Tuesday 26 February 2008

CISHOOPS.CA Top 10 Media Poll for February 26, 2008

cishoops.ca Media Poll – February 26, 2008

Results of the February 26th cishoops.ca Media Poll conducted February 24-25. There are a maximum 228 points in the poll. Points are awarded in descending order - 12 for first, 11 for second, etc. - depending upon placement. (First place votes bracketed). For a list of voters, see www.cishoops.ca

Rank Team Points Last Week

1. Carleton (19) 228 1

2. Calgary 199 3

3. Brandon 187 2

4. Acadia 179 4

5. Windsor 130 9

6. U.B.C. 121 7

7. Ottawa 97 NR

8. St FX 88 NR

9. Toronto 60 5

10. Laval 58 8

DROPPING OUT: Cape Breton; Alberta

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Cape Breton 50; Brock 45; Alberta 28; Saint Mary’s 11; and Concordia 1.



If the nation’s university basketball teams were cards, they’d have been worn thin the way voters in the February 26th cishoops.ca Media Poll were shuffling them in the rankings after a madcap week of upsets.

Except, of course, for the Carleton Ravens.

The five-time defending Canadian Interuniversity champs whipped a quality foe, the Queen’s Golden Gaels by a breathtaking 52 points in the Ontario University Athletics East division semi-finals last Saturday to run their record against Canadian competition to (29-0).

Needless to say, Carleton remains the unanimous choice on the ballots of all 19 voters in this week’s poll. The Ravens will face their archrival uOttawa Gee-Gees in the OUA East final on Saturday.

Climbing into second place in the poll for the first time this season were the University of Calgary Dinos, who hamstrung their archrival University of Alberta Golden Bears 87-78 and 90-66 to sweep the Canada West Central division finals.

The Dinos, now (24-6), will face the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the semi-finals of the Canada West Final Four on Friday for a berth at the CIS nationals to be held in Ottawa March 14-16.

The other Canada West semi, with another CIS berth on the line, will pit the third-ranked Brandon Bobcats against the Golden Bears. The Bobcats, now (27-7) dropped the opener of their Canada West Plains division final to Regina but recovered to twice dump the Cougars.

Acadia held on to fourth place after improving to (24-5) overall and earning a bye into next week’s Atlantic University Sport semi-finals by stomping UPEI 77-58. The Axemen captured the AUS regular season title with an (18-2) record.

Leaping four spots into fifth place in the poll were the Windsor Lancers, who closed out their Ontario University Athletics West division schedule with a 77-71 win over Wilfrid Laurier. The Lancers, (now 21-6), face the University of Western Ontario Mustangs in Wednesday’s OUA West semi-finals.

U.B.C., now (24-5), moved up a notch to sixth in the poll after sweeping Victoria 70-67 and 86-77 in the Canada West Pacific division finals.

Zooming back into the poll and grabbing seventh spot were the now-healthy Gee-Gees, who stunned the host University of Toronto Varsity Blues 63-60 in the OUA East semis. uOttawa improved its record to (24-9).

Making their first appearance in the Top 10 were the (24-9) St. Francis Xavier X-Men, who closed out their AUS regular season schedule by dusting Memorial 105-72 and 88-64 to finish (15-5) in league play and earn a bye into next week’s AUS semis.

Toronto finished its campaign with the loss to Ottawa and slid four spots to ninth. The Varsity Blues were (26-9) on the campaign.

Laval dropped two spots to tenth after closing out their Quebec Student Sport Federation regular season campaign with a 93-83 loss to UQAM. The Rouge et Or, now (19-9), face McGill in the QSSF semis on Sunday.

Dropping out of the poll were the (23-10) Golden Bears and (20-9) Cape Breton Capers, who were shocked twice by the St. Mary’s Huskies.

-30-

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

how does brandon drop in this poll, and in the NABCC poll, when a three-game post season series is, by CIS rule, to be deemed as a single game in regards to voting. ( the media poll's rule in relation to this i am unaware of.)

Mark Wacyk said...

Part of the purpose of the media poll is to offer an alternative view of the Top 10. Fortunately in my opinion media voters are not obliged to follow the CIS rule that a loss in a three game series does not count. From the perspective of the media poll, Brandon lost a home playoff game against a unranked opponent and this reflects in how many media voted Brandon in the latest poll. A loss is a loss and a home loss to an unranked opponent is, in my opinion, justified in dropping a team, regardless of the CIS rule. On a related note, someone please convince me how and why 3 games should be deemed as a single game especially with one team playing all 3 games at home and having a full two weeks to heal/prepare prior to playing. I understand the logic in playing best-of-3 to send the best team (I don't agree with it or else let's play Best-of-3's right through the Nationals but I understand it), but then saying a loss in a regulation 40 minute game doesn't count against the team is going overboard.