Atlantic crown up for grabs: Previewing the 2026 AUS basketball championships

Atlantic universities will crown their basketball champions later this month in Halifax.

The Atlantic University Sport women’s and men’s tournaments will be held from Feb. 20 to 22 at Scotiabank Centre. 

The tourney will decide who will represent the AUS at the U Sports basketball national championships in early March. The men’s national event is in Calgary, while the women travel to Quebec City.

John Keefe, CEO for Atlantic University Sports and the event chair for the championship, has been organizing the event for 25 years. 

He says they have seen an uptick in attendance in recent years.

“I think this is the 10th or 11th year now that we’ve combined the two genders into one tournament. And when we made that decision, obviously the growth of the event went through the roof,” Keefe said.

Keefe says AUS’s overall goal is to create an unforgettable experience for every competitor.

“What it all comes down to is just creating the best student athlete experience so that those student athletes get to play in front of thousands of fans, where through the season they wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to do that.”

So far five teams have qualified for the tournament on the women’s side. 

The University of New Brunswick Reds enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed after dominating the regular season. They will be looking for a different result than their quarterfinal loss to the University of Prince Edward Island last season. 

The other qualifiers are  Saint Francis Xavier, Acadia, UPEI, and three-time defending champion Saint Mary’s. 

Memorial and Dalhousie are fighting to fill the last spot in the tournament, sitting sixth and seventh in league play with 10 points. 

Five teams have also qualified on the men’s side.

St. F.X. has clinched a first-round bye and sits at the top of the conference men’s basketball standings. They enter the tournament looking to avenge their losses of the past two seasons, falling just short in the final to Dalhousie in 2024 and UPEI in 2025. 

Other schools qualifying are UNB, Acadia, Cape Breton University, and defending champions UPEI.

The final spot will be filled by either the Dalhousie Tigers, who are currently sixth with 14 points or the Memorial Seahawks, who are seventh with 12 points. 

Final slots will be determined this weekend. 

Vince Williams is a play-by-play broadcaster. He has worked for 14 years hosting and writing for multiple leagues at both the university and pro level and has been the voice of the AUS basketball championships for the past six years.

He said this season has been different. 

“I see parity this year in both women’s and men’s basketball,” said Williams.

“Every single game is close and it’s too close to call. The favourites have not always won this season and we have seen some surprises. There are some programs that have missed the championships for consecutive years that have been able to qualify and it’s good to see.”

Williams said the atmosphere of the tournament is electric. 

“Even if you’re walking by the building, you can feel the energy from the fans. They are sitting on edge and waiting for that pivotal moment, that one shining moment for their team to be successful and move on within the competition. It’s bar none to basketball in this particular region.”

Keefe also says the event is a must-see.

“I always tell people they’re not going to see a 125 to 123 final score in our event. You’re going to see 62 to 60 point games. People are playing for their seasons, playing for a place at the national championship. In some cases, it’s their last game of their career,” said Keefe.

“Just the atmosphere, it’s unlike anything else. You have to experience it.”

Tickets can be purchased on Scotiabank Centre’s site or at the gate.