are overwhelming when defending the perimeter. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBlack could take the next step and be in the conversation for an All-Canadian spot. He posted the best PER for players not from Carleton and has shown a knack for scoring at the right time and taking over quarters.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI’m very high on this team because I’ve already said a couple hundred words about them and haven’t even talked about some players who won't be playing major minutes for them. They lost \u003Cb\u003EScott Laws\u003C\/b\u003E, an emotional leader for the team, but as the team matures, they should have been able to replace the void.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThey’ll need to knock off a ranked team to get to the CIS Final 8, but don’t be surprised if they do. This team is ten players deep and capable of playing with any team in the conference.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Taylor Black. He is only in his fourth year of eligibility and has already made noise through the beginning of this season. Just how good can he be?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Second in the OUA West, potential Wilson Cup finalist.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EOttawa Gee-Gees\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith the departure of \u003Cb\u003EWarren Ward\u003C\/b\u003E — a player who received NBA camp invites and praise from professional hoops writers — \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ottawacitizen.com\/sports\/Former+Warren+Ward+signs+deal+Germany\/8737365\/story.html\"\u003Eto Germany\u003C\/a\u003E, it’s easy to sweep the Gee-Gees out of the conversation. But there is more to the Garnet and Grey than Ward. \u003Cb\u003EJohnny Berhanemeskel\u003C\/b\u003E is the league-leader in three-pointers made, \u003Cb\u003EVikas Gill\u003C\/b\u003E is an efficient option to take some more of the offensive load and \u003Cb\u003EMike L’Africain\u003C\/b\u003E has been stellar through the Gee-Gees undefeated pre-season. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETo say L’Africain struggled through his sophomore season is putting things gently. Offensively, he was unable to be efficient while playing off Ward’s double teams and was an average defender with a D-Rtg of 98. But L’Africain has all the tools to be an effective point guard for an electric offence. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHead coach \u003Cb\u003EJames Derouin\u003C\/b\u003E has looked to increase the tempo of the game, and that lends to L’Africain’s ball handling abilities and decision-making. Last year, the second-year guard finished 16th in the OUA for assists. Playing alongside Gill and Berhanemeskel gives L’Africain two lethal weapons on the perimeter, so his assist numbers should improve this year.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI mentioned earlier that the Ottawa offence is second in the conference and while it will regress due to the loss of Ward, it will still be up there with the best. The defence is what’s suspect here.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMatt Nelson\u003C\/b\u003E, a six-foot-nine centre, hardly played last year after suffering multiple injuries. In fact, he even doesn’t show up on the CIS roster for last year’s team. But he’ll be the key to keeping the Gee-Gees defence in the upper echelon of the OUA ranks. Ottawa played a small-ball rotation, with Gill at six-foot-seven being the largest player on the court. While this rotation led them to a CIS bronze, it’s hard to imagine this being sustainable after losing a strong perimeter defender in Ward. If Nelson can come in and become a fearsome paint presence, Ottawa’s defence could take a leap. But that’s a tall task for a second-year player with minimal on-court experience. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother key piece to the defensive puzzle is \u003Cb\u003ECaleb Agada\u003C\/b\u003E, who showed himself to have a little something during the Gee-Gees CIS Final 8 run. He has been getting a lot of minutes early in the season and I'm bullish on his perimeter defence being able to slow some offences down.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENelson should have time to grow, however. Last year, Derouin had his team forcing opponents into difficult shots, gang-rebounding and forcing turnovers. All of those skills do not require height; they require extreme amounts of will and no player missing a beat. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith Derouin behind the bench, L’Africain poised to become a top OUA point guard and the majority of the parts from a CIS medal finish still in tact, the Gee-Gees could be in the hunt for a CIS wild card berth.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Mike L’Africain. With Ward gone, someone will have to take over on offense and orchestrate. Can L'Africain pick up the slack? My quick answer is yes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: potentially in the OUA bronze medal game - CIS wild card conversation\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003ERyerson Rams\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYou could make the case for Ryerson to be a CIS contender. They have the pieces; they only lost one player from last year’s team and added some intriguing talent.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut I’m pessimistic about this Rams squad. Their offence earned a pedestrian O-Rtg of 100 despite having \u003Cb\u003EJahmal Jones\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EAaron Best\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EJordan Gauthier\u003C\/b\u003E. Those players though, might be the reason that their offence struggled. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBoth Best and Jones have been efficient on two-point shot attempts: Best shot 55 per cent from inside the arc while Jones shot 45 per cent last year. That figure from Jones is a dip in production from his first three years in OUA play, when he shot 48.3 per cent in 2011-12 and a scorching 52.4 per cent in 2010-11. His shot totals through those years were all within 11 FGA of each other. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGauthier shot 51 per cent on non-threes last year, but 122 of 266 shot attempts were threes last year, where he only made 40 — or 32 per cent of his attempts.