March Madness 2021: Andrew Nembhard, Aaliyah Edwards headline Canadians in the NCAA Tournament

Jackie Spiegel

March Madness 2021: Andrew Nembhard, Aaliyah Edwards headline Canadians in the NCAA Tournament image

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

Jackie Spiegel