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The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's basketball team opens their 2013-14 regular season on the road as they travel to take on the McMaster Marauders and Brock Badgers this weekend (Nov. 1-2).

Both games will be streamed live with links via varsityblues.ca, with tip off scheduled for 8 p.m.

Entering his first season as Blues bench boss, head coach John Campbell is confident that the Blues have the pieces to improve upon last year's 3-17 finish.

"There is a foundation for success in the future here at U of T," said Campbell. "Anytime you start a season the goal is to make the playoffs and be ready to play your best basketball at that time. As a team I think we will be able to improve throughout the year and be in a position to succeed in the post season."

Fifth-year forward Alex Hill returns for his final year with the Blues. The Toronto native has led the team in each of his three seasons at U of T and last year ranked seventh in the province with 18.1 points per game.

Hill will look to second-year transfer and fellow former Cornell Big Red Manny Sahota to step up and lead the team in 2013-14. Sahota, a 6-foot-5 forward from Brampton, Ont., played in 14 games with Cornell in 2010-11 and has already made an immediate impact as one of the team's top scorers during a 5-2 pre-season showing.

Fourth-year veteran Adam Plummer (Ajax, Ont.) led the team with 5.7 boards per game last season. He aims to be back for the second half of the year after suffering a pre-season injury. That will open up playing time for sophomore Devin Johnson (Ajax) and rookies Jake Hagen (Ancaster, Ont.) and Chase Ruttenberg (North Vancouver, B.C.).

Calgary native Dakota Laurin is a tenacious defender and is expected to see significant minutes this season, while fourth-year guard Matt Savel (Hamilton, Ont.) looks to assert himself into the line-up after a couple of injury riddled seasons. Nicholas Burke of Hamilton, Ont., will also be relied on to make an immediate impact in his first season in the Blue and White.

The Varsity Blues return home the following weekend for their 2013-14 home openers as they host the Laurier Golden Hawks on Friday, November 8 and the Waterloo Warriors on Saturday, November 9. Tip off on both days is set for 8 p.m. Advance tickets are on sale here. 

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