Canada's version of March Madness is in full swing as the 2026 U SPORTS Men’s Final 8 kicked off with quarterfinal play.
TMU Bold (2) vs. UBC Thunderbirds (7)
Toronto Metropolitan staged one of the most dramatic comebacks in U SPORTS history on Friday afternoon, rallying from a 20-point first-half deficit to defeat the UBC Thunderbirds 97-91.
UBC jumped out to a 28-15 lead after the first quarter and carried a 55-37 advantage into halftime behind balanced scoring throughout the rotation.
The Bold flipped the momentum after the break. Toronto Metropolitan outscored UBC 26-11 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to three, before erupting for 34 points in the final frame.
U SPORTS player of the year Aaron Rhooms led the comeback with 24 points and nine rebounds, while Kevin Toth delivered the knockout blow, drilling five three-pointers in clutch time.
In a relatively even game, TMU’s three-point shooting showed that it can decide games. The OUA champions advanced to Saturday’s semifinal, while UBC moves to the consolation bracket.
"Any of our guys can pop off at any moment, and it was him today," Rhooms spoke of fourth-year guard Kevin Toth with immediate contributions coming off the bench in the second half. "It might be someone else tomorrow and Sunday, but it speaks to the depth of our team - everybody can have an impact."
Laval Rouge et Or (3) vs. Carleton Ravens (6)
Carleton’s defensive structure dictated the game as the Ravens defeated the Laval Rouge et Or 85-69 in Friday's Quarterfinal #2.
"The biggest thing is we want to try and play a 40-minute game," said Ravens interim head coach Taffe Charles. "We wanted to make sure that we wore them down [...] You need depth [to do that]."
Aubrey Dorey-Havens led the Ravens with 15 points and five dimes, while Marjok Okado and Tyler Brown each added 11 points. Laval’s bench unit contributed to six Ravens finishing in double figures as Carleton’s depth outscored Laval’s 42-13.
Laval was led by Christophe Tshibola, who scored a game-high 27 points, including five three-pointers, while Chakib Sedoud added 17 points and seven rebounds.
Rebounding between these two teams was virtually a deadlock, although Laval produced 16 second-chance points for the Rouge et Or. Carleton capitalized more often, though, generating 30 points in the paint and building a 19-point fourth-quarter lead to seal the win.
Victoria Vikes (1) vs. Calgary Dinos (8)
The Victoria Vikes defeated the host Calgary Dinos 100–86 in Friday's Quarterfinal #3. The top-seeded Vikes and CanWest champions built control early behind strong perimeter shooting, leading 26–20 after the first quarter before a dominant 31–13 second quarter pushed the Vikes to a 57–33 halftime advantage. The Vikes continued their momentum in the third, stretching the lead to as many as 35 points and entering the second half ahead 86–64.
Calgary attempted a late push in front of the sold-out home crowd, outscoring Victoria in the third and fourth quarters, but the deficit proved too large to overcome. Eli Djordjevic led the Dinos with 18 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, earning him player of the game honours. While Mrigendra Dhaliwal added 17 points, Dre Francis recorded 15 points and nine rebounds.
Despite the loss, head coach Dan Vanhooren praised his team’s response after halftime. “For them to fight back the way they did after being down like that — they could have folded mentally, but they didn’t,” Vanhooren said. “I’m really proud of them.”
Acadia Axemen (5) vs. Bishop's Gaiters (6)
The Bishop’s Gaiters are heading to their first men’s basketball national semifinal in 28 years after defeating the AUS Champion Acadia Axemen 98–85 in the final game of Friday's quarterfinal round. Bishop’s, the tournament's at-large berth due to national standing, dominated the boards and forced turnovers to come out on top.
The Gaiters, led by player of the game Charles Robert, who scored 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds, took control early and maintained their lead. The third-quarter would be the true test for Bishop's, as Acadia poured in offensively, outshooting their opponents 29-23, cutting the Gaiters' lead to single digits.
But it wasn’t enough to overcome Bishop’s late-game defensive push that limited the Axemen to 13 points in the fourth quarter.
Semi-Final Matchups
Semi-Final #1 - No. 1 TMU Bold vs. No. 6 Carleton Ravens (Saturday, Mar. 7 @ 5 p.m. MST)
In fitting fashion of a high-stakes tournament, the TMU Bold and Carleton Ravens will faceoff in the first semi-final game of the 2026 U SPORTS Men's Final 8 in a rematch of last week's OUA Wilson Cup Championship that saw the Bold take the title.
With the loss fresh in their minds, the Ravens are prepared to reverse the mistakes made to earn a berth in Sunday's gold medal game.
"We played recently, so there's a lot of stuff we can change to be better," Ravens guard Aubrey Dorey-Havens reflected. "We didn't play well last time so there are a lot of adjustments to be made.
"[The players] were really fired up for [the OUA final game] and we had some young guys who didn't really handle it well, but they learned a lot from that experience," said Charles said. "Losing isn't the worst thing, especially at those times. It sucks to lose but we've lost OUA final three or four times and won the national championship - so it's something we can reflect on and see what we can do differently."
Semi-Final #2 - No. 1 Victoria Vikes vs. No. 5 Bishop's Gaiters (Saturday, Mar. 7 @ 8 p.m. MST)
The Victoria Vikes continue their bid for repeat champions, but they have to get past the surging Bishop’s Gaiters first.
With both teams demonstrating tournament-tested depth and talent, fans can expect a tightly contested battle for a place in the gold medal game, where every possession could swing the outcome.
Saturday's Final 8 Schedule
Women's Semifinals (All times in EST)
1:00 p.m. - Carleton Ravens vs. TMU Bold [5th-place game]
3:00 p.m. - Calgary Dinos vs. UNB Reds [Semifinal #1]
5:00 p.m. - Saskatchewan Huskies vs Laval Rouge et Or [Semifinal #2]
Men's Semifinals (All times in MST)
12:00 p.m - UBC Thunderbirds vs. Laval Rouge et Or [Consolation Semifinal #1]
2:00 p.m. - Acadia Axemen vs. Calgary Dinos [Consolation Semifinal #2]
5:00 p.m. - Carleton Ravens vs. TMU Bold [Semifinal #1]
7:00 p.m. - Bishop's Gaiters vs. Victoria Vikes [Semifinal #2]
With files from Jeffrey Kennett