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The playoffs are here, and the fight for titles begins. Here is a preview of all the EBBL and division 2 first round ties.

EBBL
Optic Fibres are looking for back to back EBBL titles, and they do that with having the best record in the league, and home court advantage throughout the playoffs. They face MexicanTaxiDriver, the team they beat on the last day of the season. Fibres will be hoping to get their playoff run off to a strong start, while MTD look to cause a big upset.

Season 57 champions Arsenal 98 hold the second seed in the big 8, and the 2nd best record in the league and they will be looking to make a run for the title, starting against Bournemouth Drunkers. Arsenal won both matchups between the teams this season and will be looking to make it 3/3.

Team Nook secured the top seed in the great 8 on the final day to setup a playoff tie with Hope Springs, the team that beat them in the conference finals last season. These teams have matched up 3 times this season with Nook winning the series 2-1, however Hope were able to pick up an away victory in the latest matchup so this could go anyway.

The cup winners Mortal Wombats start their quest for the double with an away tie against 2nd seed Bromley-by-Bow. Both teams picked up home wins in the season series this season, with the Wombats picking up the more recent win. Bromley will be looking to NT star Catty to breakdown the strong Wombats defence.

Newly promoted BC Bloosa finished with a 11-11 record which was enough to earn them the 5th seed in the big 8, which has earned them home court advantage over the Banuelos-led Leeds City Ballers. Banuelos averaged a league best 42ppg and Bloosa will be having to work out a way to slow him down.

The Roaring Lions’ impressive points difference proved crucial as it gave them home court advantage in their matchup with T20 Cricketers. Both teams finishing with a 9-13 record, but both with different squad structures. The Lions are star heavy with Nt C Cassell and former NT wing Redding leading the way for them, while T20 look to use their squad depth to compete.

St Purple & Green comfortably beat Leeds City Ballers on the final day of the season to secure the 5th seed in great 8 and guarantee of survival as they face off against the bot team Pontiopolya.

Division II.1
BC Snaiperai came out on top of the competitive big 8 conference with a 18-4 record, and they will face Reds BC who finished with a 15-7 record. Snaiperai won both games between the sides this season, and will be looking to the home crowd for support in making it 3/3.

The best offence and best defensive teams face off in the other big 8 playoff matchup as Galaxy Walkers strong defence will look to slow the high scoring. Nobiles Slough. The Walkers won both games in the season, holding Slough to only 88 points in the most recent game, and they’ll be hoping to do the same again.

Detroit Pistons I are now 5 time back to back great 8 conference top seeds, and have been in II.1 for now 29 consecutive seasons. They are hoping this season will be their chance to finally promote, but they face long term rival Hurstead Hustlers in the first round. The season series was tied 1-1 with the Pistons picking up a win in the last day of the season.

New jersey2 will face off against Toral Castro in their first playoff game back in division 2. The season series was 1-1 between the teams, with both games decided by double figures. New Jersey2 will be favourites, but it could go either way.

Division II.2
Borac Basket will be hoping that top scorer Lorne MacNeish will recover from his injury in time to face Lisaball in their first round matchup. Borac recently beat Lisaball by 49 points so will feel confident if MacNeish can recover.

Second seed BC Zalgiris’ run to return to the EBBL starts with a tough game against another former EBBL team in Cambois Donkeys. The Donkeys will be hoping NT big Leavy-McCarthy can lead them to an away victory.

Gophers topped the great 8 conference by 4 wins with a 19-3 record, and they will face Bethnal Green Erks to start their playoff campaign. League leading scorer Jiao Lianjie will be crucial for Gophers if they’re going to go far in the playoffs, while the Erks will be looking to homegrown talent Leon Cruickshank to perform for them.

Last seasons finalist, Lancaster City re-tooled their roster this season and ended up as the third seed, and will face Porzigod in the playoff first round.

Division II.3
Camden Kings face the only playoff team with a losing record, London Rippers. The Rippers will be hoping the scoring leader Nitu can provide A special performance to overcome the 18-4 Kings.

One of the two longest serving franchisees in England, Gauson begin their quest back to the EBBL against ZBW Diavoli UK. Gauson won both games between the teams this season by a combined 20 points.

Osmaston earned the best record in II.3 with a 20-2 record and will be hoping to carry that on towards a playoff title. Kauno are no pushover though as they have been a playoff team each on the last 6 seasons.

The other EBBL relegated team in II.3, CWA Fury had a strong 19-3 season but were unable to claim the top spot. They will face Alaus Putytes in their playoff tie. The most recent matchup between the two was won by CWA thanks to a game winning layup. Maybe we’ll see another close game this time.

Division II.4
BC Newmarketas claimed the top spot in the Big 8 with a 18-4 record and will face the 13-9 Wigan Carpenters in the first round. Newmarketas recently beat Wigan by 13 points and will be hoping for a similarly comfortable win Tuesday.

Trefas team won 6 of their last 8 league games to overtake BC Black Dragons and claim home court advantage for the first playoff round. Both games between the teams went in favour of the away teams so maybe being at home isn’t preferable in this matchup.