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt’s the three-point shots that are killing the Rams. Through twenty games last year, 38 per cent of Ryerson’s shots were threes and they only shot 29.0 per cent behind the arc. That’s a lot of threes for a team that isn’t particularly good at it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETeams with similar three-point shot rates? Carleton with 39.5 per cent and Ottawa with 39.7 per cent. But those squads are really, really good at threes. The Ravens knocked down 40.2 per cent of threes and Ottawa knocked down 40.1 per cent.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI’m not saying that Ryerson should abandon the three-point shot. My point is that they’ll need to make better decisions in the half court. The three aforementioned guards lead the team in USG% and if they want to make it to the Final 8 tournament, head coach \u003Cb\u003ERoy Rana\u003C\/b\u003E is going to have to reign their shooting in. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstead, they should look to \u003Cb\u003EBjorn Michaelsen\u003C\/b\u003E. He is a solid big man and shoots a team-best eFG% of 56 per cent. He is polished in the post and should receive more touches than he did last year. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERyerson is capable of making nationals, but it will take a major shift in player tendencies to get there. Can Rana change the established player styles of his three guards?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Aaron Best. In his third year, he has the opportunity to climb into the top five scorers of the OUA. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: potentially in the OUA bronze medal game - Wild card conversation\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EUp-and-comers\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003ELaurentian Voyageurs\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EManny Pasquale\u003C\/b\u003E is gone, but this team has the ability to rework itself and make noise in the OUA East. Don’t expect them to be challenging Ottawa or Carleton at the top of the standings, but they should have upset potential in the playoffs.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGeorges Serresse\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EJamie Weldon\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EStephen Williams\u003C\/b\u003E have all moved on from the program but \u003Cb\u003EJosh Budd\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003ENelson Yengue\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003ETychon Carter-Newman\u003C\/b\u003E should have no issues filling those minutes. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBudd has already shown a scoring prowess, leading the team in scoring over Waterloo in the season opener. Carter-Newman is a defensive monster and able to clean up some plays on the offensive glass too. Nelson Yengue didn’t use a ton of offensive possessions last year, but made good on the times he did, shooting a 52 per cent eFG%.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis team is balanced, with an O-Rtg and D-Rtg of 101. \u003Cb\u003EAlex Ratte\u003C\/b\u003E had a great year last year while leading the team in USG%, but it’ll be interesting to see how the loss of Pasquale impacts the defenders he faces. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI’m buying Voyageur stock because of that Sudbury advantage and returning players who are capable of filling in for the losses. The only thing that worries me about this team is what happens when Ratte has an off night or takes on an elite defender. Who takes on the shooting responsibilities? It looks like Budd, but he only averaged 7.2 points a game last year in 24 minutes per game. Will he be able to carry the offence?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Josh Budd. I hinted at it before, but I’m really curious to see if the fourth-year can take these offensive units to new heights in the post-Pasquale era.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Third in OUA East\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EQueen’s Golden Gaels\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EQueen’s has never made the national tournament. For a school with rich history and enough spirit to support a handful of OUA competitors, that’s a jarring fact. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut the Gaels seem to be building towards something now. Last year, rookies \u003Cb\u003ESukhpreet Singh\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003ERoshane Roberts\u003C\/b\u003E were second and third in minutes played per game. Fourth-year \u003Cb\u003EGreg Faulkner\u003C\/b\u003E led the team in minutes and scoring before going down with an injury. His strong debut in tricolour after transferring from Carleton put Queen’s at 6-3 heading into the winter break. The wheels fell off later in the season, going 1-4 in their final five games without Faulkner to finish 10-10.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt’s those outstanding rookies that put the Gaels in the up-and-coming conversation. Both were thrust into high usage situations, tasked with carrying the offence. The adjustment from high school to the OUA got the best of the two, with Singh putting up an eFG% of 46 per cent and Roberts hitting at a 40 per cent clip. Those are two sobering numbers, but there are positives.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESingh got the line at an all-OUA level. His free throw rate of 0.37 was good for ninth in Ontario. He only made 74 percent of his free throw attempts, but for a rookie to come out and make a habit of getting to the charity stripe is nothing short of impressive. Singh also has an elite play-making ability, finishing his first-year campaign with a 21 per cent assist rate to put him at tenth in the conference.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor Roberts, there are not many redeeming offensive numbers. All around, it looks pretty bleak. He’s not a great shooter from anywhere, doesn’t do well at the line (71 per cent last year) and averaged just over an assist a game. Those numbers will definitely turn around as he gains experience.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhere Roberts could redeem himself is to grow on the defensive end. He showed promise; he averaged a hair over a steal per game last year and owned an impressively low 2.6 fouls committed per 40 minutes. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMike Mullins\u003C\/b\u003E — brother of Columbia University and member of the Canadian development team Grant Mullins — joins the team and should take some of the scoring load off of Roberts.