CIS CORNER: GEE-GEES MAY BE POISED FOR UPSET

There's at least one endorsement from out West that No. 7-seeded Ottawa Gee-Gees will take down the No. 2 UBC Thunderbirds on Friday in Halifax, although the focus is more on UBC's faults than the U of O's merits:

"The big question will be whether Ottawa can clamp down and keep the Birds from running and crashing... (a)gain, though, the Thunderbirds are going to have to show they can play lockdown defence and win what could be an ugly game. In their defence, they did show that ability to grind out wins during the Canada West Final Four, proving that maybe they do possess a Halifax-style game after all." -- Brandon Sun sportswriter David Larkins at The Point After

Of course, as anyone who's ever filled out a March Madness bracket knows, it's caveat emptor with teams that have a lot of first- or second-year guys in the backcourt. In the words of Cosmo Kramer, "Poise counts." Alex McLeod, who's more of a glue guy than a primary ballhandler, is the only senior among the six guys whom Gee-Gees coach Dave DeAveiro rotates through the point and wing spots. The points, Josh Gibson-Bascombe and Willy Manigat, are both sophomores, but it's possible their skill will override their youth.

Everyone has to get experience eventually, right? Wasn't Oz Jeanty the Final 8 MVP as a freshman four years ago? Of course, the '03 Ravens had a fifth-year ballhandling guard, Rob Smart, and his brother Mike was a third-year player.

With the Final 8, there's always the question of how well teams adapt to shooting in an arena after playing in a gym all year, although working to get good looks doesn't change. In the MBNA Capital Hoops Classic at Scotiabank Place seven weeks ago, Gibson-Bascombe, Manigat and third-year swingman Sean Peter shot 53 percent (18-of-34, including 5-of-9 on threes) against one of the country's best defensive teams in a completely alien setting. The Metro Centre will be different, but apparently Ottawa's shooters can adapt.