LANGLEY, B.C. - The Sheridan Bruins men's basketball team (30-9, 19-5 OCAA) will open their pursuit of a national title when they face the runners-up from Quebec, the Montmorency Nomades (14-4 RSEQ) in the national quarter-final (March 14, 5:30 p.m. PT/ 8:30 p.m. ET) tomorrow.
"Having watched them on film as much as we have in the last couple weeks, they're a pretty athletic team, they run really nice sets, and they have good length," assistant coach Nick Davis said. "We have to be disciplined in terms of dictating the pace of the game, creating a lot of mayhem and havoc, to get them out of their rhythm, and we have to match their intensity."
The two sides met during the Dawson Fall Classic in October, with the Bruins securing an 88-85 victory, but Davis says that should be treated as nothing more than a footnote and that both teams have grown exponentially since then.
"From what I've seen on tape, they're a far better team today than when we played them in October," he said. "I think we're a better team as well, but you can never really tell how much better they've gotten because we haven't played against them."
Montmorency averaged 80.1 points on .431/.273 /.578 shooting, while allowing just 66.1 points per contest in the regular season, and they held a slim rebounding advantage of 41.7-37.8. The Nomades are led by Blondeau Tchoukuieg (19.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game) and Elie Karojo (18.9 points and 9.8 rebounds).
Familiar faces
It will be the second time this season that five of the eight teams in the field have all been on the same court, as the schools in the Eastern or Atlantic time zones - Sheridan, Humber, Montmorency, Vanier, and Holland - participated in the Dawson Fall Classic over Thanksgiving weekend.
The Bruins claimed the title with a double overtime triumph over George Brown in the final. Other matchups between participating colleges saw Vanier beat Holland (89-81), Montmorency down Humber (76-62), and Holland take out Montmorency (94-69) to claim third place.
A deep field
Of all the CCAA league sports, none has more parity than that of men's basketball. Over the last 13 seasons, there have been 13 different champions. In comparison, over the same 13-year span, no other sport has hit double figures in terms of seeing different teams crowned. Women's basketball and women's soccer have been the most dynastic, featuring only five different winners apiece, followed by men's soccer (seven), and men's and women's volleyball (eight each).
Out of town, but still reppin' @sheridancollege �� pic.twitter.com/KPTFLB3agj
— Sheridan Bruins (@sheridanbruins) March 14, 2019