\u003Cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENikola Misljencevic\u003C\/b\u003E has had a strong pre-season, including 20 points over No. 8 McGill to lead his team to an OT victory. He only averaged seven shots a game, but it’s likely that he’ll take more possessions too.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDon’t expect a breakout season though. This team will likely be building off of last year’s success and give their young players more on-court experience.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Greg Faulkner. He is a savvy player with range who has the potential to go for 30 if the defence is sleeping on him.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Loss in OUA quarterfinals\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003ELaurier Golden Hawks\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis one is a tough call. Their roster screams \"average\" as evidenced by last year’s O-Rtg of 94 and D-Rtg of 101. Both marks are just middle of the pack, but more importantly, they are far off from the mark of teams that compete for the Wilson Cup year-in and year-out.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EStill, they have a chance to make a run. \u003Cb\u003EMax Allin\u003C\/b\u003E, in his final year of eligibility, is one of the best scorers in the country. He plays an efficient style; good three-point shooting and a ton of free throws. Third-year \u003Cb\u003EWill Coulthard\u003C\/b\u003E has one of the quickest triggers in the conference, willing to throw it up at any second. Consistency is still an issue for him, though. He used the most possessions out of any player on his team, but only shot at an eFG% of 45 per cent. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhile those two players are good on the offensive end, there are not many other players to rely on and that’s where we see the difference between them and true contenders. Allin and Coulthard combine for many of the team’s possessions per game but the others go to players who simply are not efficient enough to be deemed worthy of using a possession.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe next two leaders in USG% are \u003Cb\u003EPatrick Donnelly\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EJamar Forde\u003C\/b\u003E, at 20 per cent and 19 per cent respectively. Donnelly, who left the team late last year for unknown reasons but is back now, shot a horrific 39 per cent eFG%. That’s 96th worst among players that played at least one-third of team minutes. There were only 107 players that qualified. Forde isn’t much better - he ranks 85th in the category.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHead coach \u003Cb\u003EPeter Campbell\u003C\/b\u003E will have to either move those shots to Coulthard and Allin or find new sources of offence. \u003Cb\u003EMatt Chesson\u003C\/b\u003E, OUA Rookie of the Year, and incoming rookie \u003Cb\u003EJack Simmons\u003C\/b\u003E could give them that offence. Chesson has size and a post-game, while Simmons has put up 11.6 points through five preseason games.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETheir defence is average but should be better with Donnelly back, Chesson playing more minutes and Allin maintaining a low foul rate. Turning that offence around is more important than making that defence on par with team’s in the running for the title.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Max Allin. He broke the school scoring record last year in his first game back after the passing of his father. Allin can light it up with the best of them and is always worth a look.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Fourth in OUA West - OUA semifinal loss\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003ELakehead Thunderwolves\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI refuse to put Lakehead in the basement. Yes, \u003Cb\u003EScott Morrison\u003C\/b\u003E is on a professional leave of absence, scouting for the NBA D-League’s Maine Red Claws. Yes, the group of players like \u003Cb\u003EJoseph Jones\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EGreg Carter\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EYoosrie Sahlia\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EBen Johnson\u003C\/b\u003E, and \u003Cb\u003EMatthew Schmidt\u003C\/b\u003E who took this program to a new level are all gone. But the Thunderwolves will find a way, as they always seem to.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELakehead had a surprising preseason, playing the Victoria Vikes tough and grinding through a game against Carleton. They dropped some games to inferior opponents, but once this team plays gets their feet wet and uses that Thunderdome advantage, they’ll be back in the conversation for the top of the OUA West. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESince the majority of players who played for this team are gone (and \u003Cb\u003ERyan Thomson\u003C\/b\u003E is sitting out the year to recover from knee surgery), I’ll shy away from putting stock in team stats. However, we can look at some players with increased roles that will try to get Lakehead back in the CIS Final 8.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAnthony McIntosh\u003C\/b\u003E is a fourth-year player who has been asked to take on increased importance for this squad. He did not log major minutes last year — his highest minute total was in the final game of the regular season with 13 — but has already played a ton in the preseason.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EIgor Lebov\u003C\/b\u003E is a transfer from Franklin Pierce University and he has a wealth of talent. Lebov could another one of those players that Morrison has plucked out of seemingly nowhere and has potential to lead this team in scoring.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EJustin Bell\u003C\/b\u003E is in his final year of eligibility after bouncing around the OUA. He’s played for Ottawa and York but looks poised to grab a starting forward spot on the roster. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith so many moving parts, this season could go very right or very wrong for the Thunderwolves. Not having Morrison behind the bench puts a damper on my optimism slightly. What will kill this team’s chances is a slow start in the difficult interlock period.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Igor Lebov. The transfer is a talented player on offensive who can hit from anywhere on the court. He could give below-average defenders nightmares.