The 2021 NCAA basketball season is coming to a close as the women's and men's tournaments wrap up on April 4 and 5, respectively.
After more than 50 Canadians hit the hardwood aiming for a championship, three will get a chance at the ultimate prize — with one guaranteed the trophy in the women's final.
Gonzaga's Andrew Nembhard, Stanford's Alyssa Jerome and Arizona's Shaina Pellington will look to add their names to a small list.
Canadian men who have won the NCAA Tournament
| YEAR | NAME | TEAM | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Kyle Wiltjer | Kentucky | 67-59 vs. Kansas |
| 2004 | Denham Brown | UConn | 82-73 vs. Georgia Tech |
| 2000 | Dave Thomas | Michigan State | 89-76 vs. Florida |
| 1998 | Jamaal Magloire | Kentucky | 78-69 vs. Utah |
| 1979 | Mike Brkovich | Michigan State | 75-64 vs. Indiana State |
Canadian women who have won the NCAA Tournament in the last 10 years
| YEAR | NAME | TEAM | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Kia Nurse | UConn | 82-51 vs. Syracuse |
| 2015 | Kia Nurse | UConn | 63-53 vs. Notre Dame |
This year could mark the first time in tournament history a Canadian wins the women's and men's titles in the same year. According to The Canadian Press via Basketball Canada records, it has never been done since the women's tournament began in 1982.
Here's a breakdown on how the players got to the ultimate game:
NCAA men's basketball championship: (1) Gonzaga vs. (1) Baylor
Andrew Nembhard
School: (1) Gonzaga
Position: Guard
Hometown: Aurora, Ont.
| ROUND | OPPONENT | SCORE | STATS |
|---|---|---|---|
| First round | (16) Norfolk State | W, 98-55 | 27 MIN, 4 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL |
| Second round | (8) Oklahoma | W, 87-71 | 38 MIN, 7 PTS, 2 AST, 1 STL |
| Sweet 16 | (5) Creighton | W, 83-65 | 36 MIN, 17 PTS, 4 REB, 8 AST |
| Elite Eight | (6) USC | W, 85-66 | 36 MIN, 7 PTS, 1 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL |
| Final Four | (11) UCLA | W, 93-90 (OT) | 43 MIN, 11 PTS, 1 REB, 8 AST, 1 STL |
NCAA women's basketball championship: (1) Stanford vs. (3) Arizona
Alyssa Jerome
School: (1) Stanford
Position: Forward
Hometown: Toronto, Ont.
| ROUND | OPPONENT | SCORE | STATS |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Round | (16) Utah Valley | 87-44 | 15 MIN, 5 REB, 1 AST |
| Second Round | (8) Oklahoma State | 73-62 | DNP |
| Sweet 16 | (5) Missouri State | 89-62 | 10 MIN, 1 AST, 1 BLK |
| Elite Eight | (2) Louisville | 78-63 | DNP |
| Final Four | (1) South Carolina | 66-65 | 2 MIN, 1 BLK |
Shaina Pellington
School: (3) Arizona
Position: Guard
Hometown: Pickering, Ont.
| ROUND | OPPONENT | SCORE | STATS |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Round | (14) Stony Brook | 79-44 | 19 MIN, 5 PTS, 1 REB, 3 AST |
| Second Round | (11) BYU | 52-46 | 12 MIN, 5 PTS, 1 REB, 1 STL |
| Sweet 16 | (2) Texas A&M | 74-59 | 19 MIN, 6 PTS, 1 REB, 3 AST |
| Elite Eight | (4) Indiana | 66-53 | 11 MIN, 2 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST |
| Final Four | (1) UConn | 69-59 | 7 MIN, 2 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST |
How to watch the NCAA Tournament's championship games in Canada
TSN is the home of the NCAA Tournament for both the men's and women's brackets. Along with games airing across all TSN stations, the games will stream on TSN.ca, the TSN app and TSN Direct.