| Current Season: | 2023 U Sports Women's Basketball Championship |
| Last Season: | 2022 U Sports Women's Basketball Championship |
| Upcoming Season: | 2024 U Sports Women's Basketball Championship |
| Sport: | Basketball |
| Inaugural: | 1972 |
| Teams: | 8 |
| Country: | Canada |
| Champion: | Carleton Ravens (3rd title) |
| Most Champs: | Victoria Vikes (9) |
| Organizer: | U Sports |
| Tv: | CBC,[1] TVA |
The U Sports Women's Basketball Championship, branded as the Women's Basketball Final 8, is a Canadian university basketball tournament conducted by U Sports, and determines the women's national champion. The tournament involves the champions from each of Canada's four regional sports conferences. The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winners.
Seventeen different schools have won the tournament. The University of Victoria has the most tournament wins, with nine. Laurentian University has seven championships. The University of British Columbia has taken the title six times, while the University of Windsor and Simon Fraser University have five apiece. Carleton University, the University of Winnipeg, and University of Manitoba have each won three championships, while Bishop's University and the University of Saskatchewan have won two. Seven programs have one national championship.
The tournament was originally composed of just four qualifying teams from 1972 to 1976 until it was expanded to include six in 1977.[2] The championship was then changed to include eight teams in 1979 and has generally remained the same since then. In the 2011 edition, the then-named CIS had West, Central, and East regional play-in games to determine the three remaining spot in the tournament (the other five went to the four conference champions and host). In 2012, there were East and West regional games to determine two additional berths and by 2013 the league had reverted to voting in the three remaining spots. Aside from those two years of regional qualifiers, the tournament has always taken place over one weekend at a pre-determined host site.
The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermline College of Physical Education in Scotland.[3] The trophy was first donated in 1922 by the Students' Council of McGill University and awarded to the Ontario and Quebec conference champion of the Women's Interuniversity Athletic Union (WIAU). After the WIAU amalgamated with the Ontario Women's Interuniversity Athletic Union (OWIAA) in 1971, the trophy was retired and returned to McGill.[4] The trophy was then offered to the Canadian Women's Interuniversity Athletic Union (CWIAU) in 1972 to be competed for at a fully national level. The CWIAU merged with the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU), the men's union, in 1978 and awarded by the now-named U Sports governing body.
The 2021 championship tournaments were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]
The championship consists of an eight-team single-elimination tournament. Four teams automatically qualify for the tournament as one of the winners of the four conferences, two qualify as the runners-up of both the OUA and Canada West conference, one qualifies as the host, and one is given an at-large berth.[6]
| Appearances | Team | Conference | Wins | Losses | Win % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Victoria Vikes | 9 | 5 | .643 | 2003 | 2003 | |
| 10 | Winnipeg Wesmen | 3 | 7 | .300 | 1995 | 2022 | |
| 9 | Laurentian Lady Vees | OUA | 7 | 2 | .778 | 1991 | 1991 |
| 8 | UBC Thunderbirds | 6 | 2 | .750 | 2008 | 2012 | |
| 6 | Windsor Lancers | OUA | 5 | 1 | .833 | 2015 | 2015 |
| 6 | Manitoba Bisons | 3 | 3 | .500 | 1997 | 1998 | |
| 6 | Regina Cougars | Canada West | 1 | 5 | .167 | 2001 | 2013 |
| 5 | Simon Fraser Clan | 5 | 0 | 1.000 | 2010 | 2010 | |
| 4 | Bishop's Gaiters | 2 | 2 | .500 | 1984 | 1984 | |
| 4 | Saskatchewan Huskies | 2 | 2 | .500 | 2020 | 2020 | |
| 4 | Calgary Dinos | Canada West | 1 | 3 | .250 | 1989 | 2000 |
| 3 | Carleton Ravens | OUA | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | 2024 | 2024 |
| 3 | Toronto Varsity Blues | OUA | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1986 | 1996 |
| 3 | Alberta Pandas | Canada West | 1 | 2 | .667 | 1999 | 2007 |
| 3 | UNB Red Bloomers | AUS | 0 | 3 | .000 | None | 1976 |
| 3 | Laval Rouge et Or | 0 | 3 | .000 | None | 2019 | |
| 2 | McGill Martlets | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2017 | 2017 | |
| 2 | Ryerson Rams | OUA | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2022 | 2022 |
| 1 | McMaster Marauders | OUA | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2019 | 2019 |
| 1 | Dalhousie Tigers | AUS | 0 | 1 | .000 | None | 1980 |
| 1 | UPEI Panthers | AUS | 0 | 1 | .000 | None | 1989 |
| 1 | York Yeowomen | OUA | 0 | 1 | .000 | None | 1997 |
| 1 | Cape Breton Capers | AUS | 0 | 1 | .000 | None | 2006 |
| 1 | Saint Mary's Huskies | AUS | 0 | 1 | .000 | None | 2014 |
| 1 | Brock Badgers | OUA | 0 | 1 | .000 | None | 2020 |
| 1 | Queen's Gaels | OUA | 0 | 1 | .000 | None | 2023 |