The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's basketball team traveled to Ottawa to face-off in an OUA semifinal showdown against the No. 7 nationally ranked Carleton Ravens on Wednesday (Feb 25) evening, ending their incredible playoff run with an 80-65 loss.

The Blues entered the postseason as the 11th seed following an 11-11 regular season. They then shocked the OUA earning back-to-back playoff upsets over nationally ranked opponents in Queen's and Western, placing them in the Final Four alongside the second seeded Ravens.
 
Facing off against a third nationally ranked opponent in just seven days, U of T opened the game with a focus on rebounding. Toronto would outrebound Carleton 16-8 through the first quarter, including six off the offensive glass. Four vital points off turnovers kept the Blues close in a low-shooting percentage quarter for both teams. Keeping pace with the perennial powerhouse, the Blues put together enough runs to eventually outscore the Ravens in both the second and third quarters, shooting nearly 70 percent from the field in the third. However, Carleton opened the fourth on a 17-1 scoring run, shifting the momentum and creating a gap. Despite high-effort through the final five minutes, the Blues could not cut into the deficit and the Ravens claimed the win and the berth to the OUA Wilson Cup.
 
Toronto had four scorers in double-figures tonight, led by third-year forward Simeon Jeffers with 18 points and five rebounds, shooting 54 percent from the field and 50 percent from three. Fourth-year centre Nigel Hylton notched 15 points and nine rebounds— five of which were offensive. Making an impact off the bench, both second-year guard Michael Reiss and third-year guard Nathan Bureau added 14 points each.
 
Challenged all game long by the U of T defence, Carleton guard Aubrey Dorey Havens played a key role in the home teams fourth quarter run, eventually finishing the night with game-high 19 points, along with eight assists and six rebounds. Emmanuel Ngo Kana Suzama also stood out adding 14 points, six rebounds and two blocks.

Despite the loss, this season serves as a reminder of growth within the men's basketball program at U of T. Head coach Madhev Trivedi has hoisted the Blues to the OUA semifinals twice in his first four years at the helm of the program, marking the first appearances back in the OUA Final Four since the 1996-97 season.