Current season, competition or edition: 2023 U Sports Women's Basketball Championship | |
 | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1972 |
| First season | 1972 |
| Organising body | U Sports |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country | Canada |
| Most recent champion(s) | Carleton Ravens (3rd title) |
| Most titles | Victoria Vikes (9) |
| TV partner(s) | CBC,[1] TVA |
| Official website | usports |
The U Sports Women's Basketball Championship, branded as the Women's Basketball Final 8, is a Canadian university basketball tournament conducted by U Sports, and determines the women's national champion. The tournament involves the champions from each of Canada's four regional sports conferences. The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winners.
Seventeen different schools have won the tournament. The University of Victoria has the most tournament wins, with nine. Laurentian University has seven championships. The University of British Columbia has taken the title six times, while the University of Windsor and Simon Fraser University have five apiece. Carleton University, the University of Winnipeg, and University of Manitoba have each won three championships, while Bishop's University and the University of Saskatchewan have won two. Seven programs have one national championship.
History
The tournament was originally composed of just four qualifying teams from 1972 to 1976 until it was expanded to include six in 1977.[2] The championship was then changed to include eight teams in 1979 and has generally remained the same since then. In the 2011 edition, the then-named CIS had West, Central, and East regional play-in games to determine the three remaining spot in the tournament (the other five went to the four conference champions and host).[2] In 2012, there were East and West regional games to determine two additional berths and by 2013 the league had reverted to voting in the three remaining spots.[2] Aside from those two years of regional qualifiers, the tournament has always taken place over one weekend at a pre-determined host site.[2]
The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermline College of Physical Education in Scotland.[3] The trophy was first donated in 1922 by the Students' Council of McGill University and awarded to the Ontario and Quebec conference champion of the Women's Interuniversity Athletic Union (WIAU). After the WIAU amalgamated with the Ontario Women's Interuniversity Athletic Union (OWIAA) in 1971, the trophy was retired and returned to McGill.[3][4] The trophy was then offered to the Canadian Women's Interuniversity Athletic Union (CWIAU) in 1972 to be competed for at a fully national level.[3] The CWIAU merged with the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU), the men's union, in 1978 and awarded by the now-named U Sports governing body.
The 2021 championship tournaments were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]
Format
The championship consists of an eight-team single-elimination tournament. Four teams automatically qualify for the tournament as one of the winners of the four conferences, two qualify as the runners-up of both the OUA and Canada West conference, one qualifies as the host, and one is given an at-large berth.[6]
Results
Title by school
| Appearances | Team | Conference | Wins | Losses | Win % | MRC | MRA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Victoria Vikes | Canada West | 9 | 5 | .643 | 2003 | 2003 |
| 10 | Winnipeg Wesmen | Canada West | 3 | 7 | .300 | 1995 | 2022 |
| 9 | Laurentian Lady Vees | OUA | 7 | 2 | .778 | 1991 | 1991 |
| 8 | UBC Thunderbirds | Canada West | 6 | 2 | .750 | 2008 | 2012 |
| 6 | Windsor Lancers | OUA | 5 | 1 | .833 | 2015 | 2015 |
| 6 | Manitoba Bisons | Canada West | 3 | 3 | .500 | 1997 | 1998 |
| 6 | Regina Cougars | Canada West | 1 | 5 | .167 | 2001 | 2013 |
| 5 | Simon Fraser Clan[A] | Canada West | 5 | 0 | 1.000 | 2010 | 2010 |
| 4 | Bishop's Gaiters | RSEQ | 2 | 2 | .500 | 1984 | 1984 |
| 4 | Saskatchewan Huskies | Canada West | 2 | 2 | .500 | 2020 | 2020 |
| 4 | Calgary Dinos | Canada West | 1 | 3 | .250 | 1989 | 2000 |
| 3 | Carleton Ravens | OUA | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | 2024 | 2024 |
| 3 | Toronto Varsity Blues | OUA | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1986 | 1996 |
| 3 | Alberta Pandas | Canada West | 1 | 2 | .667 | 1999 | 2007 |
| 3 | UNB Red Bloomers | AUS | 0 | 3 | .000 | None | 1976 |
| 3 | Laval Rouge et Or | RSEQ | 0 | 3 | .000 | None | 2019 |
| 2 | McGill Martlets | RSEQ | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2017 | 2017 |
| 2 | Ryerson Rams | OUA | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2022 | 2022 |
| 1 | McMaster Marauders | OUA | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2019 | 2019 |
| 1 | Dalhousie Tigers | AUS | 0 | 1 | .000 | None | 1980 |
| 1 | UPEI Panthers | AUS | 0 | 1 | .000 | None | 1989 |
| 1 | York Yeowomen | OUA | 0 | 1 | .000 | None | 1997 |
| 1 | Cape Breton Capers | AUS | 0 | 1 | .000 | None | 2006 |
| 1 | Saint Mary's Huskies | AUS | 0 | 1 | .000 | None | 2014 |
| 1 | Brock Badgers | OUA | 0 | 1 | .000 | None | 2020 |
| 1 | Queen's Gaels | OUA | 0 | 1 | .000 | None | 2023 |
^ A. The Simon Fraser Clan were members of the CIS (now U Sports) from 2001 to 2010.
See also
External links
References
- ^ "CBC Sports to broadcast U Sports national championships for next 4 years". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. September 20, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "U Sports Hoops Women's Basketball Championship Game Results". usportshoops.ca. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Bronze Baby History". usports.ca. U Sports. 18 July 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
- ^ "U Sports History". usports.ca. U Sports. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
- ^ a b "U Sports unable to offer national championships in winter 2021". usports.ca. U Sports. October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ "Playing Regulations - Women's Basketball" (PDF). usports.ca. U Sports. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
- ^ "2011 CIS women's basketball championship: Lancers, Huskies lead wide-open field" Canada Varsity. Retrieved 2014-10-22.
- ^ a b "Clan Wins Back-to-Back CIS Titles". Simon Fraser University. Retrieved 2018-03-28.
- ^ "Lancers win fourth-straight Bronze Baby". University of Windsor. 2014-03-16. Retrieved 27 Mar 2014.
- ^ "Lancers win fourth-straight Bronze Baby". University of Windsor. 2015-03-15. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- ^ "Huskies win first Bronze Baby, CIS women's basketball title". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. 2016-03-20. Retrieved 2017-04-03.
- ^ "Martlets basketball: National champs! : McGill Reporter". publications.mcgill.ca. Retrieved 2017-04-03.
- ^ Pringle, Josh (2018-03-12). "Carleton Ravens win U SPORTS Title". Ottawa. Retrieved 2018-03-28.
- ^ Harrigan, Scott (2019-03-12). "McMaster Marauders grabs history with its first Bronze Baby !". ISN. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
- ^ "Oh, Bronze Baby: Saskatchewan Huskies crowned U Sports Final 8 women's basketball champions". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
- ^ "U Sports Calendar". usports.ca. U Sports. June 17, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
- ^ "Cape Breton Capers to host U Sports Women's Basketball Final 8 in 2023". gocapersgo.ca. Cape Breton Capers. October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ "U Sports awards 2024 women's basketball Final 8 to University of Alberta". U Sports. November 29, 2022.
- ^ "U SPORTS awards 2025 women's and men's basketball Final 8 to UBC". U Sports. February 9, 2023.
This page was last edited on 26 March 2024, at 01:50