Playoff Preview: Bold figuring out how to put the pieces together

TORONTO - The OUA playoffs will prove what this iteration of the TMU Bold men's basketball team really is.

Through 22 regular season games, during which the Bold went 13-9, there hasn't been a clear indication of where this team stacks up in the OUA. Despite finishing second in the OUA Central division, the Bold finished well below the top teams in the East and West divisions like Ottawa (19-3), Queen's (19-3), Western (16-6) and Laurier (14-8).

The Bold's longest winning streak this season, during the middle of November, was just three games. Despite this, they've secured big wins against Western and in-division, sweeping season series against Toronto and McMaster. At the same time, they've suffered defeats to Algoma (3-19) and Lakehead (10-12) at pivotal points this season. The Bold have also never had a losing streak longer than two games, further showing the up and down nature of this season.

The Bold relied heavily on their bench depth this year, leading to the OUA's sixth-ranked offence averaging 82.1 points per game. Aaron Rhooms, the third-year with Team Canada experience, once again drove the bus offensively, recording 16.6 points per game and starting every contest this season. First-year Gabriel Gutsmore also played a big role, recording 8.9 points per game, coming off the bench in 18 of his 20 appearances this season as an impactful sixth-man. David Walker continued his ascent on the offensive side of the court, recording an impressive 15.5 points per game on 48.6% shooting from the field. Their impressive shooting was part of an impressive team display as the Bold shot an incredible 47.2% from the field collectively, to lead the OUA.

The Bold did struggle in several key areas throughout the regular season, which are vital to playoff success. The Bold were a bad free-throw shooting team, converting just 62.7% of their attempts from the charity stripe. This saw them land just shy of last place for 17th in the OUA. The Bold did not get to the line at a very high clip, averaging just 16 attempts in their games this season. The Bold also struggled with turnovers this season, averaging 16.6 per game, again finishing just better than Laurentian for last place in the OUA. The Bold gave up an average of 17.5 points per game on turnovers, particularly impactful when you consider the Bold's average margin of defeat was 10.5 points per loss.

In previous losses, head coach David DeAveiro has made his message clear. For the Bold to be successful they need to play their game. In a January 19th loss to Queen's, the coach emphasized that the team needed to utilize their depth to find different ways to score.

"Finding different ways to score (is the key), we got too selfish. One of the things we're trying to work on is following the plan."

The Bold will face McMaster in the first round on February 21 at 8 p.m. The Bold took both of the teams' two matchups this season, 87-66 and 81-68. In the November 8 contest from the MAC, Walker and Marsei Caston led the way offensively as the Bold cruised to a victory, leading in all four quarters. The November 22 matchup told a similar story, as the Bold led throughout with Rhooms recording 21 points in the contest in Hamilton. The Bold have the added advantage of playing at home, where they've lost just once since the calendar turned over, going 3-1 during that time.

This playoff run will define how the 2023-24 TMU men's basketball team is viewed in the minds of Bold fans. We have not seen the best that this squad has had to offer, and the OUA playoffs represents a chance to make a clear statement on how good this team is. The only question now is: can they seize the opportunity?

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Players Mentioned

#3 Marsei Caston: G; 6' 2"; 3

#6 David Walker: G; 6' 4"; 4

#12 Aaron Rhooms: G; 6' 6"; 3

#21 Gabriel Gutsmore: G; 6' 1"; 1

Players Mentioned

#3 Marsei Caston
: 6' 2"; 3
: G

#6 David Walker
: 6' 4"; 4
: G

#12 Aaron Rhooms
: 6' 6"; 3
: G

#21 Gabriel Gutsmore
: 6' 1"; 1
: G