The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's basketball team will travel to Kingston on Wednesday (Feb. 18) night for a first round OUA playoff showdown versus the No. 10 nationally ranked Queen's Gaels.

U of T qualified for the OUA postseason after finishing in the Top 12 of the province with an 11-11 (W-L) regular season record. As the 11th seed, the Blues will be looking to utilize the momentum from a playoff push, earning wins over Laurier and Lakehead in two of their final three games. When playing at their best, they have displayed outstanding team basketball which is displayed with three players averaging double-digit points per game. Third-year forward Simeon Jeffers (15.8 PPG) has led the way with his slashing attacks from the wing, while fourth-year centre Nigel Hylton (13.0 PPG) adds a dynamism in the paint or shooting from outside, and first-year guard Mikey Ballout (12.1) has been a sharpshooter all season long. This team effort has also been part of their defensive identity where they rank in the OUA Top 10 in opponent field goal percentage, including a tremendous ability to disrupt opponents at the three-point line, holding the second best opponent three-point percentage (26.8). With just a three-point margin in their lone meeting versus the Gaels this season, Toronto possess an ability to complete a first round upset.

Meanwhile, Queen's have put together a nine-game winning streak to end their season with a 15-7 record overall and enter the postseason as the sixth seed. A favourable second-half of the season schedule has allowed the Gaels to jump back into the national rankings, buoyed by an offence that finished first in the province in points per game (88.8). This has been primarily due to their exceptional three-point shooting, tallying the second most three-point field goals of any team in the province this year. This is paired with an active defensive strategy, jumping passing lanes and pressuring ball-handlers to rank second in the province in opponent turnovers per game and sixth in steals per game. If the trio of Jakub Dobiech, Noah Khaja and Lucas Ponting are locked in, each averaging over 39 percent from three this season, and defensive disruptors Ollie Engen and Ashton Bain are creating chaos on the defensive end, their may be no amount of game-planning that can slow down the Gaels this postseason.

SCHEDULE
Wednesday, Feb. 18 | 7 p.m.
Kingston, Ont. | ARC - Main Gym
Live Stats
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2025-26 STAT LEADERS
Toronto
Points per game: Simeon Jeffers | 15.8 ppg
Rebounds per game: Nigel Hylton | 6.8 rpg
Assists per game: Rohan Scott-Smith | 3.9 apg
Blocks per game: Panashe Dumbu | 1.0 bpg
Steals per game: Mikey Ballout | 1.2 spg

Queen's
Points per game: Ollie Engen | 19.5 ppg
Rebounds per game: Ashton Bain | 5.4 rpg
Assists per game: Ollie Engen | 4.6 apg
Blocks per game: Ashton Bain, Kai Dalen | 0.6 bpg
Steals per game: Ashton Bain | 1.5 spg

HISTORY
Last Five:
Jan. 31, 2026 | Queen's 85, Toronto 82
Nov. 22, 2024 | Queen's 80, Toronto 76
Feb. 28, 2024 | Queen's 95, Toronto 90 (2OT - OUA SF)
Jan. 20, 2024 | Queen's, 96, Toronto 91
Dec. 3, 2022 | Queen's 96, Toronto 95