GAME INFORMATION:
Thursday, Mar. 31 vs. Queen's Gaels 6:00 p.m. Kingston, Ont. (Watch Live on CBC.ca/CBC gem)
Saturday, Apr. 2 vs. TBD Kingston, Ont. (Watch Live on CBC.ca/CBC gem)
Sunday, Apr. 3 vs. TBD Kingston, Ont. (Watch Live on CBC.ca/CBC gem)
For the eighth-straight season, Lisa Thomaidis and company are dancing.
The Canada West Champions are national championship-bound for the eighth-straight season,
Saskatchewan travels to Kingston with the goal of going back-to-back on their mind. The Huskies are the defending national champions after winning nationals back in 2020 in Ottawa.
The program's chase for its third Bronze Baby continues this weekend.
After a 14-2 regular-season and undefeated postseason, Saskatchewan earned the No. 2 ranking ahead of nationals, earning them a matchup with the Queen's Gaels in the quarter-final.
But on tap is a tough task. The Huskies will play the Gaels on their home floor, in front of their home crowd in the night cap on Thursday night, in what will be the final game of the opening night at nationals.
The meeting will be the second between the pair of programs in U SPORTS history, with their last meeting being a quarter-final matchup of the 2014 national championship — a game Saskatchewan won 61-52.
And while Queen's is an opponent of relative unfamiliarity, there is a familiar face on the sideline. Claire Meadows is the head coach of the Gaels after spending three years with the Huskies as their lead assistant coach from 2018-2021. This is Meadows first year on the job at her alma mater, after spending the entirety of her post-secondary career as a Gael where she finished as Queen's second all-time leading scorer.
But when it comes to this year at Queen's, they finished the regular-season with a 9-5 regular-season and began the postseason with a 74-65 win over the York Lions, before they ultimately fell 67-58 in the OUA quarter-final to the Ryerson Rams. Despite being eliminated relatively early in their conference postseason, the layoff for the Queen's has not been very long, with the contest taking place back on Mar. 19 — the same night as Saskatchewan's Canada West Championship win over the Winnipeg Wesmen.
And speaking of those Wesmen, if the pair of conference champions are each able to take care of business in the national quarter-final — looming is a rematch. Winnipeg opens the tournament against the RSEQ Champion Laval Rouge et Or and it's safe to say they'd like a chance at revenge against Saskatchewan.
The Huskies enter nationals fresh off said conference championship, but will be looking for more.
While it's safe to say they've already cemented their legacy within this program, Summer Masikewich and Libby Epoch have another opportunity on their hands in Kingston. Already with four conference championships to their name, they are looking to close their illustrious career with a second national championship.
National championship appearances for the Huskies have grown to be an annual tradition. This year is no exception. Saskatchewan will look to etch their names in the history books this weekend, as they look to become the ninth school in the nation to win the Bronze Baby in back-to-back seasons.
Thoughts from Thomaidis:
Thomaidis on meeting the Gaels in the first-round:
"That's one Claire and I have been talking/not talking about for the last two years. When we knew they were hosting, that was kind of our nightmare matchup. So I'm not super pumped that we're playing them in the first round. They're a quality team and playing them on their home court is going to be difficult."
Thomaidis on what she expects for the atmosphere on Thursday night:
"I imagine it'll be a packed house. It should be fantastic. It should be great."
Thomaidis on the matchup itself against Queen's:
"Their strength is our strength. Their inside game is very tough. They're physical, they're long. They can shoot the ball. They're kind of similar to us. Claire's done a great job with them this year. She's got them playing at a high level. They've played some very good teams very close. They've had some good wins on the season. They're a quality opponent."
Thomaidis on the seeding:
"The seeding, it is what it is. Honestly, the seeds don't matter too much to me. I was hoping they would put Canada West teams on opposite sides of the draw and OUA teams on opposite sides of the draw coming off a year where you've had such little crossover with teams from different parts of the country. There's lots of talented teams. Looking forward to getting there and getting going."
