PREVIEW: Bell AUS Men's Basketball Championship begins Friday

X-Men, Panthers await quarter-final winners

HALIFAX, NS (Feb 28, 2025) – A new Atlantic University Sport (AUS) men’s basketball champion will be decided this weekend.

The 2025 Bell AUS Men’s Basketball Championship is set for this weekend, and with the defending champs from Dalhousie falling short of a playoff spot this year, six teams will descend upon Halifax looking to start what they hope will be a lengthy reign on top of the conference.

The STFX X-Men enter the weekend as the No. 1 seed following a regular season in which they went a league-best 15-5. As top seed, the X-Men have earned a bye into the semifinals on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. where they will meet the winner of Friday’s quarter-final matchup between the Memorial University Sea-Hawks and the UNB REDS.

X reached the championship final last year and forced overtime thanks to a Dondre Reddick buzzer-beating three-pointer, but could not overtake Dalhousie in the extra frame to win their second consecutive banner. A title win for the X-Men this season would move them into a tie with Saint Mary’s for second place all-time in AUS championships (14). Acadia holds the record at 17.

While Reddick is no longer around to provide the heroics, the X-Men are not without their stars. D.J. Jackson was named the 2025 AUS Men’s Basketball MVP and a First Team All-Star after leading the league, and country, in scoring at 24.4 points per game.

Other X players to win major awards included Jeff Ngandu, who was named the 2025 AUS Men’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Year. Gatluak James was named a Second Team All-Star.

The other bye was collected by the UPEI Panthers, who finished in second place at the end of the regular season with a 12-8 mark. They will await the winner of Cape Breton and Saint Mary’s.

UPEI was the sixth seed last year, and was ousted in the quarter-final round last by Saint Mary’s. Should the Panthers be the last team standing on Sunday, it will be their first AUS title grab since the 2002-03 season.

Panthers head coach Darrell Glenn took home his first AUS Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year award – the first time a UPEI coach has earned the nod since Tim Kendrick did so back in the 2011-12 season.

UPEI standout Kamari Scott was named the AUS Men’s Basketball Student Athlete Community Service Award winner as well as be picking up an AUS First Team All-Star selection. Teammate Hugo Bermejo was named to the All-Rookie Team.

With two semifinalists already set, let’s take a peek at our quarter-final matchups set for Friday at 3:30 and 8 p.m.

Quarter-final #1, Fri., Feb 28, 3 p.m.
No. 5 Memorial University vs No. 4 UNB

Opposites attract, and that could not be more true in the 2025 Bell AUS Men’s Basketball Championship Friday afternoon quarter-final between the fourth-ranked UNB REDS and the Memorial University Sea-Hawks.

Memorial, ranked last in the pre-season coaches poll, blew everyone away in the first half of the season with a 7-3 record before the break. The second half was a different story, however, as the Sea-Hawks started leaking oil badly and managed just a 3-7 record following the holiday break.

Despite the tough finish to the season, Memorial did manage a sweep of STFX in the final weekend of play to gain a little bit of confidence and momentum heading into the championship.

UNB, who was ranked No. 2 in the pre-season coaches poll, did things the other way. A tough 3-6 record in the first semester was countered with a 7-4 mark the rest of the way – including two wins over the Sea-Hawks.

Flynn Boardman-Raffet drives the play for Memorial, averaging 21.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. He was named a First Team All-Star selection for the second straight year.

Norm Burry, who transferred from UNB to Memorial this past summer, chipped in with nearly 16 points per game and will be looked upon to provide some secondary scoring for the Sea-Hawks.

UNB will counter with Second Team All-Star Marcus Barnes, who scored at a 14.2 points per game clip, and Eden Otshudi, who averaged 13.1 a game.

The Sea-Hawks are in search of the program’s first AUS men’s basketball title, while the REDS are looking for their third all-time – and first since 2017-18.

All AUS playoff games can be watched on AUStv.ca.

Quarter-final #2, Fri., Feb. 28, 8:30 p.m.
No. 6 Saint Mary’s vs No. 3 Cape Breton

Friday’s late game at the 2025 Bell AUS Men’s Basketball Championships will feature the third-ranked Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers taking on the No. 6 seed Saint Mary’s University Huskies in a quarter-final matchup.

Cape Breton earned the No. 3 seed by finishing 12-8 during the regular season, while Saint Mary’s collected the final playoff spot with an 8-12 record.

The Capers might be the most exciting team in the tournament as they are high scoring and high flying – as evident by All-Rookie Team selection Liai Tong’s weekly appearance on the AUStv Plays of the Week.

Fifth-year guard Shakael Pryce is a bit of a Swiss Army Knife for the Capers as he does a bit of everything and does it well. In addition to leading the nation in assists with 131, the First Team All-Star selection averaged 19 points per game while also grabbing 4.8 rebounds each night.

CBU will also look to fellow veteran Tyson Cato to lead them into the semis. Cato was named a Second Team All-Star after averaging 13.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

The Huskies on the other hand, boast two of the best guards in the conference in Jasha’jaun Downey and Jayrell Diggs. Downey, a First Team All-Star selection, scored at a 20.4 points per game clip while Diggs averaged just under 15.

Both Downey and Diggs love to shoot the ball from distance and if both find their stroke, an upset could be in the works.

If the ball isn’t falling from the three-point line, expect Second Team All-Star Eliel Nsoseme to grab the offensive board and put it back as he tied for the lead in all of U SPORTS in offensive rebounds this season (83). Nsoseme also cleans up messes on the defensive end as he finished first in the AUS, and second in Canada, in blocks with 60.

A title win for CBU would give the Capers their fifth banner all-time and first since the 2012-13 season. The Huskies are in search of their 15 AUS trophy and first since the 2013-14 season.

All AUS playoff games can be watched on AUStv.ca.