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Third in the OUA West, loss in the semifinals\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EPlayoffs, but barely\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EYork Lions\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHead coach \u003Cb\u003ETom Olivieri\u003C\/b\u003E has built a good roster here, with a lot of depth and experience. True, this team is competing in a tough conference, but I like their chances.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAaron Rados\u003C\/b\u003E is leading this squad as a fifth-year forward. He plays tough and led the team in minutes last year, although just barely beating out \u003Cb\u003EDavid Tyndale\u003C\/b\u003E. Rados will be asked to take on more of the offensive load this year since Tyndale was a major source of their scoring.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis could be a good shift though, as Rados had a 52 per cent eFG% last year, a respectable mark in the top-third of the conference. He spreads his shots well; taking just under half his shots from three while shooting a decent 35 per cent and getting to the line consistently. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Lions’ defence was respectable last year too, posting a D-Rtg of 103. A lot of that can be credited to \u003Cb\u003ENick Tufegdzich\u003C\/b\u003E, a fourth-year forward who anchors this defense. Olivieri has to hope that his presence inside can push that D-Rtg south of 100. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI’ve put this team in the \"up-and-coming\" section because I think their experience will pay off. But there is no time for growing pains and the loss of Tyndale can’t linger on the offence. Tyndale was an \"oh no the shot clock is running down, here just take the ball\" guy and did a decent job in that role. But do they have the pieces to replace that? They should, as Olivieri seems intent on playing nine guys in his rotation, according to a York Lions website video. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Aaron Rados. With more possessions heading for his hands, he is one of the most intriguing players in the OUA East.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Sixth in OUA East, lose in quarterfinals.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EWestern Mustangs\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI’m expecting this team to squeak into the playoffs but only as a product of a weaker lower half of the OUA. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI’m not a fan of this team whatsoever, as they play a rough style that is not exactly fun to watch. Last year, in a regular season match-up against McMaster, the Mustangs could not hit a shot from anywhere on the court. Mac was running them out of the gym and instead of accepting that the game was lost, Western decided to just start playing dirty. They began to hit players at every possible second and it became a safety concern.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat Mustang squad is the proud owner of the worst O-Rtg in the conference, at 86. The leader for that offensive unit was \u003Cb\u003EPeter Scholtes\u003C\/b\u003E, who used 27% of the possessions but put up an eFG% of 41 per cent. He is back to lead the offensive, which is not an encouraging sign. Western also turned the ball over on 25% of their possessions last year.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlongside him on offence is \u003Cb\u003EQuinn Henderson\u003C\/b\u003E. He too used a lot of possessions for them and shot a better percentage at 47 per cent, but that mark is not something to structure an offence around.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDefensively, this team was bad. They posted a D-Rtg of 106 and turned the ball over at an OUA-worst rate of 25 per cent of possesions. There is reason for optimism, though. \u003Cb\u003EGreg Morrow\u003C\/b\u003E is back for a third-year and he was the strongest defensive player for the Stangs last year. He also shot a great percentage from the field with a 58 per cent eFG%, so if you’re looking for a bright spot, here it is.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EEric McDonald\u003C\/b\u003E is a transfer from Guelph and could provide more offence for the squad. He had a strong preseason, including 18 points against Acadia.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBrad Campbell\u003C\/b\u003E has added some recruits but it’s yet to be seen how many minutes they will play. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWestern’s experience could pay off and they should prey on weaker OUA teams like Waterloo, Guelph, Toronto and Algoma. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Greg Morrow. He shoots the best percentage (by far) on this team and can get his own shot. Will he be given the keys to the offence over Scholtes though?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Fifth in the OUA West. Quarterfinal loss.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EGuelph Gryphons\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGuelph is just too young of a team to put in a category other than the basement. \u003Cb\u003EZach Angus\u003C\/b\u003E is one of my favourite players to watch in this league, but he can only do so much. Angus and \u003Cb\u003EMichel Clark\u003C\/b\u003E are two returning players who logged major minutes, but the rest of the returning cast are relative unknowns. 13 (!!!) players averaged double-digit minutes per game last year too, and they need to figure out their rotation.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETheir O-Rtg and D-Rtg were so bad last year, I contemplated not putting them in to save the horror. For offense, Guelph was tied for third worst in the league with 92 and for defense, they were second worst in the league, with 107. What’s scary is that \u003Cb\u003EDan McCarthy\u003C\/b\u003E — one of the team’s best defenders — is gone. \u003Cb\u003EAdam Kemp\u003C\/b\u003E is a six-foot-seven forward and has a year of experience under his belt. They will need him to anchor the defence.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOffensively, McCarthy’s departure means that the team will need to look elsewhere for offence. He used a lot of possessions for the team last year and the Gryphons will miss his production. For a player using as many possessions as McCarthy did, you would want his eFG% to be higher (it was 46 per cent) but Guelph needs whatever they can get.