After some twists and turns along the way, including being sanctioned for the use of an ineligible player during the 2006-2007 season, Acadia did end up part of the field for the 46th men's basketball nationals in Ottawa – though not necessarily in the way they had expected.
Head coach Les Berry was suspended until after Christmas as part of the sanctions, but assistant Steve Baur stepped in to capably fill the gap and the Axemen barely missed a beat, finishing the regular season with an 18-2 record.
Leo Saintil led the team in scoring (18.3) and rebounding (13.9), set a new conference record for rebounds with 277, and was named AUBC Player of the Year.
The Axemen advanced to their second consecutive conference final with an 83-75 win over Dalhousie.
Pressed into duty at point guard, Pat McIver had 17 points, including five threes. Berry added 23 points, Saintil 20 points and 11 rebounds and Lual 12 points and 11 boards.
Acadia and Saint Mary's met in the final, and led by Aaron Duncan's 21 points, the Huskies avenged their 2007 defeat with a 75-72 victory. Lual had 18 points and 12 rebounds for Acadia. Saintil added 15 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots, Berry had 15 points and Krauss 11.
Despite the loss, Acadia was an easy choice for a national wildcard. Seeded fifth, the Axemen met Laval in the quarterfinal round. Saintil had 27 points and 10 rebounds to lead Acadia to an 85-77 win.
Acadia moved on to face Carleton in the semi-finals. On the Ravens' home court, the teams engaged in one of the finest games in Final Eight history, finally won by the Axemen 82-80 in double overtime.
Acadia led 28-27 at halftime, but both teams engineered impressive runs in the second half. The lead fluctuated between one and five points for most of the fourth quarter.
In the first overtime, Carleton led by three with 35 seconds left, but Peter Leighton nailed a catch-and-shoot three-pointer off a screen to tie the score.
In the second overtime, jumpers by Saintil and Leighton and a tip-in by Berry gave Acadia an 80-74 lead, and the Axemen held on for a two-point victory.
Leighton finished with 23 points off the bench. Saintil had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Lual did a great job defensively on CIS Most Valuable Player Aaron Doornekamp.
A tired and emotionally drained Axemen squad took to the floor for the next day's CIS final against Brock. The Badgers, while a veteran team, wouldn't normally have been ranked with Acadia or Carleton, but they were able to overcome a 31-21 halftime deficit en route to a 64-61 victory.
Santana led Acadia with 18 points, including a pair of threes. Berry added 14 points and five rebounds, and Saintil finished with 12 points and seven boards. Acadia's fourth national title, and first since 1977, was not to be. For a sixth time, the Axemen had to settle for being national runner-up.