Banner Season: No. 1 Queen’s to host Cinderella story Badgers in familiar Wilson Cup clash

Burlington, Ont. – When the postseason rolls around, anything and everything can happen, and this year’s Wilson Cup competitors – the Queen’s Gaels and Brock Badgers – are proof that nothing is guaranteed come playoff time.

On one hand is the conference’s top-seeded Queen’s Gaels, who were pushed to the limit en route to punching their ticket to the OUA finale, and on the other, is the 10th-seeded Brock Badgers, who reeled off three straight upsets to set up a rematch of the 2021-22 men’s basketball finale.

Queen’s may have the edge on paper, besting Brock by an average of more than 10 points per game while surrendering three fewer points per contest, en route to collecting eight more wins than the St. Catharines squad this season. But the visitors are peaking at the right time, and as they continue their Cinderella story in the Limestone City on Saturday, they will hope to find that coveted glass slipper in the form of their second Wilson Cup in three years.

To earn their last conference banner, Brock took down these same Gaels in 2021-22, albeit at the Bob Davis Gymnasium, which left the Tricolour still longing for their first Wilson Cup since 1956-57. And with a chance to rewrite the history books this weekend, their play come tip-off will surely be buoyed by their brotherly connection.

Luka and Cole Syllas have been prominent producers for the Gaels throughout their varsity tenures and the 2023-24 season was no different. The former, a first team OUA all-star, led the way with 17.1 points and five assists per game, while ranking third on the team with six boards per contest. If that wasn’t enough, his team-leading three steals per game and ability to mark the opposition’s best players helped garner him defensive player of the year recognition.

His brother, meanwhile, was similarly dominant for the 19-win Gaels, checking in with 14.6 PPG, a team-high 7.6 RPG, and an unselfish 4.2 APG. Veterans Cameron Bett and Aaron Tennant, along with third-year standout Fofo Adetogun, make Queen’s a tough team to zero in on, as they boast a long list of capable contributors up and down the lineup, but if recent trends are any indication, keeping a keen eye on Luka Syllas is as good a starting point as any.

This was something they were able to do to some success in their lone meeting this season back in late November. In that most recent matchup, the Badgers got out of the gates quickly and withstood a second half comeback from Queen's to earn the four-point victory. Four Badgers scored in double figures on the night to outmatch Syllas' game-high 21 for the Gaels. And even though this game took place late in the fall, similar narratives have extended into each team's respective postseason runs.

For Brock, who finished .500 during the regular season at 11-11, they have had a different top scorer across all three playoff contests. Jevon Brown's 22 points paced the pack in their one-point opening round win over Carleton, before Isaiah Bujdoso's 21 launched their lopsided triumph over Ottawa. En route to a 75-72 win over Western in the semifinals, meanwhile, it was a 26-point outing from Jordan Tchuente that helped seal the deal. On the flip side, Syllas has been a scoring machine for the Kingston crew, combining for 70 points in the team's two wins, including a game-high 39 in their double-overtime semifinal against Toronto.

Certainly, Brock will look to contain the fourth-year phenom, but they will need to do more than that to complete the trifecta of top seed eliminations this postseason. The underdog squad will need a collective effort that sees their standouts play a starring role like they have throughout their quest for the Cup.

Chief among these contributors has been Tchuente, the team's lone all-star this year. He served up 14.0 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 0.6 blocks per contest in his well-rounded campaign, but is surrounded by several other key pieces of the puzzle that have sparked the St. Catharines squad’s lengthy postseason push.

Brown matched his teammate’s 14-point average and did so as one of the most efficient Badgers from anywhere on the floor, including a 35.9 percent success rate from beyond the arc. His teammate, Bujdoso, led the team in the long-range game, knocking down over 45% of his three balls, while also serving as the team’s primary facilitator with his nearly four assists per game.

The fourth-year guard also brings something that few others can to the table, which is championship experience, because even though these two teams collided for the conference title just two years ago, there are only a handful of participants who donned their respective school colours in that 2021-22 finale.

Only time will tell whether it is those battle-tested banner season veterans that come through in the clutch or if some of the fresher faces will fly to new heights, but regardless of who steps up, it will lead to a result that spans the spectrum of postseason possibilities – either the top-seeded Gaels takes care of business or the Cinderella Badgers avoid the stroke of midnight for a fourth time.