TORONTO — The No. 3 ranked Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men's basketball team cruised to a win against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday evening at the Goldring Centre, 101-60.

The matchup was the first of the 2025-26 season between these two teams. Their rivalry games, dubbed the "Metro Hoops Classic", always bring out extra spirit from both sides as they battle to decide the better team in Downtown Toronto.

"When it's a rivalry, [wins] have bragging rights," said Bold Head Coach David DeAveiro, "you've got to have some extra pride in that, for sure."

"It's always a battle [against the Varsity Blues], so it feels good to win," added star forward Aaron Rhooms.

Rhooms, the reigning OUA men's basketball MVP was on fire to start the game, logging 10 points, three assists, and three rebounds in the first quarter.

His ability to score inside got TMU into a rhythm early. He consistently found gaps in the defence and comfortably knocked down short fadeaway jumpers, which then opened up shots for his teammates.

"I don't know if any teams have the matchup defensively to guard Aaron," praised DeAveiro, "if you put a smaller guy on him, he'll go inside and post them up. If you put a bigger guy on him, he'll just blow by them. He's just got an offensive package."

The success of Rhooms bled into the rest of the Bold, and soon every player on the court had caught fire. Midway through the first, centre Aidan Wilson rejected a Varsity Blues attempt at the rim and sprinted down the court to secure a putback dunk on offence. 

The play erupted the TMU bench, and gave the squad a 24-8 lead. As the first quarter came to its end, the Bold led 31-14.
 
The Varsity Blues fought back at the start of the second, getting off to a 5-2 run. Coach DeAveiro called a timeout to ensure that their opponents didn't gain any positive momentum.

With a quick breather to refocus, the Bold got right back to their offensive domination. The lead ballooned back to 17 thanks to back-to-back threes from Rhooms and second-year guard Kevin Toth.

Third-year guard Gabriel Gutsmore added onto the offensive production, notching seven points in the quarter. His defensive pressure and quick hands helped him force Toronto turnovers.

Gutsmore finished with 27 points in the game, staying red-hot after his 33-point performance in TMU's previous game against the Lakehead Thunderwolves. His offensive evolution has provided a massive boost for the Bold, and impressed DeAveiro:

"I've liked [Gutsmore]'s confidence, especially in shooting the ball," he praised, "he's been working on his shot, and it's starting to pay off for him."

Thanks to Gutsmore's scoring and 10 more points in the quarter from Rhooms, the Bold entered halftime with a comfortable 55-32 lead. The team shot a blistering hot 9-for-15 from three in the first half, good for 52%.

Entering the third quarter, the Varsity Blues tried out a zone defence on the Bold.

DeAveiro and his squad came prepared, though, expertly carving the aggressive defensive coverage for easy scores at the basket. Wilson made some high-level passes from the middle of the zone, which led to open shots and yet another impressive quarter from Rhooms and Gutsmore: they both scored seven in the period.

Just under halfway through the third, Rhooms made his defender fall with a flawless behind the back dribble. The Bold bench cheered louder than ever as he knocked down the mid-range jumper.

Rhooms finished the game with 27 points, tying Gutsmore for the team high. He added five assists and 10 rebounds, showcasing his all-around ability.

"If I feel like I have an opportunity to score, I'll take it," explained Rhooms after the game, "but I've got guys around me that can score as well. So it's either or, honestly."

The star forward subbed out at the end of the third quarter, and would stay on the bench for the rest of the game. TMU had managed to expand their lead to greater than thirty, leading 81-47.

For most of the fourth and final period, the Bold let their young bench players gain some on-court experience. The team's starters cheered from the bench nearly as loud as the away crowd at the Goldring Centre, showing support for their teammates.

That team comradery stems beyond just the court: 

"I love this team," expressed Rhooms, "we're all cool. Off the court, on the court, we're always joking around. We also understand that we have a goal to reach, though, so we're all locked in on trying to [win the National Championship]. But we still have our fun."

A dunk from second-year center Andrejs Silconoks put the Bold's score in triple digits, and the final score ended at 101-60 for TMU.

"I thought our guys executed the gameplan offensively, and especially defensively, and we really locked in onto what we were trying to do. What a good result tonight," praised DeAveiro.

The team's record is now improved to 3-1, and they have two days to rest before their next matchup on November 5 against the McMaster Marauders for the Bold's Y2K Night. The two squads matched up earlier in the season, and TMU managed to squeeze out a 78-72 win. 

"They're tough," admitted DeAveiro when asked about the Marauders, "they're young, they're aggressive, they play hard, and they're well coached. If we don't show up, it'll be another close game."

Tip-off is set for 8 p.m at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, and students can enter the game for free with their OneCards.