A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
 | |
| Formerly | CIAU women's basketball, CIS women's basketball |
|---|---|
| Sport | Basketball |
| Founded | 1977 |
| No. of teams | 48, in four conferences |
| Country | Canada |
| Most recent champion(s) | Saskatchewan Huskies |
| Most titles | Victoria Vikes (9) |
| Official website | U Sports women's basketball |
U Sports women's basketball is the highest level of play of women's basketball at the university level under the auspices of U Sports, Canada's governing body for university sports. There are 48 teams, all of which are based in Canada, that are divided into four conferences that are eligible to compete for the year-end championship. As these players compete at the university level, they are obligated to follow the rule of standard eligibility of five years. The winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship is awarded the Bronze Baby trophy.[1] The championship has been played for since 1972, with the UBC Thunderettes capturing the inaugural championship.
History
Participating universities
As of the 2019–2020 U Sports season, 48 of the 56 U Sports member institutions have women's basketball teams. The teams are split into four conferences with some conferences splitting teams further into divisions. With the addition of Ontario Tech for the 2019–20 season, the OUA moved to three six-team divisions.[2] The Canada West conference had two divisions, but reverted to a one conference format for the 2016–17 season with 17 teams.[3] The AUS conference has eight teams while the RSEQ conference has five.
Atlantic University Sport
| University | Varsity Name | City | Province | School Founded |
Arena | Arena Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acadia University | Axewomen | Wolfville, Annapolis Valley | NS | 1838 | ||
| Cape Breton University | Capers | Sydney, Nova Scotia | NS | 1951 | ||
| Dalhousie University | Tigers | Halifax | NS | 1818 | Dalhousie Memorial Arena | 1,280 |
| Memorial University of Newfoundland | Sea-Hawks | Saint John's | NL | 1925 | ||
| University of Prince Edward Island | Panthers | Charlottetown | PEI | 1969 | MacLauchlan Arena | |
| Saint Mary's University | Huskies | Halifax | NS | 1802 | Alumni Arena | 1,000 |
| St. Francis Xavier University | X-Women | Antigonish | NS | 1853 | Charles V. Keating Centre | 1,500 |
| University of New Brunswick | Reds | Fredericton | NB | 1785 | Aitken University Centre | 3,278 |
Canada West Universities Athletic Association
Ontario University Athletics
East Division
| University | Varsity Name | City | Province | School Founded |
Arena | Arena Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carleton University | Ravens | Ottawa | ON | 1952 | ||
| Laurentian University | Laurentian Voyageurs | Sudbury | ON | 1960 | Countryside Arena | |
| Nipissing University | Lakers | North Bay | ON | 1992 | North Bay Memorial Gardens | 4,246 |
| University of Ontario Institute of Technology | Ridgebacks | Oshawa | ON | 2002 | Campus Ice Centre | 800 |
| University of Ottawa | Gee-Gees | Ottawa | ON | 1894 | Sport Complex Arena | 850 |
| Queen's University | Gaels | Kingston | ON | 1841 | Kingston Memorial Centre | 3,300 |
West Division
| University | Varsity Name | City | Province | School Founded |
Arena | Arena Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algoma University | Algoma Thunderbirds | Sault Ste. Marie | ON | 1965 | ||
| University of Guelph | Gryphons | Guelph | ON | 1964 | Gryphon Centre Arena | 1,400 |
| University of Waterloo | Warriors | Waterloo | ON | 1957 | Carl Totzke Court at the Physical Activities Complex | 5,000 |
| University of Western Ontario | Mustangs | London | ON | 1878 | Thompson Arena | |
| Wilfrid Laurier University | Golden Hawks | Waterloo | ON | 1957 | Waterloo Recreation Complex | 3,400 |
| University of Windsor | Lancers | Windsor | ON | 1857 |