Nigeria representatives Rivers Hoopers have commenced training today after landing in Kigali for the Basketball Africa League BAL 2023/24 Playoffs.
The Ogo Odaudu tutored side left Nigeria yesterday and will play Senegalese side AS Douanes on Saturday 25 May for a chance to qualify for the quarter finals of this year’s tourney.
The classification matchup is a repeat of Sahara Conference ties between both teams in Dakar, Senegal.
To qualify for the playoffs, Hoopers notched up 4 wins and 2 losses to top the Sahara Conference table of the championship.
The Playoffs and Finals will begin with a classification round where the top team will play against the next best team.
The next phase will be the Quarterfinals and losing teams will be eliminated from the tournament.
The BAL 2024 Playoffs and Finals will run from 24 May to 1 June at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.
The top eight teams from the regular season to compete in the Playoffs and Finals are, Al Ahly Ly (Libya), Al Ahly SC (Egypt), AS Douanes (Senegal), Cape Town Tigers (South Africa), FUS Rabat (Morocco), Petro de Luanda (Angola), Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria) and US Monastir (Tunisia).
The eight sides have been ranked based on the points accumulated in the conference phase.
Here’s how teams rank ahead of the classification round:
No.1 – Al Ahly SC (5-1)
No.2 – FUS Rabat (3-1)
No.3 – Rivers Hoopers (4-2)
No.4 – AS Douanes (3-3)
No.5 – Petro de Luanda (2-2)
No.6 – US Monastir (3-3)
No.7 – Al Ahly Ly (3-3)
No.8 – Cape Town Tigers (1-3)
And here is a breakdown of the 12 games that will determine the winner of the season.
woramangra 