It’s a hypothetical situation that will never come to pass, for U of T or any other collegiate Canadian basketball team. And it’s certainly a lofty premise for a program that has not won the Ontario University Athletic Tournament in a dozen years. But still-what would happen if Blues Basketball entered the celebrated NCAA realm of 64? Where would they finish? Would they even qualify?
The short answer is No. This year’s team, finishing 16-9 and losing to Ottawa 69-68 in the OUA quarterfinals, would not have made the NCAA tournament. But the long answer? They had a better chance than most would think.
With a veteran starting five of Mike De Giorgio, Dwayne Grant, Ben Katz, Mohammad Safarzadeh, and Mike Williams, the Blues lineup is too undersized to battle with the towers, like Ohio St.’s Greg Oden, or Georgetown’s Roy Hibbert, or Florida’s Joakim Noah. Of course, no one playing south of the border can handle them either, as all three are in Saturday’s Final Four and are expected to be NBA Lottery Picks.
The Blues’ largest presence from the starting five is Williams, listed at 6’6 and 200 pounds and was named the league’s best defensive player. Next up would be Safarzadeh, at 6’4 and 200 lbs. Both players are forwards who see a lot of action in the paint, and both play hybrid variations of the traditional centre and power forward positions. Nick Snow, the Blues’ sixth man this year, with his 6’7 and 220 frame, is the largest presence in a U of T jersey. If U of T ran the floor with all three, the trio would offer the Blues a better-than-decent inside presence, masking the height deficiencies with three bodies that can bang in the paint for rebounds and put-backs.
Elsewhere on the court, Katz and his solid shooting percentages would lead U of T’s charge from the perimetre. Averaging 49 per cent from the floor, and better than 43 per cent from three-point land, with the game on the line, he would be the Blues’ best bet to nail one from outside waters.
As for players who can attack the basket, Grant and his athletic 6’2, 175-lb. build would be able to slash to the hoop and create shots for his teammates. Grant would have to work on his free-throw percentage, which hovers around 55.
Every team needs a court general, someone to call the plays, reset the offence and control the tempo. For the Blues, De Giorgio has filled that position throughout his playing career. His shooting percentages are off the mark-around 30 per cent from both the floor and the arc-but he makes his free throws 80 per cent of the time, all while averaging five assists a game.
The Blues have the formula the tournament needs-a banging inside presence, more-than-capable outside shooting, and players who can create their own shots and make the opposition pay from the line.
At the start of every season, U of T plays NCAA Division-I schools. During the pre-season tournaments, the Blues have had a mixed bag of success. They defeated Lipscomb University 84-77 here on Sept. 2. The Lipscomb Bison (18-13), finished fourth in their Atlantic Sun Conference, whose representative to the NCAA Tournament was Belmont University (23-10). They were a 15-seed, losing to Georgetown in the first round 80-55.
The Blues also played and lost to Oakland University 75-62 Sept. 3. The Oakland Grizzlies (19-14) lost to Oral Roberts 67-71 in the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament finals. Oral Roberts was in March Madness as a 14-seed, losing 70-54 to third-seed Washington State.
So the Blues are, at best, a 16-seed. Which makes them good enough to be dominated by a top-seed in the first week of the tournament. Hopefully, someday, we’ll be lucky enough to get that chance.
