The NCAA Tournament bracket is set to begin on Thursday and the Canadians are ready to make their mark on the hardwood.
More than 50 men and women from north of the border will compete in March Madness, headlined by a player on each of the top seeds in the brackets: Gonzaga's Andrew Nembhard and Stanford's Alyssa Jerome. The women's bracket is also jam-packed at the top with each of the other No. 1 seeds boasting a Canadian — UConn's Aaliyah Edwards, South Carolina's Laeticia Amihere and N.C. State's Rebecca Demeke.
A number of schools have more than one Canadian on the roster, including No. 2 seed Alabama led by freshman guard Joshua Primo, who is averaging 8.1 points and 3.4 rebounds. They'll have a tough test in the opening round against the Rick Pitino-led Iona Gaels. And keep your eye on Georgetown's Jahvon Blair; the senior from Brampton, Ont., has been a force for Patrick Ewing's Big East champs.
On the women's side, VCU's roster leads the way with three Canadians — Sarah Te-Biasu, Samantha Robinson and Janika Griffith-Wallace. And one to watch is No. 14 seed Drexel's Keishana Washington, from Pickering, Ont. She enters the tourney with three-straight 30-point games.
Here's a breakdown of all the Canadians suiting up for March Madness.
Canadians in the NCAA Men's Tournament
| SCHOOL | NAME | POSITION | HEIGHT | HOMETOWN | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) Gonzaga | Andrew Nembhard | Guard | 6-5 | Aurora, Ont. | Junior |
| (2) Alabama | Keon Ambrose-Hylton | Forward | 6-8 | Toronto, Ont. | Freshman |
| (2) Alabama | Joshua Primo | Guard | 6-6 | Toronto, Ont. | Freshman |
| (3) West Virginia | Gabe Osabuohien | Forward | 6-7 | Toronto, Ont. | Senior |
| (4) Florida State | Nathanael Jack | Guard | 6-5 | Mississauga, Ont. | Senior |
| (4) Florida State | Tanor Ngom* | Center | 7-2 | Dakar, Senegal | Senior |
| (4) Oklahoma State | Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe | Forward | 6-7 | Toronto, Ont. | Freshman |
| (4) Purdue | Zach Edey | Center | 7-4 | Toronto, Ont. | Freshman |
| (5) Colorado | Keeshawn Barthelemy | Guard | 6-2 | Montreal, Que. | Freshman |
| (7) Clemson | Olivier-Maxence Prosper | Guard/Forward | 6-8 | Montreal, Que. | Freshman |
| (7) Oregon | Chris Duarte^ | Guard | 6-6 | Montreal, Que. | Senior |
| (7) Oregon | Eugene Omoruyi | Forward | 6-6 | Rexdale, Ont. | R-Senior |
| (8) Loyola Chicago | Aher Uguak | Forward | 6-7 | Edmonton, Alta. | R-Senior |
| (11) Drake | Okay Djamgouz | Guard | 6-5 | Toronto, Ont. | R-Freshman |
| (11) Syracuse | Quincy Guerrier | Forward | 6-7 | Montreal, Que. | Sophomore |
| (11) Utah State | Liam McChesney | Forward | 6-10 | Prince Rupert, B.C. | R-Freshman |
| (12) Georgetown | Jahvon Blair | Guard | 6-4 | Brampton, Ont. | Senior |
| (12) Oregon State | Maurice Calloo | Forward | 6-10 | Windsor, Ont. | Junior |
| (12) UC Santa Barbara | Max Cheylov | Guard | 6-3 | Toronto, Ont. | Freshman |
| (12) UC Santa Barbara | Brandon Cyrus | Guard | 6-5 | Oakville, Ont. | Graduate |
| (14) Colgate | Malcolm Bailey | Forward | 6-10 | Stratford, Ont. | Sophomore |
| (14) Colgate | Sam Thomson | Forward | 6-9 | Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont. | Freshman |
| (14) Eastern Washington | Victor Radocaj | Forward | 6-9 | Richmond, B.C. | Freshman |
| (15) Grand Canyon | Sean Miller-Moore | Guard | 6-4 | Toronto, Ont. | Senior |
| (15) Oral Roberts | Elijah Lufile | Forward/Center | 6-8 | Milton, Ont. | R-Junior |
| (16) Drexel | Matey Juric | Guard | 5-11 | Toronto, Ont. | Junior |
*Ngom transferred to Florida State from Ryerson University.
