Hamilton, ON- Are you ready for a new U SPORTS national champion? What about a new era? Well, there will be a new men’s basketball champion this season after the Carleton Ravens won the previous four and 11 of the last 12.

The Ravens lost to the Brock Badgers in the first round of the OUA playoffs. The Badgers went all the way to the OUA Finals. Could the W.P. McGhee trophy stay in Ontario? Will the top seeded Victoria Vikes capture their first U SPORTS crown since 1997? Or will it go elsewhere?

We will find our answer this week as the quarter-finals tip off on Mar. 8. Here’s a team-by-team breakdown of the field.

Note: Stats and Historic Facts from Martin Timmerman’s U SPORTS Hoops page.

1) Victoria Vikes (Canada West Champion)

Record: 28-5 (17-3 regular season record)

The Vikes find themselves in the same position as last year. Canada West Champion. Number one seed. In Halifax, they bowed out to the host St. Fx X-Men in the semi-finals before losing to the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the bronze medal match.

This time, point guard Diego Maffia is back – and arguably better than ever with another Canada West Player of the Year title and some CEBL experience as well. Maffia has a strong supporting cast with Elias Ralph, Griffin Arnatt, Canada West Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Tesfagioris and others.

They’ve played some tough games in their conference – including rallying from a double-digit deficit against Winnipeg in the finals. Many of them were in Halifax last year when they went home without a medal. Will their experience help them capture the U SPORTS crown?

2) Queen’s Gaels (OUA Champion)

Record: 28-5 (19-3)

Party like it’s 1957 for Queen’s men’s basketball. The Gaels wrote a storybook ending to their OUA season with hometown senior Cole Syllas hitting a walk off three pointer at home to win the OUA championships against Brock. It’s their first OUA crown since 1957.

The Gaels have been on an upward trajectory under head coach Steph Barrie. They upset Carleton two years ago to reach nationals before finishing fourth. They reached nationals again last year before finishing sixth. They returned most of their core alongside some key additions (Aaron Tennant and Adefolarin Adetogun). Syllas and his brother Luka are both OUA All-Stars with Luka also nabbing OUA Defensive Player of the Year.

With the brothers in their final season, it could be now or never for this Gaels core to reach their U SPORTS title dreams. Now that would truly be the most storybook finish of all.

3) UQAM Citadins (RSEQ Champion)

Record: 16-12 (11-5)

Last season, UQAM head coach Mario Joseph talked about his team – and his conference – not having enough respect. They were the sixth seed – the lowest a conference champion could be. The Citadins earned respect by almost knocking off the eventual national champion Ravens before winning two games to finish fifth.

This year, they’ve repeated as RSEQ champions. They’re coming in as the third seed and will face Carleton’s cross-town nemeses, the Ottawa Gee-Gees. They’ve done so by focusing their recruiting on Montreal players in particular.

They’re bringing back plenty of continuity with those players – 10 of them in the third year or more. This includes RSEQ Player of the Year Kevin Civil, Defensive Player of the Year McFadden Jean and All-Stars Elie Karojo and Quincy Louis-Jeune.

Can the Citadins go one or two steps further and capture a medal or win it all? If they do, they will have earned everyone’s respect.

4) Dalhousie Tigers (AUS Champion)

Record: 25-12 (11-9)

The Tigers have been a staple in the national tournament under long-time head coach Rick Plato. They even reached the national title game in 2020, coming a whisker away from beating Carleton. So when they missed out last season, it may have seemed like an anomaly. Dalhousie made sure they didn’t this time. Yes, they had their fair share of regular season losses but they made a run to win the AUS title.

Dalhousie’s hopes will start with AUS MVP Malcolm Christie, who has upped his production every year since he arrived at school in 2021. He set a Dalhousie record for most points in a single game when he dropped 51 against UNB on Nov. 25. He then scored a team-high 21 points against St. Fx in the AUS title game. Nginyu Ngala and Samuel Maillet are part of the supporting cast but the Tigers’ chances of advancing may lie on Christie’s shoulders.

