Game Preview - August 10: BlackJacks Finish Their 2025 Regular Season Against Top-Ranked Bandits
The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) take on the Vancouver Bandits this afternoon at 3 p.m. at The Arena at TD Place.
Today is the BlackJacks’ Fan Appreciation Day, where the team will represent its home crowd and honour them for a season of support.
This is the final regular season matchup for both of these teams. The Vancouver Bandits hold the best record in the Western Conference, and the entire CEBL, at 18-5, while the BlackJacks sit at second in the Eastern Conference at 12-11.
Standings-wise, this afternoon’s game has no consequences for either team.
The Bandits have already secured the top seed in the CEBL and have automatically advanced to the Western Conference Semifinal–there, they’ll play either the Calgary Surge or the Edmonton Stingers for the opportunity to play the Western Conference Final against the host team Winnipeg Sea Bears during Championship Weekend 2025. The BlackJacks sit at second in the East, giving them a spot in the Eastern Semifinal.
So, neither team has much to play for in this matchup, that doesn’t mean they’ll go down easy though.
The Bandits and BlackJacks are both statistically elite teams. They rank in the top four in points per-game, points allowed per-game, assists per-game, field goal percentage and three-point percentage. With two high-level squads facing off like this, each side will want to give their best efforts in order to get some extra reps against high-level competition before the playoffs start.
Another reason for Ottawa to give it all in this one is their home crowd–especially on Fan Appreciation Day.
“We got a good fanbase here,” said the team’s leading scorer Javonte Smart, “we just want to come out and get a win for the fans.”
Today’s matchup though will be the final time that those fans will be able to cheer in The Arena at TD Place this season.
Due to the Masters Indigenous Games 2025 taking place from August 14-17 in the arena, the BlackJacks have officially moved their Eastern Conference Semifinal game on Aug.16 to the Centre Slush Puppie in Gatineau, Que. Tickets are available now at theblackjacks.ca/2025-playoffs.
So, the BlackJacks will be looking to make the most of their final regular season game–both for the fans and for their own playoff preparation.
In that playoff game, they’ll be taking on the winner of the East Play-In game between the Scarborough Shooting Stars and the Montreal Alliance on Aug. 14. To get themselves ready for that game, they’ll want to focus on fixing their weaknesses.
One of the team’s most glaring points of improvement is their rebounding. Despite their strong record and statistical ranks, Ottawa sits second-last in rebounds per-game at just 37.4.
Both the Shooting Stars and the Alliance are strong rebounding teams. Scarborough is second in total rebounds per-game (40.4), and Montreal is second in offensive rebounds per-game (12.4).
Vancouver is another fantastic team on the glass, ranking just below Scarborough in total boards per-game at 39.9. This afternoon, then, Ottawa can use the matchup against better rebounders than themselves to improve their own rebounding abilities.
A large part of crashing the glass comes from a team’s big men, and this afternoon’s matchup is set to have quite the matchup from that position.
Ottawa’s starting centre, Isaih Moore, leads all players in rebounds per-game this season with 11.4 while Vancouver’s Tyrese Samuel sits third on that list with 10.4. With Samuel to battle on the inside, Moore will have his work cut out for him this afternoon.
Aside from Moore, some of the BlackJacks’ key role players will need to step up and grab rebounds. Forwards Justin Jackson, Zane Waterman and Deng Adel have all made impacts on the glass so far this year, averaging 4.5 rebounds per-game or higher. That impact will be extra important today against a team like the Bandits.
So look out for a battle on the glass today, as the BlackJacks leave it all on the court for one last game at The Arena at TD Place this season. If Ottawa can fix their biggest weakness and grab more rebounds, they’ll no doubt be one of the CEBL’s top teams heading into the playoffs.
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