2026 U Sports Men's Basketball Championship
Canadian university basketball championship
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The 2026 U Sports Men's Final 8 Basketball Tournament was held March 6–8, 2026, in Calgary, Alberta, to determine a national champion for the 2025–26 U Sports men's basketball season.[2][3] The sixth-seeded Carleton Ravens defeated the fifth-seeded Bishop's Gaiters 78–75 to the 18th national title in program history.[4]
Calgary, Alberta
| |
| Season | 2025-26 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Eight |
| Finals site | Jack Simpson Gymnasium Calgary, Alberta |
| Champions | Carleton Ravens (18th title) |
| Runner-up | Bishop's Gaiters |
| Winning coach | Taffe Charles (4th title) |
| Tournament MVP | Aubrey Dorey-Havens (Carleton) |
| Television | CBC Gem[1] |
Host
The tournament was hosted by the University of Calgary at the school's Jack Simpson Gymnasium.[3] This was the fifth time that Calgary had hosted the tournament with the first taking place in 1966 and the most recent taking place in 1980.[2][3]
Participating teams
The seeding for teams was announced on March 1, 2026, with the Bishop's Gaiters being awarded the at-large berth.[5]
| Seed | Team | Qualified | Record | Last | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victoria Vikes | Canada West Champion | 17–3 | 2025 | 9 |
| 2 | TMU Bold | OUA Champion | 17–5 | None | 0 |
| 3 | Laval Rouge et Or | RSEQ Champion | 13–3 | 2024 | 1 |
| 4 | Acadia Axemen | AUS Champion | 12–8 | 1977 | 3 |
| 5 | Bishop's Gaiters | RSEQ Finalist (At-large berth) | 13–3 | 1998 | 1 |
| 6 | Carleton Ravens | OUA Finalist | 17–5 | 2023 | 17 |
| 7 | UBC Thunderbirds | Canada West Finalist | 15–5 | 1972 | 2 |
| 8 | Calgary Dinos | Canada West Quarterfinalist (Host) | 12–8 | 2018 | 1 |
Championship bracket
| First Round: March 6 | Semi-Finals: March 7 | Gold Medal Game: March 8 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Victoria Vikes | 100 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Calgary Dinos | 86 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Victoria Vikes | 65 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Bishop's Gaiters | 66 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Acadia Axemen | 85 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Bishop's Gaiters | 98 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Bishop's Gaiters | 75 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Carleton Ravens | 78 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | TMU Bold | 97 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | UBC Thunderbirds | 91 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | TMU Bold | 52 | Bronze Medal Game: March 8 | |||||||||||
| 6 | Carleton Ravens | 58 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Laval Rouge et Or | 69 | 1 | Victoria Vikes | 85 | |||||||||
| 6 | Carleton Ravens | 85 | 2 | TMU Bold | 81 | |||||||||
Consolation bracket
| Semi-Finals: March 7 | Fifth Place Game: March 8 | ||||||||
| 4 | Acadia Axemen | 88 | |||||||
| 8 | Calgary Dinos | 77 | |||||||
| 3 | Laval Rouge et Or | 85 | |||||||
| 4 | Acadia Axemen | 76 | |||||||
| 3 | Laval Rouge et Or | 83 | |||||||
| 7 | UBC Thunderbirds | 75 | |||||||