CIS Hoops.ca

As mention here yesterday, it appears that Ryerson has gone in a different direction with some of their athletic staff as David Dubois and Terry Haggerty appear to no longer be employed by the University. Haggerty was Head Coach of the Men's basketball team for many years through 2002-03. Here is an article in this morning's Toronto Star Article .

Chad Lucas from Halifax Chronicle-Herald reports on last night's thrilling St. FX victory over St. Mary's in which X battled injury to a key player and foul trouble Joyce Gives X-Men Much Needed Spark

Two National Capital-native university basketball stars, Cassandra Carpenter and Laure Pitfield, are among the finalists for the CIS most valuable player award, reports Martin Cleary of the Ottawa Citizen (subscription) A lot on the line in first matchup

Northern Life.ca reports on Laurentian's men's and women's teams as they vie to continue their seasons Wins Needed to keep LU Basketball Squads Alive

Jurors still trying to come to a decision on the McGarrigle Case Halifax Chroncile-Herald Reports

OUA EAST Sudden Death Quarter-Final Previews
8 PM Queen's (12-10) at York (15-7) The Gaels high-post, West Virginia-like offense had no trouble getting scoring opportunities in two prior games against the Lions in which both teams held court at home. York's size and athleticism, especially as was the case during a game-deciding second half stretch in the return match in North York, could be too much for Queen's to handle, especially with Lions star guard Tut Ruach having now played in 14 games (in the first game between the two teams, Ruach had just returned to York's lineup after sitting out the first half of the season). Queen's will have to have a superior night shooting the ball and hold their own rebounding, which they did well in the win in Kingston. The Lions will look to pound it inside against a Gaels squad which played a lot of zone in their games two weeks ago against Carleton and Ottawa. Although York should be favored playing at home, this is an interesting game given the contrasting styles and personnel so expect a close one. York Queen's Preview from York site

8 PM Laurentian (6-16) at Toronto (15-7) These teams met two weeks ago in Sudbury when the Blues took over in the overtime period for a seven point win. However, both teams had come off emotional victories the night before that basically clinched third and sixth respectively and the game was sluggish for both teams. Previously, the Blues shot out to a large halftime lead to defeat the Voyageurs in Toronto in January. Laurentian must find a way to control 6'9" Mike Williams inside and negate his shot blocking and defending abilities - expect the Voyageurs to spread the floor and make Blues forwards defend the perimeter. The Voyageurs Brody Bishop is a streaky shooter who, when he gets going, can keep his team in games singlehandidly. Toronto's Ben Katz is probably the most experienced "big game" and all-round talented player on both teams and expect his play to decide this game one way or the other.

OUA WEST Previews
8 PM Brock (15-6) at Windsor (15-6) This game will decide the OUA West regular season champion and the winner will be in a position to host the OUA West championship game on March 3rd and then possibly the Wilson Cup the following week. A key matchup at the point will be Brock's OUA West Player-of-the-Year candidate 5'9" Brad Rootes against solid 6'1" Ryan Steer. Look for Windsor's diminutive point guard Corey Boswell, an excellent on-the-ball defender, to also see time guarding Rootes who should see his usual 38-40 minutes. Up front, Windsor will look to bang on the glass with Rich and Greg Allin against a smaller Brock team that, during their 8 game winning streak, has ordinarily outrebounded taller opponents. Brock's defensive stopper Mike Kemp should draw Windsor's leading scorer Kevin Kloostra defensively. The Lancers, with a deeper bench, will likely look to push the tempo and test Brock's bench. But with Rootes orchestrating, the Badgers can play at their tempo. The two best teams in the OUA West face off on the final night of the season with first place on the line. Preview from the Windsor Star (subscription) Lancers Face High Stakes . The game will be broadcast by Brock campus radio CFBU Radio Broadcast which unfortunately does not appear to be equipped to broadcast games over the Internet.

8 PM Guelph (11-10) at McMaster (13-8) The Marauders have clinched third place and cannot finish any higher but on Seniors Night when their entire starting lineup will be honoured for their careers and the arch-rival Gryphons in town, expect Mac to play hard to win. The Gryphs need a victory to secure home-court advantage in the first round as, in the event of a tie with Western, the Mustangs own the tie-breaker (Guelph defeated Western by 7; Western defeated Guelph by 12). The Marauders pulled away late in January at Guelph to win the first game between these 2 teams while Guelph had their 5 game winning streak snapped on Saturday at home against Brock. Guelph at Mac can be heard on CFMU via Mac's Audio Webcast

8 PM Laurier (9-12) at Western (10-11) The Mustangs retain hopes of a home playoff game for the first time in about 5 years but need to defeat the young, pesky Hawks who have shown a pattern for bouncing back from poor efforts, like Saturday at Waterloo, with a big game. The Hawks are trying to avenge a 10 point overtime loss at home to the Mustangs as Matt Curtis tied the game with under a second to play in regulation when Laurier's scorers table allegedly started the clock late and then Curtis took over in the extra frame. Laurier's freshman Andrew Pennycook will try to add to his OUA leading blocked shot totals while Western's 6'6" forward Brad Smith has been a catalyst offensively for the 'Stangs down the stretch. Excellent game preview from Andy Watson and team at Western Sports Information Mustangs Need Win for Home Court