U Sports men's basketball

U Sports men's basketball
FormerlyCIAU men's basketball, CIS men's basketball
SportBasketball
Founded1962
No. of teams48, in four conferences
CountryCanada
Most recent
champion(s)		Rouge et Or
(2024)
Most titlesCarleton Ravens (17)
Related
competitions		U Sports men's basketball championship
Official websiteU Sports men's basketball

U Sports men's basketball is the highest level of amateur play of basketball in Canada and operates under the auspices of U Sports, Canada's governing body for university sports.[1] Forty-eight teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic conferences, drawing from the four regional associations of U Sports: Canada West Universities Athletic Association, Ontario University Athletics, Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec, and Atlantic University Sport.[1] At the end of every season, eight teams compete for the W. P. McGee Trophy, awarded to the U Sports Men's Basketball Championship team.[2]

Teams

As of the 2022–2023 U Sports season, 48 of the 56 U Sports member institutions have men's basketball teams. The teams are split into four conferences with some conferences splitting teams further into divisions. With the addition of Ontario Tech for the 2019–20 season, the OUA moved to three six-team divisions.[3] The Canada West conference had two divisions, but reverted to a one conference format for the 2016–17 season with 17 teams.[4] The AUS conference has eight teams while the RSEQ conference has five.

Atlantic University Sport

Further information: Atlantic University Sport
University Varsity Name City Province Founded Arena Capacity
Acadia University Axemen Wolfville NS 1838 Andrew H. McCain Arena 1,800
Cape Breton University Capers Sydney NS 1951 Sullivan Fieldhouse
Dalhousie University Tigers Halifax NS 1818 Dalhousie Memorial Arena 1,280
Memorial University of Newfoundland Sea-Hawks Saint John's NL 1925 Memorial Fieldhouse
Saint Mary's University Huskies Halifax NS 1802 Alumni Arena 1,000
St. Francis Xavier University X-Men Antigonish NS 1853 Charles V. Keating Centre 1,500
University of Prince Edward Island Panthers Charlottetown PEI 1969 MacLauchlan Arena
University of New Brunswick Reds Fredericton NB 1785 Aitken University Centre 3,278

Canada West Universities Athletic Association

Further information: Canada West Universities Athletic Association
University Varsity Name City Province Founded Arena Capacity
Brandon University Bobcats Brandon MB 1889 Healthy Living Centre
MacEwan University Griffins Edmonton AB 1971 Downtown Community Arena 1,000
Mount Royal University Cougars Calgary AB 1931 Flames Community Arenas 500
Trinity Western University Spartans Langley BC 1962 Langley Events Centre 5,300
University of Alberta Golden Bears Edmonton AB 1908 Clare Drake Arena 3,000
University of British Columbia Thunderbirds Vancouver BC 1906 Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre 5,054
University of British Columbia (Okanagan Campus) Heat Kelowna BC 2005 UBC Okanagan Gymnastics
University of Calgary Dinos Calgary AB 1966 Father David Bauer Olympic Arena 1,750
University of the Fraser Valley Cascades Abbotsford BC 1974 Envision Athletic Centre 1,500
University of Lethbridge Pronghorns Lethbridge AB 1967 1st Choice Savings Centre
University of Manitoba Bisons Winnipeg MB 1877 Max Bell Centre 2,121
University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves Prince George BC 1990 Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre
University of Regina Cougars Regina SK 1974 The Co-Operators Centre 1,300
University of Saskatchewan Huskies Saskatoon SK 1907 Merlis Belsher Place 2,300
Thompson Rivers University WolfPack Kamloops BC 1970 Tournament Capital Centre 2,200
University of Victoria Vikes Victoria BC 1963 Centre for Athletics, Recreation and Special Abilities
University of Winnipeg Wesmen Winnipeg MB 1871 Duckworth Centre 1,780

Ontario University Athletics

Further information: Ontario University Athletics

East Division

University Varsity Name City Province Founded Arena Capacity
Carleton University Ravens Ottawa ON 1952 Raven's Nest
Laurentian University Voyageurs Sudbury ON 1960 Countryside Arena
Nipissing University Lakers North Bay ON 1992 North Bay Memorial Gardens 4,246
Queen's University Gaels Kingston ON 1841 Kingston Memorial Centre 3,300
University of Ontario Institute of Technology Ridgebacks Oshawa ON 2002 Campus Ice Centre 800
University of Ottawa Gee-Gees Ottawa ON 1894 Sport Complex Arena 850

West Division

University Varsity Name City Province Founded Arena Capacity
Algoma University Thunderbirds Sault Ste. Marie ON 1965
University of Guelph Gryphons Guelph ON 1964 Gryphon Centre Arena 1,400
University of Waterloo Warriors Waterloo ON 1957 Carl Totzke Court 5,000
University of Western Ontario Mustangs London ON 1878 Thompson Arena
University of Windsor Lancers Windsor ON 1857 Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex
Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks Waterloo ON 1957 Waterloo Recreation Complex 3,400

Central Division

University Varsity Name City Province Founded Arena Capacity
Brock University Badgers St. Catharines ON 1964 Seymour-Hannah Sports & Entertainment Centre 1,400
Lakehead University Thunderwolves Thunder Bay ON 1947 Fort William Gardens 4,680
McMaster University Marauders Hamilton ON 1887 Burridge Gymnasium in Ivor Wynne Centre
Toronto Metropolitan University Bold Toronto ON 1948 Mattamy Athletic Centre at the Gardens 2,796
University of Toronto Varsity Blues Toronto ON 1827 Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport 2,000
York University Lions Toronto ON 1959 Tait McKenzie Centre 1,200

Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec

Further information: Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec
University Varsity Name City Province Founded Arena Capacity
Bishop's University Gaiters Sherbrooke QC 1843 Jane & Eric Molson Arena 800
Concordia University Stingers Montreal QC 1896 Ed Meagher Arena
McGill University Redbirds Montreal QC 1821 McConnell Arena 1,600
Université Laval Rouge et Or Québec QC 1663 Amphithéâtre-gymnase Desjardins 3,000
Université du Québec à Montréal Citadins Montreal QC 1969 Centre Sportif de l’UQAM

References

  1. ^ a b "U SPORTS Identity". U SPORTS.
  2. ^ "The History of Men's Final 8". U Sports. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  3. ^ "Ontario Tech Ridgebacks Looking to Shake Up OUA in Inaugural Season". College Court Report Canada. August 14, 2019.
  4. ^ "Canada West approves basketball format change beginning with 2016–17 season". news.ok.ubc.ca. Canada West Universities Athletic Association. May 11, 2015.