The top dozen teams in Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) men's basketball have punched their tickets to the post-season. But only eight will earn an invite to the 2016 belairdirect OCAA Men's Basketball Championship, hosted by Humber College in Etobicoke, Ont., from March 4-6.
Four teams have already punched their tickets to OCAA provincials. They include east regional champion Collège La Cité (16-4), west regional champion Sheridan College (15-3), east runner-up St. Lawrence College (13-7), and OCAA championship host Humber College (13-5).
The other eight teams will square off in a qualifying round to determine the other four quarter-finalists. Teams will play an opponent from the opposite division based on seeding for the opportunity to advance to provincials.
Here is a look at the four qualifying games.
Georgian (11-9, 5th East) at Lambton (13-5, 4th West)
Saturday, Feb. 27 - 1 p.m.
Two teams that competed at last year's provincials look to knock each other out of this year's event.
Lambton has won five straight, having gone undefeated in the month of February. The Lions have four players that averaged 14 or more points per game during the regular season, including Branden Padgett (Detroit, Mich.) who led all OCAA players averaging 24.1 PPG. Fifth-year teammate Mike Lucier (Forest) led the OCAA averaging 12.6 rebounds per game while averaging 18.7 points.
Georgian has won three straight, and five of its last half-dozen games. Third-year forward Tequilan Zwarych (Whitby) is the top offensive weapon for the Grizzlies averaging 19.8 PPG. He's also not afraid to grab a rebound averaging 12.5 boards per game.
These teams met at the championship last year, with the Lions pulling out a 82-71 victory in the OCAA bronze semi-finals.
Lambton puts its 8-1 home record on the line. Georgian is 4-6 on the road. The winner of this qualifier faces La Cité in the quarter-finals.
Niagara (12-6, 5th West) at George Brown (13-7, 4th East)
Saturday, Feb. 27 - 3 p.m.
Two teams that lost in the 2015 qualifying round meet in Toronto with a chance to play up the road next week.
George Brown has won three of four games in February. Third-year guard Dejazmatch James (Toronto) is the top scorer on the Huskies averaging 19.0 points per game.
Niagara has had mixed results in February going 2-2. Fourth-year player Marako Lundy (Bahamas) has paced the Knights offence this season averaging 19.1 points per game.
George Brown has a 7-3 home record, compared to Niagara's 5-4 road mark.
The winner of this qualifier faces Sheridan in the quarter-finals.
St. Clair (7-11, 6th West) at Algonquin (13-7, 3rd East)
Saturday, Feb. 27 - 6 p.m.
The St. Clair Saints will travel approximately 800 kilometres to take on Algonquin, with a trip to provincials at stake.
St. Clair pulled out a playoff berth with back-to-back wins over Cambrian. Fourth-year guard Charles Baskin (Detroit, Mich.) and first-year guard Trevon Mollison (Brampton) both averaged over 13.5 points per game to lead the Saints offensively.
Algonquin stumbled in its final five regular season games, losing thrice. Third-year forward Murphy Beya (Ottawa) led the Thunder in scoring averaging 15.5 PPG.
Algonquin is 7-3 at home, while St. Clair had a better road record (4-5) than home (3-6). Both teams make their return to the post-season after falling short in 2015.
The winner of this game takes on the winner of the Seneca-Mohawk qualifier in the quarter-finals.
Seneca (9-11, 6th East) at Mohawk (14-4, 2nd West)
Saturday, Feb. 27 - 8 p.m.
Defending OCAA champion Mohawk Mountaineers will have to play their way into provincials if they wish to defend their title.
Mohawk puts its 8-1 home record on the line against Seneca. First-year guard Kareem Collins (Hamilton) led the Mountaineers in scoring averaging 15.6 points per game, while second-year guard Lamar Barr (Hamilton) contributed 14.8 PPG.
Seneca has struggled down the stretch losing seven of its last eight games. Second-year guard Joshua Yorke-Frazer (Rexdale) averaged 16.3 points per game during the regular season.
Seneca has a 5-5 road record. The Sting advanced to the quarter-finals last year, losing to Mohawk 102-81.
The winner of this rematch takes on the winner of the St. Clair-Algonquin qualifier.
- OCAA -
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