AUS represents
Name the sport and the AUS is probably considered the weakest league in Canada in that game. Well, aside from men’s hockey.
We get the short end of the stick, basically. Our teams are regarded as second-class by national pundits, our players are said to be less talented, and our competition is believed to be weaker. If there’s a way our conference can be criticized, it’s likely been done.
It probably won’t change anything, but hopefully St. FX and Acadia’s performance at this year’s Final 8 will help change that. The AUS was shafted, again, when Acadia was rewarded for winning the league with the honour of being the final seed in the tournament, behind even St. FX, the team they beat in the league championships. Insane, isn’t it?
Even the sixth-seeded X-Men perhaps didn’t receive the love they deserved, pitted underneath the wildcard team and the RSEQ champion Concordia Stingers, which experts felt were a weak No. 3. They were right, it turns out, as Concordia’s defence struggled to contain tournament all-star Terry Thomas, resulting in the X-Men heading to the semifinals instead.
In the end, both AUS teams did better than they were ranked: St. FX took home the bronze medal, and Acadia won consolation. And good for local basketball fans, both teams will only get better. Neither squad is graduating a player this season.
Unstoppable Carleton
We all saw it coming. Nothing was going to stop Carleton’s inevitable coronation.
The praise we can shower on this team is getting repetitive at this point. They are the country’s best basketball program, bar none. Their offensive ability is unparalleled, splitting the defence with ease. Their defenders are top notch, too. If that wasn’t enough, Dave Smart’s squad is blessed with last year’s CIS player of the year Tyson Hinz and this year’s incarnation Philip Scrubb.
Kudos to No. 8 seeded Acadia, by the way, for being the closest team all weekend to dethroning Carleton, getting to within four points of taking the lead in the second half of their quarterfinal match.
For a team that has won eight championships in 10 seasons, it was almost fitting that hours after rehoisting the W.P. McGee Trophy, the NCAA tournament bracket was announced. It’s anybody guess where Carleton would fit in the bracket of 68.
Last Final 8 for Halifax?
After a tremendous 24-year run hosting the national tournament, Halifax finally lost its rights in 2008 to Ottawa. We got our perceived birthright back in 2011.
Now with the tournament returning to the nation’s capital for two seasons, there’s talk we won’t be hosting it again anytime soon.
AUS executive director Phil Currie told the Chronicle Herald over the weekend that the conference probably won’t bid for the event again without the assistance of a third-party partner, citing the financial upside is not as great as it once was. Plus, they’ve been able to make the AUS Final 6 a weekend earlier into a money maker.
We’ll see what happens when bidding for the Final 8 comes up again, but it’s safe to say a return to Halifax is no longer a guarantee.
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