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThey have a fresh crop of rookies, with 12 first-year players listed on their 2013-14 roster. It’ll be a rough start for the season to them if head coach \u003Cb\u003EChris O’Rourke\u003C\/b\u003E spreads the minutes as much as he did last year.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGuelph has committed themselves to the development of athletics, with a new indoor complex, brand-new football stadium and revamped soccer complex. They have some highly competitive teams in soccer, rugby, football, field hockey and cross country (to name a few). Basketball has been lacking though. Could this be the year where they start to turn that around? Probably not on paper, but through the development of their first-years, it could be the beginning.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Zach Angus. He is a tough player with solid stroke and ability to get to the hoop. He’ll get more touches this year and it’ll be fun to see what he does with it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Sixth in the OUA West. Quarterfinal loss.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EBasement Dwellers\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EToronto Varsity Blues\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI’ve put Toronto here because of the conference they play in, but I’m optimistic about the future of this team.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor one, \u003Cb\u003EJohn Campbell\u003C\/b\u003E is the new coach. He is leaving Dalhousie, where he took two teams to the Final 8. He has implemented a new system, but said that it’s been \"challenging\" to introduce. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThen there is the new Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport opening in 2014. If you’ve seen the promotions for it, you know that Toronto has laid the foundation to host a CIS-best athletic department.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut for this year, they have \u003Cb\u003EAlex Hill\u003C\/b\u003E returning, \u003Cb\u003EMatt Savel\u003C\/b\u003E should hopefully be healthy and \u003Cb\u003EDakota Laurin\u003C\/b\u003E should get more shots since \u003Cb\u003EArun Kumar\u003C\/b\u003E has left. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELast year, Kumar and Hill used a large proportion of the team’s possessions and neither was even close to efficient. Losing Kumar is a blessing for Campbell, as he stopped any and all ball movement. If he can rein Hill in a bit, Toronto will improve on offence.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe defence was an issue last year, but again that comes from Kumar. He is a short guard and let a lot of guys get by him. If your point guard can’t defend in the OUA, you’re going to have a bad time.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThese guys will be worth a watch to see what Campbell can do, but you won’t see these guys making much noise in a loaded OUA East.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Eighth in the OUA East. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EAlgoma Thunderbirds\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe newest OUA team could turn into a Lakehead-lite. Their coach, \u003Cb\u003EThomas Cory\u003C\/b\u003E, casts a wide net in recruiting — he grabbed recruits from British Columbia and Michigan — and he has been the team’s coach through their college competition. Throw in the travel factor, where teams are playing in Sudbury the night before and you’ve got a distinct advantage. The two schools even share the same weird \"Thunder\" prefix. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMcMaster’s \u003Cb\u003EJoe Rocca\u003C\/b\u003E said that the team is ultra-athletic and will look to just run teams out of the gym, a sentiment Mac coach \u003Cb\u003EAmos Connolly\u003C\/b\u003E echoed in a separate interview.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThey’ll be able to surprise some teams too, with teams having to do so much travelling to get there.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: \u003Cb\u003ETerrell Campbell\u003C\/b\u003E. Athletic player who can get up and down the court as fast as anyone. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Seventh in OUA East.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EBrock Badgers\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe new head coach in St. Catharines has already called this a rebuilding season, but Brock seems to finally be having a positive rebuild.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor the past couple of seasons, the Badgers have fielded teams that struggle to mesh on the offensive end. Last year, they put up a brutal O-Rtg of 90. With \u003Cb\u003ECharles Kissi\u003C\/b\u003E in charge, the offence already looks better when I watched a preseason game against Niagara College. The ball moved a lot quicker and they were playing an inside-out style instead of the iso-ball of years past.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMike Luby\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EBrian Nahimana\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EJameson Tipping\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EMark Gibson\u003C\/b\u003E have all moved on from the program. Tipping had two years of eligbility remaining but left the program to play for the Brampton A’s — where Tipping’s older brother is the president and his father is the owner. Tipping used a lot of possessions for this team but was a treat to watch, as he could get to the hoop with ease, back you down in the post and hurt you from outside — evidenced by his 34 per cent mark from three. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETshing Kasamba\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EIssack Egueh\u003C\/b\u003E played the most minutes of returning players and are set to lead this squad. Alongside them is \u003Cb\u003EDani Egaldi\u003C\/b\u003E, a six-foot-seven rookie with long arms and scoring touch. He doesn’t have the size to handle older players on the defensive end but his quickness is a plus if Kissi wants to switch him on to a guard.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYou don’t want to look too much into last year’s team stats because the roster will be comprised of a whole new crew. I’m looking forward to seeing where this team ends up in February because they could be really coming into their own. Egaldi is a player with OUA Rookie of the Year potential and Kissi is a coach who seems intent on changing the culture at Brock. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Dani Egaldi. I can’t say enough about him. He looks like he could really give defence problems with his size and ball handling abilities. Needs to find a three point shot, though.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Eighth in OUA West\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EWaterloo Warriors\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Warriors only lost two players — Brendan Smith and Kyrie Coleman — but having so many players return is exactly what I don’t like about this squad.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWaterloo was just as bad as Western was last year offensively and marginally better defensively. Their offence lacks any balance and their defence is susceptible to foul trouble, with abysmal fouling numbers for their major players. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI’ll highlight some positives for the team, though: it’s \u003Cb\u003EGreg Francis\u003C\/b\u003E’ second year with the program, and perhaps that will give the team a little more stability. \u003Cb\u003EJaspreet Gill\u003C\/b\u003E has potential to be a dynamic offensive weapon too. But I’m running low on positives.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESimply, this roster lacks the talent to compete. In losing Smith, they lost their best rebounder, a loss that is already showing signs of problems as they nearly got doubled in rebounds in their season opener. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETo get back to the playoffs, players need to have worked hard at becoming better defenders and cleaning the defensive glass. Otherwise, this team is going to be lucky to reach the quarterfinals again.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Jaspreet Gill. He could be asked to take even more shots than he did last year, and that could lead to some eye popping stat totals.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Seventh in the OUA West.\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\/8020016309213055041\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/11\/the-tiers-of-oua-mens-basketball-season.html#comment-form","title":"6 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/8020016309213055041"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/8020016309213055041"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/11\/the-tiers-of-oua-mens-basketball-season.html","title":"The Tiers of the OUA: A Men's Basketball Season Preview"}],"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"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"6"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-1638815528510003726"},"published":{"$t":"2013-10-19T12:55:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-10-19T12:55:21.718-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Football"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Gaels"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gryphons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"OUA Football Recap"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"statistics"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Varsity Blues"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Football: OUA playoff scenarios, odds, and possibilities"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Most of the playoff teams have been determined in the OUA; only a small battle remains between Windsor and Toronto, but that is heavily tilted the Lancers' way. We also know who the top three teams will be: Western, Queen's\/Guelph winner, Queen's\/Guelph loser. That game alone can affect the playoff race considerably but it's not the only one with potential implications.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe fourth through sixth spots are still undetermined, and could be any of three or four teams. Toronto, should they qualify for the playoffs, will be 5th, which means the other three \u0026mdash; McMaster, Ottawa, Windsor; all tied at 4-3 right now \u0026mdash; have a home game on the line today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere can't be a three-way tie with these teams, and the Marauders hold the tiebreakers over both, assuming nothing out of the ordinary happens. (They can sew up a point-differential tiebreaker over Windsor by beating Carleton by about 25 points, which should be simple enough to achieve.) So that home game is Mac's to lose.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJust in time for the games today, here are the odds for all four teams and each playoff position:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable border=1\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETeam\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003E4th\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003E5th\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003E6th\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOut\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EMAC\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E73%\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E23%\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E4%\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E---\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EOTT\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E17%\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E45%\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E38%\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E---\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EWSR\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E10%\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E27%\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E58%\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E5%\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003ETOR\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E---\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E5%\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E---\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E95%\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/table\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\/1638815528510003726\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/10\/footballoua-playoff-scenarios-odds-and.