10 Things:
- Saskatchewan enters the tournament as a conference champion for the fifth time in the last six tournaments
- 2. The U SPORTS Award Ceremony will take place on Wednesday night at the Kingston Grand Theatre, as All-Canadians and the major national awards set to be announced before the tournament gets underway on Thursday
- The full list and rankings of teams are as followed: No. 1 Ryerson Rams, No. 2 Saskatchewan Huskies, No. 3 Winnipeg Wesmen, No. 4 Brock Badgers, No. 5 Acadia Axewomen, No. 6 Laval Rouge et Or, No. 7 Queen's Gaels and No. 8 UPEI Panthers
- Of the eight schools at nationals, only two have won a national title — Saskatchewan and Winnipeg
- UPEI, who was ranked as the number-five team in the last U SPORTS Top 10, earned the at-large bid after they were defeated 74-54 in the AUS semifinal
- Queens ranked in the U SPORTS Top 10 in four of the seven weeks of the season, including in four of the last five weeks. They reached a high of number-nine in the nation on Feb. 21
- Sophie de Goede of the Gaels will compete in her second U SPORTS National Championship of the 2021-22 athletic year. The Victoria product, who won a national title with the Gaels Rugby team while earning MVP honours, was an OUA East Second Team All-Star on the court after leading the conference in rebounds
- Three of Queen's six losses throughout the season came to the Ryerson, including the aforementioned 67-58 defeat in the OUA East semifinal
- Ryerson earned the No. 1 seed at nationals thanks to a 14-0 record and 3-0 postseason record, which they capped with a come-from-behind 72-70 win over the Brock Badgers in the Critelli Cup to claim the OUA crown. The Rams trailed the Badgers by 22 points at one point in the fourth quarter, before battling back and outscoring Brock 31-15 in the frame and eventually 5-3 in overtime
- Rams starting guard Mikaela Dodig is the sister of Huskies guard Andrea Dodig
SEEDING:
- 1. Ryerson Rams (OUA champions: 14-0 regular season, 3-0 playoffs)
- 2. Saskatchewan Huskies (CW champions: 14-2 regular season, 3-0 playoffs)
- 3. Winnipeg Wesmen (CW finalists: 14-2 regular season, 3-1 playoffs)
- 4. Brock Badgers (OUA finalists: 12-0 regular season, 2-1 playoffs)
- 5. Acadia Axewomen (AUS champions: 11-4 regular season, 3-0 playoffs)
- 6. Laval Rouge et Or (RSEQ champions: 7-5 regular season, 2-0 playoffs)
- 7. Queen's Gaels (Hosts: 9-5 regular season, 1-1 playoffs)
- 8. UPEI Panthers (Wildcard: 11-2 regular season, 1-1 playoffs)
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (all times EASTERN TIME)
Wednesday, March 30
- 7 p.m.: U SPORTS Awards Ceremony (Kingston Grand Theatre)
Thursday, March 31
- Noon: Quarter-final #1—No. 8 Ryerson vs. No. 1 UPEI
- 3 p.m.: Quarter-final #2—No. 5 Acadia vs. No. 4 Brock
- 5:30 p.m.: Quarter-final #3—No. 6 Laval vs. No. 3 Winnipeg
- 8 p.m.: Quarter-final #4—No. 2 Saskatchewan at No. 7 Queen's
Friday, April 1
- 6 p.m.: Consolation #1—Loser Quarter-final #1 vs. Loser Quarter-final #2
- 8 p.m.: Consolation #2—Loser Quarter-final #3 vs. Loser Quarter-final #4
Saturday, April 2
- 3 p.m.: Semifinal #1—Winner Quarter-final #1 vs. Winner Quarter-final #2
- 6 p.m.: Semifinal #2—Winner Quarter-final #3 vs. Winner Quarter-final #4
Sunday, April 3
- Noon: 5th-place game
- 3 p.m.: Bronze Medal
- 6 p.m.: Gold Medal
