CORNE

University sports by Alex Field

The men's basketball team will be forced to do it the hard way if they hope to win the CIS basketball championship this upcoming weekend March 14-16 at the Halifax Metro Centre.

The Panthers will have to face the top seed of the tournament with the Carleton University Ravens (QUA Champs). The Ravens were ranked first in the tourney after ending the season as the number |-ranked basketball team in Canada, in a season that saw them only lose one game.

The road to a championship is never easy, and because the Panthers weren't ranked all year, the fact that they were ranked eight and therefore will have to play the best team comes as no surprise.

I wouldn't, however, count out the

Panthers just yet. They have a couple of things going for them, the element of sur- prise and momentum. No one expected them to win the AUS Championship, but all hope of staying under the radar is not likely, and in a tournament where the teams have little experience playing against each other anything can and usual- ly does happen.

The only real question is, will the two week layoff between tournaments cause the once roaring fire that was the Panthers to cool to a spark, or will UPEI continue exactly where they left off? I'm hoping for the latter, and I'm sure many of the fans making their way over to Halifax this weekend will be hoping the same.

Best of luck, guys!

Lindsey Coade: 2nd Team All-Star AUS

Tyler Wood: 2nd Team All-Star AUS

‘Sherone Edwards: Rookie of the Year

Jeff Walker: TSN Award Nominee

Kenny Duncan: 1st Team All-Star AUS page [19] march 12 2003