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A lot of people, James Derouin says, told him it was good for the Ottawa Gee-Gees to lose to the Carleton Ravens in the Capital Hoops Classic.

Their thinking is that the Gee-Gees will benefit from being reminded they must execute well in all phases of basketball to defeat the rivals who have been to 12 consecutive Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships and won 10.

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Derouin disagrees.

“I really would have liked to win in front of 12,000 people, personally,” the Gee-Gees head coach says of losing 79-66 at Canadian Tire Centre on Feb. 6. “It used to be that we needed to beat (the Ravens) to feel confident that we could beat them. Now we have beaten them two of the last four games, that part is gone.

“I think the only thing we took from that game is that … we weren’t at our best that night. It’s as simple as that.”

The Gee-Gees don’t need to beat the Ravens again to qualify for the CIS tournament March 12-15 at Toronto. Rather, U of O can earn a ticket to nationals for the third year in a row and ninth time overall by taking care of business against the Windsor Lancers in an Ontario University Athletics semifinal on home court at Montpetit Hall on Friday evening.