Both post-secondary schools in the nation’s capital have advanced to the quarterfinals in the provincial collegiate men’s basketball championship.
After finishing third in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) east division, Carleton was required to play in a one-game knockout round against Waterloo on Wednesday. The Ravens emerged victorious, winning comfortably by a score of 89-57, setting up a date in the quarterfinals against Queen’s on Saturday.
Carleton and Queen’s split the season series this year, each winning one game at home, though the Golden Gaels finished ahead of the Ravens in the standings.
Saturday’s matchup will take place in Kingston at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Meanwhile, the University of Ottawa won the OUA east division, granting them a first-round bye and placing them automatically in the quarterfinals.
The Gee-Gees will host Laurentian University on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET, where they will be heavy favourites. UOttawa, which only lost two games all season, beat the Voyageurs handily in both prior matchups between the schools this year.
In the latest U Sports national rankings, UOttawa was listed as the second-best team in the country, behind only the undefeated University of Victoria.
The OUA’s postseason champion and runner-up will qualify for the national collegiate championship, hosted this year by the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
The UOttawa men’s team are the reigning U Sports bronze medallists, while Carleton is looking to rebound from last season’s disappointing result, when they were bounced by Brock University in the first round of the OUA playoffs, marking the team’s worst result in more than two decades.
Carleton’s men’s team has won 17 Canadian championships, all in the last 22 years, which is the most in history. The Gee-Gees have twice been runner-up (both times to Carleton), but are yet to win a title.
On the women’s side, Carleton’s undefeated 22-0 season gave them a first-round bye, and they’ll host McMaster University on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. ET in a quarterfinal matchup. The Ravens placed first in the most recent U Sports national rankings, and will be looking to defend the national championship they won last year in Edmonton, Alta.
UOttawa’s women’s squad, which is ranked the fourth-best team in Canada, also qualified for the quarterfinals. They’ll play host to Queen’s, also at 6:00 p.m. ET on Saturday.