5) Brock Badgers (OUA Finalist)

Record: 19-18 (11-11)

The Badgers went through an up-and-down regular season, a far cry from their OUA title winning team in 2022. They lost five straight games in January. They had to fight to even clinch an OUA playoff berth. Then, Willy Manigat’s squad won three games in a row to close out the regular season.

Then, they pulled off upset after upset after upset. Down went Carleton, then Ottawa, then the Western Mustangs. The Badgers nearly pulled off the complete Cinderella story, leading Queen’s for most of the OUA Finals. Nevertheless, they will have another shot at redemption at nationals.

“I’m just proud that they’re finally believing and understanding what I’ve seen all year, and what they have agreed all year that we could be,” Manigat told the Brock website after beating Western. “They put their egos aside and were unselfish and played team basketball.”

Among those doing so are veterans Jordan Tchuente, Isaiah Bujdoso and Kevaughn Ellis – who were part of the 2022 squad. Guard Andrew McKenna has made an immediate impact, earning a spot on the OUA All-Rookie team. By the looks of their recent play, this Badgers team looks more and more like the one two years ago.

6) Ottawa Gee-Gees (OUA Quarter-Finals/At-Large berth)

Record: 26-5 (19-3)

For much of the regular season, head coach James Derouin’s Gee-Gees looked like the toast of the conference – if not the country. They had a strong preseason. They had a stellar regular season – albeit losing to Queen’s twice. They finally looked like they might end the caveat attached to their program of coming close but not winning a national title.

Then, they lost to the Badgers in the quarter-finals. The good news for them is they have a second lease on life with the at large bid. Ottawa has shown they have the quality to win it all. They’ve gone to a more balanced attack with plenty of depth and returning talent.

Brock Newton, Kevin Otoo, Drajan Stajic and others were at nationals last year when they won bronze. Transfers Khalifa Koulamallah (Carleton) and Justin Ndjock-Tadjore (St. Bonaventure) have come in and made their mark. Another thing to consider: there’s no Carleton in the field this time. Could this year be their time to finally end the caveat and bring home their first national title?

7) Winnipeg Wesmen (Canada West Finalist)

Record: 23-10 (15-5)

The Wesmen were a relatively young team last year when they broke through and reached the Canada West finals and nationals. They had plenty of first and second year players who got a taste of being on the biggest stage.

Fast forward a year later and Winnipeg is knocking on the door even more than before. They pushed Victoria to the limit in the Canada West title game. They bring back Mikhail Mikhailov, Shawn Maranan, Alberto Gordo and Donald Stewart. Maranan leads all U SPORTS players in assists while Mikhailov was a Canada West All-Star for the first time.

Winnipeg will have a tough matchup against Queen’s in the first round but then again, they were in the same situation last year against OUA champs Ottawa. We shall see what a difference a year makes for them.

8) Laval Rouge et Or (RSEQ Semi-Finals/Host)

Record: 9-20 (6-10)

The Rouge et Or are arguably the weakest team in the field. However, they will have home court advantage and a chance to make some noise. They are making their first nationals appearance since 2008.

Laval has experience playing against many of the teams at nationals. They lost to Queen’s, Winnipeg and Ottawa in the preseason. They went 2-2 against RSEQ champion UQAM in the regular season. They haven’t played Victoria – their quarter-final opponent – since 2018 though.

If the hosts are to pull off the upset or more, they will have to rely on the likes of RSEQ All-Stars Haris Elezovic and Steeve Joseph. Sidney Tremblay-Lacombe and Saydou Sall also bring experience and productivity. In terms of young blood, Laval can turn to RSEQ Rookie of the Year Willem Mwanza and fellow first-year Ousmane Diaware. Their matchup against Victoria might be a tall task but if they are to pull it out, it will have to be a team effort.

Featured Image: David Mahussier/Victoria Vikes Athletics