CIS CORNER: RAVENS CAUGHT BY TUT OFFENSIVE

When York Lions coach Bob Bain called a timeout last night, you half expected him to dispatch a reserve player to call Vegas and bet the university's entire athletic budget on red.

Or maybe on the number three, since they hit 11 of them in the first half. Hopefully that sums up just what kind of roll point guard Tut Ruach (26 points, five assists) and the Lions were on in the first half of a 95-81 romp at the Ravens' NestAt the end of a 20 minutes in which Canadian men's university basketball's No. 1-ranked team was on the receiving end of a 61-22 score that definitely deserves to be set off in italics, the lingering question was how has York managed to lose six conference games?

Ruach was out for some of those due to academic issues, but even with their floor leader the Lions (10-6) have lost to Queen's, Ottawa and Toronto within the past few weeks.

Maybe this is silly to ask about a team who was unbeaten as of last Tuesday, but you wonder if the Ravens (15-2 in the OUA East) have hit the Dynasty Wall. It be imprudent for a casual observer to suggest this, but Carleton's been playing pressure games for five years, and every game must feel a little like a playoff game since everyone gets up to play Carleton, knowing what kind of attention a win over the Ravens would bring. Every sports dynasty hits a point when they try to tap the emotional well (forgive the awkward analogy) and get a dry hole instead of a gusher. Then again, it could just be January blahs.

York had no such problems. The Lions had a kind of sneer about them you might associate with punk, heavy metal or hip-hop. Last night, after a couple of threes, the Lions were running back upcourt with their arms over their heads. Guys such as Daniel Eves, who hit his first four threes on his way to a 24-point, five-assist night, practically revelled in knowing he had the power to have an entire crowd ticked off at him, just like Johnny Rotten back in the day.

Thing is, a basketball team predicated on being an emotional powderkeg can have that backfire big-time, so before you pencil in York for a Final 8 berth and write off Carleton, grab some perspective and remember the same pride of Lions blew a 10-point halftime lead against Ottawa on Friday and lost to the U of T by 28 points. They are awfully tough with Ruach running the point, a sweet-shooting big man in Eves (who took just eight shots to get his 24) and 6-foot-10 post player Jordan Foebel (16 points, nine rebounds) clearing the boards.

While the post-game focus was probably on the offence Ruach ran and the open looks that led to -- few teams have had four players in double figures by halftime against a Dave Smart-coached team -- York's defence was a killer. Carleton has seen every zone defence known to man and usually gets good looks and offensive rebounding opportunities, but the Lions played a very disciplined 2-3. There were very few of the open passing lanes in the middle of the zone that usually lead to three-point tries or post-up and pull-up opportunities. On the boards, even Aaron Doornekamp was giving up a lot of size against Foebel, who deprived Carleton from the resets and second-chance points they have used to break so many teams' will.

Still, the spirited second half Carleton played -- York coach Bob Bain had to use all of his timeouts in a half that his team started with a 39-point lead -- suggests they can take away the Lions' emotional imperative if they avoid slow starts. Oz Jeanty ended up totalling 30 points on Senior Night, and big second halves by the Kingston-area kids Doornekamp (15 points, nine boards, six dimes) and Stu Turnbull (17 points, including five threes) helped the Ravens get as close as 83-73 in the final two minutes.

Despite the big halftime hole, almost no one among the 1,200 in the gym left. They knew 39 points was too much to spot York, but Carleton did so well playing desperate basketball it almost seemed possible. Maybe last night gets the Ravens fired up enough to make a run at a fifth national title and avoid the Dynasty Wall. For what it's worth, while York had a once-every-five-years roll, you can bet Carleton isn't finished.

TOP 10 UPDATE: Mark Wacyk at CIS Hoops.ca is all over this; his updated Top 10 drops the Ravens to No. 4, while bumping the Ottawa Gee-Gees three spots to No. 6. Mark has an OUA East team from the GTA at No. 10, but it isn't York — it's the Toronto Varsity Blues, who are 6-2 this month with close losses to Carleton and Ottawa.

ELSEWHERE IN THE 613, HOOPS-WISE

• Alex McLeod's 22 points (5-of-7 on threes) paced the U of O to a 78-63 win over Laurentian. The Gee-Gees (14-3), who got a team-high 22 from Curtis Shakespeare in Friday's 80-65 win over York, would finish first in the OUA East if they win out and beat Carleton on the final night of the season on Feb. 17.
• Glen Smith, not ordinarily a big scorer, had 16 points in 21 minutes in our Queen's Golden Gaels' 76-67 win over Ryerson which kept them in a third-place tie with York and the U of T. The Gaels had a rough one Friday, losing 59-44 to U of T. Coach Rob Smart's team visits York and Laurentian next weekend.
• The women's hoops Gaels beat Ryerson 70-46 and remain second in their division. Gaels point guard Teddi Firmi kept up her knack for odd stat lines -- 10 rebounds and nine assists, but only two points. Renfew's Rebecca Cox led Ryerson with 18 points.
  
  Friday, the Gaels had one of their classic grind-it-out wins, shading U of T 60-55 by getting to the foul line (27-for-29) and playing good defence. You have no idea how many games Dave Wilson's teams have won like that over the years. Jessica Selinger put up 22 in that game, including 14-of-15 on charity shots. Next up for the second-pace Gaels (12-5) is a weekend at Laurentian and York, the teams directly below and ahead of them in the OUA East.
• Nice visit home for Kanata's Cassandra Carpenter -- the all-Canadian guard put up 26 and pulled down nine boards in the Laurentian Lady Vees' 75-66 win over the U of O.

That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.