By Bill Cowin
For years U.S. college football has been ridiculed over the fact that there is no playoff system to determine a true national champion.
Well, last weekend in Halifax, the CIAU proved it can be just as ridiculous with its national men’s basketball championships.
Last week I used this space to tell you why the Ryerson Rams deserved the wild card spot, in the Nationals, that had been awarded to the McMaster Marauders. The fact is the Rams didn’t deserve to go to Halifax. Before you tar and feather me, don’t forget the Rams lost the OUAA East Final to Toronto. The sad thing is the (now back to back) CIAU champion Alberta Golden Bears didn’t deserve to be there either.
The eight-team championship was comprised of six conference champions—Victoria (CWUAA), Brandon (GPAC), Guelph (OUAA West), Toronto (OUAA East), Concordia (OQIFC), and Cape Breton (AUAA)—and two wild card teams—McMaster (OUAA West) and Alberta (CWUAA).
Don’t get me wrong; I applauded the Golden Bears for making the most of their opportunity. What I’m questioning is why they were given the opportunity.
There is no objective argument to justify the presence of McMaster and Alberta at the Nationals. Now I’m sure someone is sitting there saying that the wild card spots ensure that the best teams in the country are at the national championships. That argument holds as much water as a sieve.
The fact remains that McMaster was beaten by the Guelph Gryphons in the OUAA West Final. So they weren’t even the best in their conference, let alone the country, despite the CIAU’s unwarranted praising of the Marauders for much of the season. The same can be said of Alberta. they lost the CWUAA Final to the Victoria Vikings.
Having wild card teams in the Nationals trivializes the accomplishments of the six conference champions. They had to work hard to earn their positions. Alberta and McMaster were given theirs on a silver platter. Hell, Alberta was ranked #4 and McMaster #6, while the Concordia Stingers and Cape Breton Capers, two of the teams that actually earned their spots, were ranked #7 and #8 respectively.
The basketball geniuses at the CIAU must have choked when the Capers knocked off the #1 Brandon Bobcats (77-73) and the Stingers bounced the #2 Victoria Vikings (79-75) in the first round. In the second round they must have been gasping for air when the Stingers came back from a 10-point half-time deficit to beat the Toronto Varsity Blues 75-65, and Golden Bears were only able to sneak past the Capers by four points, 88-84. Order was restored when the Golden Bears ended Concordia’s Cinderella-season with an 84-86 victory in Sunday’s Final.
The bottom line is, Alberta may have the banner hanging in their gym but for my money the “real” national championships are the Concordia Stingers.
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