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/1638815528510003726"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/1638815528510003726"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/10\/footballoua-playoff-scenarios-odds-and.html","title":"Football: OUA playoff scenarios, odds, and possibilities"}],"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":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-3548557535788208661"},"published":{"$t":"2013-10-09T10:00:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-10-30T23:55:38.737-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Carabins"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Dinos"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Football"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gaiters"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Gaels"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gryphons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Rouge et Or"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Top 10"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"U of S Huskies"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Football: Our latest Top 10 ballots"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"This week's ballots from our staff (in order \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/sports\/fball\/2013-14\/releases\/top10-7\"\u003Eafter the official listing\u003C\/a\u003E: Neate Sager, myself, Kevin Garbuio):\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWestern\u003C\/b\u003E \u0026mdash; 1st, 1st, 2nd. They have clinched first place in Ontario [correction: assuming they beat York] no matter what you may read elsewhere about point differential coming into play with Guelph (by OUA rules, that is impossible). About to enjoy the coveted \"bye week, York, bye week\" portion of the schedule. There have been tougher times to be a Mustang, that's for sure...\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELaval\u003C\/b\u003E \u0026mdash; 2nd, 2nd, 1st. About a 2 to 1 split among voters who prefer Western to Laval up top. Hung a Waterloo score on Concordia. Kevin may prove to be the smarter one in the end here, and unless I'm mistaken he is the only one of the three of us who has personally lost to Laval.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECalgary\u003C\/b\u003E \u0026mdash; 4th, 3rd, 4th. Considered moving them down after \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/10\/football-dinos-dont-dominate-but-win.html\"\u003Ethis week\u003C\/a\u003E but couldn't find another team I liked better at 3.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGuelph\u003C\/b\u003E \u0026mdash; 3rd, 6th, 3rd. Very difficult for me to assess where to put McMaster vs. Guelph. (Many reading this would say \"Guelph's 6-0, don't overthink it\" but that is \u003Ci\u003Eunder\u003C\/i\u003Ethinking it.) Thanks to scheduling quirks they will probably have only one common opponent who makes the playoffs. Last week I had Guelph 6th and McMaster 10th but after reviewing the evidence at hand I'm pushing them closer together. Still not sure I want to put the Gryphs above, say, Queen's or Calgary.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EQueen's\u003C\/b\u003E \u0026mdash; 6th, 4th, 5th. The all-important \"playing for a bye week\" game comes up one week after they roll out of bed 15 minutes before kickoff and beat Waterloo 54-12.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMontreal\u003C\/b\u003E \u0026mdash; 5th, 5th, 8th. Maybe KG moved west to avoid the wrath of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.allezlesbleus.ca\/\"\u003Eour blue-clad friends\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaskatchewan\u003C\/b\u003E \u0026mdash; 8th, 10th, 7th. I can report that actually watching an entire game of theirs didn't help figure out where to rank them.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBishop's\u003C\/b\u003E \u0026mdash; 7th, unranked, 6th. Have been outscored on the season, by nine points, though that will change after five minutes this week.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMcMaster\u003C\/b\u003E \u0026mdash; 9th, 7th, unranked. If only Neate and I could play as Bishop's and Mac on \u003Ci\u003EMadden\u003C\/i\u003E and solve this. It's the only way these teams can play each other. However, that would require both of us to have a \u003Ci\u003EMadden\u003C\/i\u003E game more recent than Tommy Maddox's career.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWindsor\u003C\/b\u003E \u0026mdash; 10th, 9th, 9th. They've been on my ballot for the last five weeks in a row so this is either vindication or a coincidence.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFun fact: the entire AUS received 0.4% [edit: not 2%] of the voting points available this week, all for SMU.\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\/3548557535788208661\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/10\/football-our-latest-top-10-ballots.html#comment-form","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/3548557535788208661"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/3548557535788208661"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/10\/football-our-latest-top-10-ballots.html","title":"Football: Our latest Top 10 ballots"}],"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":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-9197316025610991083"},"published":{"$t":"2013-09-23T17:38:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-11-06T19:17:10.785-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"AUS men's hockey update"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Axemen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Badgers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"exhibitions"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Hockey"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Panthers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Patriotes"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"SMU Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tommies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Varsity Reds"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"X-Men"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Men's Hockey: AUS Weekly Update - The Preseason Edition"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Yes, I know it's prime CIS football and soccer season, but the AUS men's hockey teams started their preseason play this week and fans got their first looks at the new recruits.