Place Bell is usually the host of arena concerts and the Montreal Canadiens farm team, the Laval Rockets, but from November 28th to the 30th, it will also be the host of a NCAA basketball tournament! The Friday to Sunday following American Thanksgiving is the weekend in which the tournament will take place.
There will be five teams participating in the tournament, the Fordham Rams, the Colgate Raiders, the Albany Great Danes, the Oneonta Red Dragons, and the Franklin Pierce Ravens. Each day of the tournament will have two games. The time slots have been announced but the match ups will be soon. You can purchase tickets to the event here!
This is shaping up to be a fierce tournament, as these games do count to their overall record for the season and could shape their chances at the postseason. While the NCAA culminates in March Madness every year, this is a great taste of what is to come later in the NCAA season.
While most people associate Canada with hockey, they are becoming more and more known for other sports as well. For example, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) will be expanding to two more cities come 2026, one of which is Toronto. With the Tempo set to join the league and the WNBA hosting the Seattle Storm and the Atlanta Dream in Vancouver earlier this season, Canada will not be known just for hockey.
Although all the teams in the tournament are in upstate New York and a majority of students who attend will likely take the trip, this tournament will serve as a chance for Canada to dip into the world of NCAA basketball.
