Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

U Sports

Ravens fade Dinos advance to 18th straight U Sports Final 8 national semi-final

ravens fade dinos advance 18 straight u sports final 8 national semi final
ravens fade dinos advance 18 straight u sports final 8 national semi final

For many U Sports men’s basketball teams reaching the semi-finals of a national tournament is usually the pinnacle moment of the program and the highlight of many student athletes’ collegiate careers.

For the Ravens’ anything less than a national championship and a W.P McGee trophy is simply considered a failure and a disappointing season.

The No. 1 Carleton Ravens’ continued their march toward their fifteen national title by defeating the Calgary Dinos 82-66 in the second quarter-final of the day to advance to their 18 straight national semi-finals.

Since winning their first title in 2003 the Ravens’ have become synonymous with semi-final Saturday and championship Sunday. The standard for Canadian university basketball failed to qualify for the 2002 Final 8 and has since ripped off 46 wins (quarter-finals, semi-finals and championship games) on their way to 14 national titles.

Acadia (2008), Saskatchewan (2010) and Ryerson (2018) are the only three teams to beat Carleton in the semi-finals. Guaranteed money, the Ravens’ are a perfect 14-0 when reaching the championship game.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

The Ravens’ were paced by the hot had of senior guard Isiah Osborne (Windsor, Ont.) with 20 points, 6 rebounds on 7-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-5 from downtown. Sophomore Biniam Grebrekidan (Alymer, Que.) notched a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in a match-up against 2020 U Sports Player of the Year Brett Layton.

carleton ravens biniam grebrekidan battles calgary all canadian brett layton 2020 usports final 8
Carleton Biniam Grebrekidan battles Calgary All-Canadian Brett Layton at 2020 U SPORTS Final – Photo: Valerie Wutti/Blitzen Photography

“It was definitely a big challenge, an exciting challenge. We played these guys in the preseason, before that he wasn’t really All-Canadian and Player of the Year. Now knowing that from the awards and seeing all that, my motivation was there to prove that I should be as good as him.” discussed the second-year 6’9″ forward.

Rookie of the Year and second-team All-Canadian Lloyd Pandi (Ottawa, Ont.) notched double-digits with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists and former national defensive player of the year Marcus Anderson contributed with 9 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists

carleton ravens alain louis attacks the rim against calgary dinos at 2020 usports final 8
Carleton Ravens Alain Louis attacks the rim against Calgary Dinos at 2020 U SPORTS Final 8 – Photo: Edilson J. Silva

Alain Louis (Montreal, Que.) continued to assert himself as a top playermaker for the Ravens’ with 7 points, a game-high 7 assists and 4 rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench. The junior guard’s attacking style of play and downhill drives down the throat of opponents have become a feature part of Carleton’s offense and a tough match-up for opposing teams.

Must Read:
Young Lakers' Magic Brings Showtime Back Against Warriors

“The biggest thing about his growth is being in your third-year. Your first year you don’t really know what you are doing, second-year you kind of start figuring a little bit of the things you need to do, the adjustments you need to make, because if you had any success in your first-year, people are going to adjust to the success you had. Your second year is a bit of an adjustment period. To be honest the coaches ask more of you because you are in your second-year and I find the third-year, luckily I came in now when he is ready to blossom as a basketball player.” shared Ravens head coach Taffe Charles during the post-game breakdown.

“Our team generally, were about competition, even internal competition in terms of who is going the best, that person gets to play and between one and twelve know that, so again he has done a great job and has done a good job all year, so let’s get him the ball.”

The Dino’s got a stellar performance from Layton, dominating the interior with 23 points, 16 rebounds, 4 blocks in 35 minutes. Ezeoha Santiago also reached double figures with 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Carleton’s win subsequently sets up a rematch of the 2020 OUA conference championship game against the Western Mustangs. Led by an unbelievable three-point barrage, the Mustangs throttled past the Alberta Golden Bears after trailing by 16 points in the first quarter. The Ravens defeated the Mustangs 66-65 on a game-winning pull-jumper by Stuart Turnbull in the 2009 national semi-finals at Scotia Bank Place in Kanata. Overall, Carleton has won 25 straight games against Western since 2003.

4 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Advertisement

BUZZING

U Sports

University of Toronto Varsity Blues star, Dane Quest, discusses his basketball journey, all he’s overcome and what’s next.

U Sports

The Ottawa Gee-Gees dominated the Capital Hoops Classic, securing victory over the Carleton Ravens and advancing in their pursuit of the first U SPORTS...

U Sports

In a thrilling match at Monpetit Hall, the top-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees men's basketball team rallied from 19 points down to beat rival Carleton 79-78.

U Sports

The Ottawa Gee-Gees picked-up one of their biggest wins over their rivals Carleton Ravens to take home the 2023 OUA Championship and the Wilson...

NCAA

The Kentucky Wildcats blew out the Carleton Ravens 118-56. The 62-point loss ties the worst defeat in the history of the men's basketball program.

U Sports

The Carleton Ravens will play the Northeastern Huskies, Florida State Seminoles, Oregon Ducks and the Kentucky Wildcats in a loaded 2022 NCAA preseason schedule.

CEBL

Week two of the BasketballBuzz Top 10 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) had it all -- intriguing cross-country match-ups, a record setting scoring performance,...

NCAA

Big Blue Nation versus BirdGang in Nassau, as the Kentucky Wildcats and 16-time Canadian U Sports basketball champions Carleton Ravens face off in the...

BasketballBuzz - Canada's Basketball Magazine