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut first, off the ice, we now have not one, but three separate AUS bids to host the 2015 \u0026amp; 2016 CIS University Cup tournaments. StFX and Saint Mary's earlier in the summer had announced a novel joint bid that would see all games played at the Halifax Metro Centre (a two hour drive from Antigonish) with the X-Men acting as the host team one year and the Huskies as host the other year. Then this week came news that Acadia was also bidding for the same years and they were also looking to host the games at the Metro Centre (an hour from Wolfville). So a win-win for Halifax. Then on Friday came the surprise news that UPEI was also putting in a bid to host the tournament at the rechristened Charlottetown civic centre - EastLink Centre. You get the feeling that the AUS really, really want to host the University Cup ... or four teams are looking for a route to the championship that doesn't involve getting past UNB on the ice.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESpeaking of the anti-UNB crowd, this season will indeed see the implementation of the new roster caps in the AUS: 22 skaters and unlimited goalies. There is no injured reserve, so if I player suffers a season-ending injury, you're sh!t out of luck. The rosters have to be locked down opening night, so there may be several players, enrolled in classes and playing exhibition games now, who may not find out until October 18 whether they will make the official season roster or not. You also have to expect that many, or all, of the AUS coaches may want to keep one or two spots open for Christmas recruits as well - for those players who discover riding the buses, and benches, in the ECHL may not be worth forfeiting their Major Junior education packages and that they want to play in the AUS after all.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOh, and that ongoing CIS investigation of the Dalhousie men's hockey program? Surprisingly, still not finished, despite the rumours of player payments outside of the acceptable Athletic Financial Awards have been pretty widely reported in Halifax. You would have thought the CIS would have dropped their report on some Friday in July or August, but now it looks like it will have to be released during this season, if ever.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETurning to the games on-ice,\u0026nbsp; Monday saw UNB travel to the Acadian Peninsula t the village of Cocagne to play Moncton. Les Aigles Bleus scored first, but the V-Reds took advantage of their special teams to notch two on the power play and a shorty for the 4-2 win.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn Thursday UPEI was in Fredericton to play the new-look Tommies. While they didn't win, new head coach \u003Cb\u003EPat Powers\u003C\/b\u003E had STU playing a structured system that kept them in the game against the speedy Panthers, despite the 2-1 loss. After the win UPEI hopped back on their bus and travelled overnight to Trois-Rivières, QC to play in the Patriotes Tournament.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMoncton also bused to Trois-Rivières, and they played Ottawa in the tourney's afternoon game Friday, losing 4-3 to the Gee-Gees. Friday evening UPEI took on host UQTR and managed a 4-3 OT win with \u003Cb\u003EChris Desousa\u003C\/b\u003E notching the winner, his second of the game. Saturday Ottawa was the winner again, 3-1 over UPEI, while in the evening match overtime was cruel to les Patriotes again as defenceman \u003Cb\u003ESimon Jodoin\u003C\/b\u003E knocked in his own rebound for the 3-2 UdeM win.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn Fredericton UNB was hosting the OUA's Windsor Lancers in their first-ever visit to the Aitken University Centre for the V-Reds annual Fall Classic invitational. Friday night was a 5-0 UNB win, but the game was close for two periods with the score 2-0 going into the third period. Saturday saw the Lancers exhibit more jump, scoring early in both the first and second periods and chasing rookie UNB goalie \u003Cb\u003EJoel Vienneau\u003C\/b\u003E before carrying a lead into the third. Despite extending their lead to 4-2, Windsor was not able to deal with the UNB push-back, and the V-Reds went on to score three unanswered goals for a 5-4 come from behind win.\u0026nbsp; \u003Cb\u003EThomas Nesbit\u003C\/b\u003Et made a strong case to stay on the right wing of UNB's first line with University Cup MVP \u003Cb\u003ETyler Carroll\u003C\/b\u003E and team captain \u003Cb\u003EChris Culligan\u003C\/b\u003E, scoring twice and adding four assists in the two games.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere was hockey in Nova Scotia as well, as the four Bluenose teams congregated for the weekend in Wolfville for the Don Wells Memorial tournament. In a bit of surprise Saturday afternoon, Dalhousie beat their Halifax Forum roommates Saint Mary's 5-3. In the evening game the host Axemen lost 3-1 to the X-Men. On Sunday afternoon in the tourney championship final Dal's \u003Cb\u003EAndrew Wigginton\u003C\/b\u003E scored his third goal of the game in overtime for the 4-3 win over StFX. The evening consolation final ended in a rare 4-4 overtime tie between SMU and Acadia, as the decision was made to halt the game after first-year Huskies forward \u003Cb\u003ECameron Wind\u003C\/b\u003E was taken off in a stretcher after an incident on the ice.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis week sees UNB travel to Maine for a Wednesday afternoon game against the Portland Pirates, the AHL affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes, at their practice facility in Saco. The V-Reds are back home Friday night to host the Carleton Ravens. Also on Friday, the Brock Badgers will be playing Saint Mary's, STU is playing StFX in New Glasgow, NS and Dal is at UPEI.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn Saturday Carleton stays in Fredericton to play the Tommies while Moncton will be in Berwick, NS to play Acadia.\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\/9197316025610991083\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/09\/mens-hockey-aus-weekly-update-preseason.html#comment-form","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/9197316025610991083"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/9197316025610991083"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/09\/mens-hockey-aus-weekly-update-preseason.html","title":"Men's Hockey: AUS Weekly Update - The Preseason Edition"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"David Kilfoil"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/16821812362923440575"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"22","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_ZSfv79uXrWQ\/SmbzQBQU15I\/AAAAAAAAAAM\/-NRmEHNVB7o\/S220\/David.jpg"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}}]}});