Bracket fever has struck early this year with the CIS women’s basketball championship set to begin March 7-9 at the university of saskatchewan. The top teams from Western and Eastern canada will battle it out for the coveted Baby Bronze trophy. here’s a quick look at the ‘Elite Eight’ participants.

1 Simon Fraser Clan (22-1) vs. #8 Laval Rouge et Or (12-4)

The Skinny: It’s hard to bet against the defending 2007 CIS champions, but SFU showed they were vulnerable in their upset to number-four Regina during the Canada West semi-finals. In addition, no team has won back-to-back titles since the Manitoba Bisons in 1995-96.

The Clan owns a dynasty of sorts, having taken three of the last six national titles, but with four seniors from the 2007 CIS championship team no longer in the fold, their success will hinge on the play of Canada West MVP Lani Gibbons. The fifth-year guard was third in team scoring with 12 points per contest, leading the nation in assists (5.7 apg) for the third straight year.

SFU boasts a strong inside-outside combination with Gibbons, who shot a stellar 36.1 per cent from three in 2007, and second- year forward Kate Hole, who leads the team in scoring (13.48) and rebounding (8.91). The 6’2” forward will be guarded by Laval’s top player, centre Marie-Michelle Genois. Genois averaged 13.4 points and 8.75 rebounds for the Rouge in the weaker QSSF conference.

The Bottom Line: There’s no comparison. SFU is the best of a tough west, while Laval barely dominated a weak Quebec conference. The two teams haven’t met so far in ‘07. The last time SFU faced Laval in the national tournament was during 2005, when they won by a surprisingly narrow 61- 59 score. Simon Frasier averaged 85 points a game this season to Laval’s 67.

Betting Line: Simon Fraser by 10

2 University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (21-2) vs. #7 University of Toronto Varsity Blues (18-4)

The Skinny: UBC is fresh off a dominant 72-55 victory over Alberta in the Canada West finals, capturing their second consecutive title. Led by stellar guard play as well as sound defence, the Thunderbirds won two of the last four CIS championships (2006, 2004).

First-team all-star and defensive player of the year, Erica McGuiness leads the way for UBC, averaging 17.2 points and 4.4 rebounds a ballgame, while fifth-year Cait Hagarty chips in with 10 points and 4 assists. Toronto will counter with guards Alaine Hutton and Kyla Burwash. An OUA first team all-star, Hutton leads the Blues in scoring (17.1ppg) but struggled when the two teams played on Dec. 30.2006, scoring only 10 points on 4-11 shooting. The Blues fell to the Thunderbirds 72-59 as Burwash scored only five points to go with six turnovers and zero assists.

The Bottom Line: Toronto was 1-5 in exhibition play versus Canada West opponents this season, and will have difficulty advancing against superior competition. History is not on the Blues side: the team’s lone CIS title dates all the way back to 1985-86, and the team hasn’t played on the national stage since a first-round exit in 2002. For the U of T to pull the upset, they will need to shoot better than the 25-77 outing they had in 2006. Post play will be a huge factor in this game. Laila Bellony, who won Blues player of the game in the OUA finals against McMaster, has had success against UBC in the past (11 points 4-9, Dec. 30, 2006), but will battle with UBC’s huge front line led by third-year forward Leanne Evans. Evans has averaged 10.78 rebounds and 2.70 blocks a game in 2007-08. Last time they played, the Thunderbirds dominated the paint, out-rebounding the Blues 48-34. UBC will miss guard Devan Lisson, who is out due to a knee injury sustained during the Canada West tournament. She was second on the team in three-point shooting at 43.6 per cent.

The Betting line: UBC by 8

3 McMaster University Marauders (21-1) vs. # 6 University Of Saskatchewan Huskies (9-13)

The Skinny: Saskatchewan makes its third appearance at the tourney (2006,1982), but will have much to prove after going only 9-13 in the Canada West Central division. They will be in tough against the OUA champion McMaster Marauders who boast a talented group of players in MVP Lindsay Degroot, point guard Taylor Smith, and centre Chiara Rocca.

Degroot led the Marauders in scoring with 18.9 points a game, alongside 7.7 rebounds. The Marauders are a run-and-gun team, McMaster relies on strong guard play to win, boasting five players in the OUA top 20 in assist-to-turnover ratio. The Mauraders throws heavy pressure defence on their opponents, particularly fifth-year guard Rachel Hart, who was named Defensive Player of the Year this past season.

The team doesn’t have much size up front other than Chiara Rocca, so a strong post presence can be effective against them, as Windsor’s Iva Peklova (14 points, 14 rebounds) and Toronto’s Laila Bellony (17 points, seven rebounds) showed in the OUA tournament.

The Bottom Line: Count any home-team advantage out of this equation, tournament hosts University of Saskatchewan Huskies are just happy to be there. Receiving an invite to the CIS championship based on merit is one thing, but geography and logistics? Historically, the host team has participated in the event, but at times diluted the overall talent pool.

This explains why no hosting team has ever won a national championship in the same year. If I were UBC, I’d complain that while McMaster gets to feast on Huskies, the Thunderbirds have to tangle with an upstart Varsity Blues team.

The Betting Line: McMaster by 16

4 University of Regina Cougars (16-6) vs. # 5 Memorial University Sea Hawks (17-3)

The Skinny: Regina returns to the Nationals after a two-year absence for its eighth appearance in 11 years. The Canada West finalist Cougars captured their sole CIS title in 2000- 01. Having shocked top ranked Simon Fraser with a win in this years semi-finals, the team should have confidence to compete with any of the top teams. Regina played all year in a weaker Great Plains division in which they’re the top team (no other team has a winning record). They are led by fourth-year forward Chelsea Cassano who is averaging 11.4 points and 7.1 rebounds, while shooting 56 per cent from the field (fourth in the CIS).

Memorial advances out of the AUS for the sixth time in nine seasons, a year after claiming its first CIS medal (bronze) at home in St. John’s, with a 75-60 win over Dalhousie. The Memorial Sea-Hawks are two-time AUS Women’s Basketball Champions following their 64-61 victory over the Cape Breton Capers. Memorial will again lean heavily on AUS MVP Katherine Quakenbush averaging 15.1 points and 5.6 rebounds, in the Atlantic conference.

The Bottom Line: The Regina Cougars have home town advantage in this match up, but Quackenbush and the rest of the Sea Hawks are a “dark horse” team that could surprise in this tournament. Memorial is averaging 85.9 points a game compared to 73.9 for their opponents. Expect this game to be a low scoring game, whichever team can thrive in that kind of situation will win.

The Betting Line: Memorial University by 4