What can the Sask. Huskies expect in the U Sports women's basketball Final 8?

Top Dogs. The University of Saskatchewan Huskies head into this week’s U Sports Final 8 national women’s basketball tournament as the top seed. Here’s a look at what fans and the Canada West champion Huskies can expect this week at the tournament, which runs Thursday to Sunday at the War Memorial Gym and the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre on UBC’s Vancouver campus.

Saskatchewan opens tournament play Thursday in quarterfinal action against the No. 8-seeded University of Alberta Pandas. Game-time is 7 p.



m. Pacific (8 p.m.

Sask. time) Win that game, and the Huskies move on to semifinal action Saturday night (9 p.m.

Sask. time) against the quarterfinal winner between the host UBC Thunderbirds and Atlantic University Sport’s Saint Mary’s Huskies. Should they lose their quarterfinal Thursday, the Huskies would play Friday night (8 p.

m. Sask. time) against the loser between UBC and Saint Mary’s.

The U Sports championship final will be played Sunday afternoon at 5 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

Joining the No.1 Saskatchewan Huskies, No. 8 Alberta Pandas, No.

5 British Columbia Thunderbirds and No. 5 Saint Mary’s Huskies are the No. 2-seeded Ottawa Gee-Gees, reigning national champion Carleton Ravens (seeded No.

3), No. 6 Bishops Gaiters and No. 8 Laval Rouge et Or.

The Ravens are two-time defending champions. The Huskies come into the tournament after settling for silver a year ago at nationals, falling to the Carleton Ravens in the final. Saskatchewan has won back-to-back Canada West titles.

The Huskies have 10 conference titles to their credit, winning in 2025, 2024, 2022, 2020, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2014, 2011 and 2006. They’ve won nine of their banners in the past 14 years with no championship decided during the 2021 COVID-19 pandemic pause. “Winning Canada West is no small feat, and it’s a tremendous accomplishment for this group,” said U-Sask coach Lisa Thomaidis after her team defeated visiting UBC 71-59 before a packed, hot, loud and sweaty Physical Activity Complex and 2,500 screaming fans.

“They’re all so special in their own way. I’m so proud of our team, to go back-to-back. The banner means a ton to us.

” Saskatchewan went on to win a pair of national titles, in 2020 and 2016. The Huskies will look for the hat-trick in 2025. Saskatchewan is led by six-time Canada West coach of the year Thomaidis, former head coach of Canada’s national senior women’s basketball team and current coach of Germany’s national team.

On the floor, the Huskies are led by Canada West player of the year and all-star guard Gage Grassick, who racked up 31 points, seven assists and four rebounds against UBC. It’s a veteran-laden group with the likes of Andrea Dodig, Logan Reider, Tea DeMong, Courtney Primeau, Maya Flindall, Ella Murphy-Wiebe and Anna Maelde. Rookie Olivia Harm, an addition from Sweden’s national youth program, has also played significant minutes.

“This group has come so far,” said Thomaidis. “We’re playing at a high level right now ..

. That’s just showing our depth that we have. That’s so important going into nationals.

”.