Nearly three decades after its only national championship, Bishop’s is one win away from exercising their demons.
Standing in the way is the program that has defined the modern era of Canadian university basketball.
The fifth-seeded Bishop’s Gaiters and sixth-seeded Carleton Ravens meet Sunday in Calgary for the U SPORTS men’s basketball national championship, a matchup between one of the nation’s historic powerhouses against another amid a potential breakthrough moment.
Carleton arrive chasing an 18th national title, trying to add to a dynasty that has dominated the Canadian university basketball for more than two decades.
Bishop’s, meanwhile, are writing a different story.
Under fourth-year head coach Matt McLean, the Gaiters have surged from rebuilding program to national contender, posting a 25-4 record this season and advancing to the championship game after gritty wins over Acadia and top-seeded Victoria.
Sunday’s final brings together two programs that have historically been on different sides of history. Now they meet for the last game of the bracket. Carleton’s decades of championship pedigree against a Bishop’s team attempting to complete one of the most poignant rises in the country.
The Gaiters’ lone national championship came in 1998, but sustained success proved difficult in the years that followed. That trajectory has changed dramatically in recent seasons.
The Gaiters have surged over the past two seasons under McLean, underscored by reaching the national tournament in back-to-back years.
Forward Charles Robert, a U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian, leads the team with 17.1 points per game, while Yanis Malanda and Etienne Gagnon each average 13.6 points. Gagnon, the U SPORTS Defensive Player of the Year, also anchors the paint with 10.7 rebounds per game.
The gameplan for the Gaiters is to be aggressive.
Bishop’s play at a faster offensive tempo than Carleton, averaging 84.0 points per game while spreading scoring deep through the rotation.
Carleton, by comparison, rely on structure. The Ravens average 76.4 points per game, but their ability to limit opponent’s quality looks has fueled their postseason runs for this year. The Ravens allowed just 63.4 points per game this season. They will attempt to force Bishop’s into a slower paced game, with shorter possessions.
Offensively, Carleton’s backcourt drives much of the scoring.
MJ Okado leads the Ravens with 14.4 points per game, while Aubrey Dorey-Havens, an OUA First Team All-Star, adds 13.4 points and serves as the team’s primary playmaker. Inside, Emanuel Milon and Louth-Mohamed Coulibaly provide rebounding and interior scoring.
With Okado potentially on the sideline, Cedric Mbiaba was the guiding force for the Ravens on Saturday against TMU with 19 points, and he will need to come up big again on Sunday.
Carleton holds the historical advantage in the series between the two programs, as they do against most teams.
The Ravens lead the all-time matchup 45-18, including an 18-10 edge in regular-season conference meetings.
The most recent meeting, however, belongs to Bishop’s.
In October, the Gaiters travelled to Ottawa for the House-Laughton Tournament and delivered a 67-42 victory, one of Carleton’s lowest-scoring performances of the calendar year.
But that was exhibition, and this is Final 8.
Nearly three decades after their lone title, the Gaiters now stand one win away from adding another banner.
The obstacle, fittingly, is the program that has spent the past 20 years collecting them.