^Born in Montreal but grew up in the Dominican Republic.
Canadians in the NCAA Women's Tournament
| SCHOOL | NAME | POSITION | HEIGHT | HOMETOWN | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) N.C. State | Rebecca Demeke | Guard | 6-0 | Toronto, Ont. | Freshman |
| (1) South Carolina | Laeticia Amihere | Forward | 6-4 | Mississauga, Ont. | Sophomore |
| (1) Stanford | Alyssa Jerome | Forward | 6-3 | Toronto, Ont. | Senior |
| (1) UConn | Aaliyah Edwards | Forward | 6-3 | Kingston, Ont. | Freshman |
| (2) Louisville | Merissah Russell | Guard | 5-11 | Ottawa, Ont. | Freshman |
| (3) Arizona | Shaina Pellington | Guard | 5-8 | Pickering, Ont. | R-Junior |
| (3) UCLA | Brynn Masikewich | Forward | 6-3 | Calgary, Alta. | Sophomore |
| (4) Indiana | Kiandra Browne | Forward | 6-2 | Montreal, Que. | Freshman |
| (5) Gonzaga | Yvonne Ejim | Forward | 6-1 | Calgary, Alta. | Freshman |
| (6) Michigan | Hailey Brown | Forward | 6-1 | Hamilton, Ont. | Senior |
| (6) Rutgers | Mael Gilles | Forward | 6-1 | Monreal-Nord, Que. | Senior |
| (7) Alabama | Ahriahna Grizzle | Guard | 6-9 | Toronto, Ont. | Sophomore |
| (7) Iowa State | Izzi Zingaro | Forward | 6-4 | Bolton, Ont. | Freshman |
| (7) Virginia Tech | Makayla Ennis | Guard/Forward | 6-0 | Brampton, Ont. | Sophomore |
| (8) Oklahoma State | Micah Dennis | Guard | 5-9 | Toronto, Ont. | Sophomore |
| (9) Wake Forest | Christina Morra | Forward | 6-2 | Toronto, Ont. | Junior |
| (9) Washington State | Jessica Clarke | Center | 6-3 | North Vancouver, B.C. | Freshman |
| (12) Central Michigan | Maryama Turkstra | Forward | 6-2 | Dundas, Ont. | Freshman |
| (12) Central Michigan | Anika Weekes | Guard | 5-10 | Toronto, Ont. | R-Sophomore |
| (12) UC Davis | Sage Stobbart | Post | 6-3 | North Vancouver, B.C. | R-Junior |
| (12) UC Davis | Mackenzie Trpcic | Guard | 5-7 | Hamilton, Ont. | R-Senior |
| (13) VCU | Janika Griffith-Wallace | Guard | 5-9 | Brampton, Ont. | R-Junior |
| (13) VCU | Samantha Robinson | Forward | 6-1 | Bradford, Ont. | R-Sophomore |
| (13) VCU | Sarah Te-Bisau | Guard | 5-5 | Montreal, Que. | Freshman |
| (14) Drexel | Keishana Washington | Guard | 5-7 | Pickering, Ont. | Junior |
| (14) Middle Tennessee | Jada Grannum | Forward | 6-3 | Mississauga, Ont. | Freshman |
How to watch Canadians in the NCAA Tournament
TSN is the home of the NCAA Tournament for both the men's and women's bracket. Along with games airing across all TSN stations, the games will also stream on TSN.ca, the TSN App and TSN Direct.
When does March Madness start?
- Start date: Thursday, March 18 (First Four)
- End date: Monday, April 5 (national championship game)
The 2021 NCAA Tournament — composed of the First Four, Rounds 1 and 2, Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four and national championship game — will begin Thursday, March 18 and conclude on Monday, April 5.
Here is the full schedule for the men's NCAA Tournament:
| Round | Dates |
| First Four | March 18 |
| Round 1 | March 19-20 |
| Round 2 | March 21-22 |
| Sweet 16 | March 27-28 |
| Elite Eight | March 29-30 |
| Final Four | April 3 |
| National championship | April 5 |
Here is the full schedule for the women's NCAA Tournament:
| Round | Dates |
| Round 1 | March 21-22 |
| Round 2 | March 23-24 |
| Sweet 16 | March 27-28 |
| Elite Eight | March 29-30 |
| Final Four | April 2 |
| National championship | April 4 |