Ryan Nembhard, Marcus Carr lead Canadian men into Sweet 16

It was a rough opening weekend for a couple of the prominent Canadians in the men’s March Madness tournament.

Zach Edey’s Purdue Boilermakers were upset in the first round, marking just the second time a No. 16 seed defeated a No. 1 seed in tournament history. Meanwhile, Olivier-Maxence Prosper’s Marquette Golden Eagles lost a close one to the Michigan State Spartans in the second round despite Prosper playing in 38 of a possible 40 minutes.

Fortunately for fans of Canadian basketball, there are still a few Canadians of note on some of the best teams remaining in the tournament. Ryan Nembhard and Marcus Carr, the starting point guards for Creighton and Texas, respectively, are both about to get their first taste of Sweet 16 action. We caught up with each of them ahead of their Sweet 16 games to chat about the tournament. 

Ryan Nembhard: “Trying to create something myself”

Nembhard’s impressive season with the Creighton Blue Jays has been somewhat overshadowed by his older brother. The elder Andrew is having as good of a rookie season of any of the prospects picked in the second round of the 2023 draft, highlighted by a 25-point, 10-assist performance for the Indiana Pacers against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. But Ryan has been a steadying force for the Blue Jays all season, helping them grab a sixth seed by averaging 11.9 points and 4.9 assists to just 2.1 turnovers a game this season.

However, after his breakthrough performance in the second round against No. 3 seed Baylor — who happened to defeat Andrew Nembhard’s Gonzaga Bulldogs in the 2021 Championship Game — Ryan has put himself on the map. He dropped 30 points on 4-6 shooting from the three-point line and 10-10 from the stripe along with two steals in the win. 

“I didn’t really know going into it,” Nembhard said of his big night. “I kind of approach every game the same. I do what the game gives me. I just kind of felt stuff kind of opening up pretty early. so I felt good about it early in the second half. I didn’t know how much I would end up scoring.”

“I think we just played our style of basketball,” Nembhard added about the Blue Jays’ play so far in the tournament. “Tried to dictate pace, try to make it our style of play. We think we can play with anybody in the country if we get it to our style.”

Nembhard is a 6-foot point guard from Aurora, Ont. in his sophomore season at Creighton, but he has an advanced maturity and feel for the game in part because of attending Montverde Academy, where he came off the bench for one of the best high school teams of all time in his second year, a team that included future NBA players like Cade Cunningham and Scottie Barnes.

“I think Monteverde just grew my game a lot,” Nembhard said. “Being able to play against big time players every day in practice, it makes you grow a lot quicker because… not many players are as good as those guys.”

“And it just teaches you how to mature a little bit faster and learn how to play certain roles. Maybe if you’re not the best player on the team you can do certain other things to impact the game and be on the floor… [it made the] transition to college easier. I felt a little bit more confident, a little bit more ready.”

Now, Nembhard is focused on leading the Blue Jays to their first Elite Eight since 1941. He wants to make a name for himself instead of constantly being compared to his brother, which he insists he is “cool” with, but says “at the end of the day we are two different players… We have our own style of play. We play similar in some ways, we play different in certain ways. But yeah, I’m my own player, I’m on my own path. He already did his thing and he’s doing his thing at the next level. But I’m definitely on my own path and I’m trying to create something myself.”

Nembhard has another chance to do that on Friday at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT when his No. 6 seed Blue Jays take on the No. 15 seed Princeton Tigers.

Marcus Carr wants to “make it a special ride”

It’s the final ride for Toronto’s Marcus Carr. The 6-foot-2 point guard is in his fifth and final college season at Texas, yet this is the first time he has reached the Sweet 16. As a player who lives for the big moments, Carr is about to show the world what makes him so special. 

After averaging 15.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.8 steals on 47.9 per cent shooting from two and 36 per cent shooting from three this season, Carr has been a stabilizing force for the Longhorns through their first two tournament wins. He defends the opponents’ best perimeter player, gets the Longhorns organized and into their actions, and can break down a defence when his team needs it, playing in 74 of a possible 80 minutes through their first two games. 

Carr has become an all-around player with very few flaws. But what makes him so special is his penchant for hitting big shots at key moments, which he has done at every stop in his career. 

“I’m super excited,” Carr said about playing in his first Sweet 16. “It’s something I haven’t done before — I haven’t been this far in the tournament before. So I’m definitely looking forward to playing on that stage… I wouldn’t say there’s any pressure or anything, I’m just looking forward to the opportunity.”

Carr said there is added excitement not just because it’s his last go around, but because several Longhorns will be leaving at season’s end, and that “we definitely want to make it a special ride.” After this, Carr plans on pursuing a career in the NBA and will fight for a spot on a roster this summer.

Carr’s No. 2 seed Texas Longhorns take on the No. 3 seed Xavier Musketeers on Friday at 9:45 p.m. ET / 6:45 p.m. PT. It could be the final game of his storied college career, or it could be another timely performance on the biggest stage of his career.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/ncaa-mens-basketball/article/ryan-nembhard-marcus-carr-lead-canadian-men-into-sweet-16/”>

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