Matthew Winick
The Saskatchewan Rattlers (1-12) and Fraser Valley Bandits (6-7) will put a close to the 2021 CEBL regular season on Tuesday night at the SaskTel Centre at 9:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. local time.
A season that was unprecedented amongst Canadian sports leagues getting back from the COVID-19 pandemic, the campaign was slightly delayed in order to follow health and safety protocols but has been up and running since the Niagara River Lions and Ottawa BlackJacks tipped off on June 24 th .
After a slate of highlight plays, key storylines, Elam Ending game-winners and raucous crowds, the 49 th and final regular season game is on tap. Should the contest between the Bandits and Rattlers be like what we’ve witnessed in the CEBL all year, it should be highly entertaining.
Recent Rematch
It won’t take long to search back and find the last time these two squads played, as Fraser Valley and Saskatchewan squared off on Sunday afternoon, with the Bandits pulling out an 85-79 victory and snapping a five-game losing streak.
Fraser Valley led almost the entire way, taking an advantage 3:10 into the game and never relinquishing it. Saskatchewan did make a run into the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to just four, but it was too little, too late.
The Rattlers’ lack of depth really struggled on the court whenever the starters took a breather, as the team finished with only 10 bench points on the night compared to the Bandits’ 20. While Saskatchewan’s reserves will never be their biggest strength, having players like Mambi Diawara and Nervens Demosthene put together solid minutes headlined by scoring would be a major boost.
Award Races
With the regular season reaching its end, not only have CEBL fans seen great games, but they’ve also witnessed great individual player performances. With awards set to be distributed shortly, many of those athletes will soon be recognized.
Saskatchewan’s Devonte Bandoo will certainly be in the running for Canadian of the Year, as the Mississauga, Ontario native leads the Rattlers in points, assists and steals while ranking second in the entire league in three-pointers made.
On the other side, Fraser Valley’s 7-foot big man Brandon Gilbeck will be in consideration for Defensive Player of the Year, as he leads the CEBL in blocked shots per game at 2.9 a night. Look for both award competitors to play a large role towards their team’s performance on Tuesday.
Playoff Picture
Considering all teams except for these two have wrapped up their regular seasons, the playoff picture is finally set and stable.
For Saskatchewan, that means their season will be over once the final buzzer sounds against Fraser Valley. The Rattlers will use the opportunity to play in front of their fans one last time and start building towards next year’s team.
Fraser Valley’s attention will be shifted towards its quarterfinal playoff game, set for Sunday against the fifth seeded Guelph Nighthawks. The Bandits will surely use Tuesday’s game as a chance to prepare for the winner-take-all contest against the Nighthawks in just five days.
The CEBL playoffs begin August 14 th when the Ottawa BlackJacks travel to the FirstOntario Centre to take on the Hamilton Honey Badgers in the first game of the CEBL Quarter Finals. The winner will travel to Edmonton to meet the Niagara River Lions in the CEBL Semi Finals at Championship Weekend on August 20 th .
The other side of the playoff bracket will see the Guelph Nighthawks travel to Abbotsford Centre to face the Fraser Valley Bandits in the CEBL Quarter Finals on August 15 th . The winner of this contest will Travel to Edmonton for a meeting with the defending CEBL Champion Edmonton Stingers on August 20 th in the CEBL Semi Finals at Championship Weekend.
Current CEBL standings can be found here
All CEBL games will be available for live streaming on the CEBL’s new OTT streaming service CEBL+, cbcsports.ca , the free CBC Gem streaming service, the CBC Sports App for iOS and android devices, and on Twitch.
A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 75 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season typically runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube