Monday 17 January 2011

CISHoops.ca Top 10 for 17 January 2011

Not much change from last week's top 7 or 8 although Windsor's ranking suffers a bit with their dramatic loss at McMaster on Wednesday.  Toughest calls are at 9 and 10 although things likely would have been easier had Lakehead not pulled a rabbit out of hat with a tremendous comeback led by solid three point shooting but almost as importantly the strong ball defense of 5'10" Greg Carter keying several stops and putting the T-Wolves in a position to come from over 20 down to win at home and gain a split with Laurier.

#1 Carleton (19-0, 12-0) (LW: #1)  Ravens continue to roll even if their Friday night win at Queen's was less than a thing of beauty as Carleton pulled away in the second half of what was described as a "chippy" affair.  Carleton hosts Laurentian and York this coming weekend as we come up to the one year anniversary of Carleton's last OUA East loss (4 Feb 10 at York).  York at Carleton goes this coming Saturday night at 8 PM.

#2 UBC (17-2, 14-2) (LW: #2)  T-Birds were tested by a young, energized Calgary Dinos team, winning both despite a mediocre (by his standards) weekend for 6'2" Josh Whyte.  Dinos again were without 5'10" Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson who was injured in the first half of Friday's game.  T-Birds travel to Brandon next weekend where the Bobcats are reeling, losers of their last 4 in a row and 10 of their past 12 league games.

#3 Trinity Western (15-2, 14-2) (LW: #3)  Idle this past weekend, the Spartans travel to Calgary to face the depleted Dinos (status of Calgary's Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson is unknown currently) for a pair before hosting now #4 Saskatchewan Huskies at home in Langley in two weeks.

#4 Saskatchewan (18-3, 11-3) (LW: #5)  Broke the school record for points in a game Saturday night at Manitoba as Huskies shot a ridiculous 51 free throws in a game in which 59 personal fouls were called (or 1 1/2 fouls per minute - virtually on almost every possession).  Huskies have won 8 in a row and continue to rely on their veteran guard tandem of Rejean Chabot and Jamelle Barrett with a nice crew of supporting bigs.  Host Thompson Rivers next weekend before the big 2 game set in Langley against #3 TWU in two weeks.

#5 St. FX (18-3, 7-2) (LW:  #6)  X continues to burn through mediocre AUS opponents, hammering MUN twice this weekend at home.  However, their return engagement with Cape Breton looms this Wednesday night at home in Antigonish as X-Men try to avenge a double digit loss before the Holidays to the Capers in Sydney.

#6 Windsor (12-4, 10-2) (LW: #4)  A tough loss at Mac when the Lancers had the ball with the game tied but turned it over on the in-bounds and watched 6'8" Scott Brittain dunk the game winner.  Lancers have played the majority of their games on the road and still have 3 of their next 4 away from the St. Denis Center, including a pair of games in Thunder Bay in two weeks against second place Lakehead.  Prior to that, Lancers host Western on Wednesday and then go to Brock next Saturday.

#7 Cape Breton (11-6, 10-1) (LW: #7)  A sweep of a solid Acadia team in which the Capers welcomed back 6'7" Scott Jaspers-Fayer, an integral part of their ongoing success up front, bodes well for CBU's rematch in Antigonish this coming Wednesday against arch-rival X.

#8 Laval (13-5, 7-1) (LW: #9)  Rouge et Or escaped with a one-point win over McGill at home on Sunday and more optimistic with the apparent return to offensive form of 6'3" J.F. Beaulieu-Mahieux who had 34 vs. Bishop's and then 25 vs. Redmen.  Laval hosts UQAM this coming Friday night.

#9 Dalhousie (12-5, 6-2) (LW: NR)   The talented Tigers strive for some consistency and got a nice road win at UPEI over the weekend.  Dal will be tested this week, hosting Saint Mary's on Tuesday night and travelling to Sydney on the weekend for a pair of games at #7 Cape Breton.

#10 Lakehead (14-9, 9-3) (LW: #8)  As mentioned, ranking the bottom portion of the Top 10 is a challenge especially with the T-Wolves on the verge of losing two straight to Laurier.  But their incredible comeback, using their staple of tough ball "d" and three-point shooting, gives them a slight edge over Laurier, who just as easily could be in this spot.

5 comments:

Mista Cee said...

so, wait... you drop Toronto out of the top 10 and put Lakehead and Dal ahead of them?? Toronto beat Lakehead and also beat X who is a higher-ranked AUS team than Dal. Toronto lost on the road (to York, virtually the same team that beat #1 Carleton at home last year) and then beat Laurentian at Ben Avery, a team that beat Laurier, who almost swept Lakehead in the Thunderdome this last weekend. I don't get it.. from what I've seen this year, including from you, Mark, is the continual expectation that Toronto will not sustain their solid play. People are just waiting for them to falter so that they can confirm their beliefs about them (ahem, Joe Scanlon, who can't even get his facts straight, smh). At this point, although there are still 10 games left, how can you continue to legitimately argue that they may not get 2nd in the OUA East? Do the math ... at least you got Concordia the hell out of there. Hope the coaches do the same..

Anonymous said...

Yo Mista Cee...chill bro!
So Toronto dropped out of Mark's top 10?
It's no tragedy...who knows, maybe they'll be back in it in a week or two.
There are a lot of teams in the 8-13 range that could be in or out depending what happens that week.
Anyway, polls matter only to wild card contenders and Toronto won't be a factor in that. They'll have to win their way in regardless so polls don't matter., so just get hot when it matters and make it to the OUA final.
The way the playoffs are set up, Toronto doesn't have to go through Carleton to make the Wilson Cup. Against anybody else, I think Toronto's chances are good.

Bill McLean said...

SMU is actually the home team for tomorrow night's game with Dal. We'll have it on live.haligonia.ca.

Anonymous said...

Mista Cee - Toronto had it easy at Laurentian; coach getting tossed in the first quarter...oh well LU shot themselves in the foot; could have been 2nd in the OUA East this weekend

Mista Cee said...

C'mon son .. Coach don't play. If you saw the game, you'd know it was anything but easy. A hungry and improving team coming off a loss in their home gym against the team ahead of them in the standings?? A pair of brothers who did everything in their power to double-handedly lead their team to victory? Not to mention an officiating crew who did everything in THEIR power to make up for the quick trigger in tossing Swords. Naww, du'.. i'd say that's FAR from easy. Character win, especially after losing the previous night at York and having to make the trip up to Sudbury.