The Maritimes have proven to be a hotbed of basketball.
That will come to fruition once again next March when the U SPORTS women’s and men’s basketball championships unfold March 11 to 14 at Scotiabank Centre in the heart of the Nova Scotia capital.
Host Acadia University Axewomen and Dalhousie University Tigers will welcome opposition in their respective tournaments, meaning a bevy of hoops over four days.
It’s the first time Halifax will host both women’s and men’s championships simultaneously— the third time in U SPORTS history. Basketball fans can expect double the energy as both the top eight ranked teams from each women’s and men’s leagues battle it out for the Bronze Baby Trophy and W. P. McGee Trophy, respectively.
The Maritime Women’s Basketball Association has had numerous U SPORTS players – past and present – represent member teams across the eight-squad field.
The 2027 event returns to Halifax on the women’s side for the first time since 1980 when the tournament was held at Dalhousie University. It will mark the 32nd occasion of the men’s final 8 filling the seats of the Scotiabank Centre.
The last time the men’s final came to the capital of Nova Scotia in 2023, over 40,000 spectators flowed through the streets of downtown Halifax to witness the spectacle, breaking the all-time Final 8 attendance record.
A total of 16 games will light up the court at the Scotiabank Centre, while six games will bring the stoke to the secondary host venue, the Homburg Centre at Saint Mary’s University. Each game will be played as a double-header session, with the exception of Saturday at the Saint Mary’s Homburg Centre that will be a triple-header.
AUS regular season play begins Friday, Oct. 23.
– Bailey Russell of Fredericton Freeze has joined reigning AUS champion UNB Reds this season. (Fran Harris Photo)