The only unbeaten team in division 2, and 3 time EBBL champion, Durham Wasps have already guaranteed promotion back to the top flight but they will be hungry to go one step further than last season and win the division two title. Their run starts against EmigrantaiTM.

Both Olympiakos 1925 and Cramlington Showboaters lost on the final day of the season and ended on the same 15-7 record, but Olympiakos get home court advantage on points difference. The Showboaters claimed victory by 1 point in the last game, so we should be in for an exciting game again this time.

The #1 seeded team with the best record without winning the playoffs automatically gains promotion. Here are the rankings in division 2 for that final promotion spot.

Durham Wasps 22-0 +751
Osmaston 20-2 +734
Borac Basket 20-2 +570
Gophers 19-3 +535
Camden Kings 18-4 +711
BC Newmarketas 18-4 +435
BC Snaiperai 18-4 +357
Detroit Pistons I 17-5 +342

Here’s a round up from the first round of the playoffs, and game 1’s of the EBBL relegation series’

EBBL
Despite losing the leagues top rebounder, and 3rd in assists, Maimon early through injury, Optic Fibres were able pull off a 99-87 win over MexicanTaxiDriver. Wing duo Salomone and Bazant combined for 55 points in the victory.

Arsenal 98 held the Bournemouth Drunkers to only 59 points as they progressed throu to the conference finals in convincing fashion. Chi Siong top scored for Arsenal with 20 points, supported by Mikhaylov with 19.

Optic Fibres will host Arsenal 98 in a repeat of last seasons big 8 conference finals, a matchup of the last two EBBL champions.

Rousseau top scored with 29 points to lead Team Nook in to the conference finals. Ul-Haq added 21 points and 6 assists. Gasecki had a strong all round game with 24 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds, but Nook’s offensive efficiency was too much for Hope Springs to overcome.

Mortal Wombats were the only EBBL team to pick up an away win as they walked away with a 22 point win over Bromley-by-Bow. Young star, Albrighton dominated all over the court with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals.

As the Wombats continue to look for the double title season, they will have to again overcome home court advantage against Team Nook if they want to reach the finals.

48points from Banuelos wasn’t enough for Leeds to pick up the victory over BC Bloosa. Bloosa PF Saga led the way for them with a monster 29 point (12-18 FG) and 15 rebound (9 offensive) double double. Leeds City Ballers travel back home on Saturday, needing a win to keep their EBBL status for next season alive.

The Roaring Lions retained home court advantage with a 78-59 win over T20 Cricketers. The Lions dominated the defensive end, but it was the inside duo of Oakes and Cassell offensively carrying the way. They finished with a combined 32 points and 8 offensive rebounds (33 total rebounds). Game 2 is crucial for T20 who need to win to avoid relegation.

Division II.1
BC Snaiperai became the only #1 seed to fall victim to an upset as they were brushed aside by Reds BC 117-98. Fullerton led the way for Reds with 26 points, but he was well supported with 4 other players scoring in double figures.

Defence overcame offence as Galaxy Walkers held Nobiles Slough to only 60 points, and advanced to the conference finals. Svejstrup shot 5-6 from 3 on his way to a game 25 points.

The Walkers will next host Reds BC who are looking for back to back upsets. Reds BC does hold a recent victory over Walkers and will look for a similar result on Saturday.

Detroit Pistons I hit 14 3s on their way to a 114-96 win over Hurstead Hustlers. Saady hit 5 of those 3s as he top scored with 24 points for the Pistons as they advance to another home playoff tie.

New jersey2 pulled off one of the bigger playoff victories with a 43 point win over Toral Castro. Kansal had a big game for new jersey2 with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in only 22minutes off the bench.

The season series between the Pistons and new jersey2 was 1-1 with the most recent game going the Pistons way.

Division II.2
England U21 star Bunce led a short handed Borac Basket to a 77-61 win over Lisaball to progress to the next round. Bunce scored 32 points in a low scoring game.

Krupica missed a game tying 3 pointer as Cambois Donkeys lost to BC Zalgiris 85-82. Slaughter had a game high 27 points on 12-17 shooting to lead Zalgiris to the conference finals.

Borac are still without star man MacNeish and are doing all they can to get him back for a conference finals game against BC Zalgiris.

Bethnal Green Erks guess double GDP correctly and used more effort, but they still fell short against Gophers 101-79. Lianjie scored an impressive 37 points for Gophers as he led his team to victory.

Lancaster City continue to show impressive success in single game situations with a 103-99 overtime win over #2 Porzigod. Lancaster’s big 3 of Shannon, Ferrandon and Say Hao combined for 86 of Lancaster’s 103 points in the victory.

Gophers and Lancaster Cjty met in the season 56 conference finals with Lancaster coming out on top in that occasion. Gophers will be looking for better success this time.

Division II.3
Camden Kings will head to the conference finals as they beat London Rippers 102-85. The Kings C Cepanskis had a big 20 point, 15 rebound game to lead Camden to victory.

Gauson brushed aside ZBW Diavoli UK 83-56 to advance to the conference finals. Gauson had 11 steals and held ZBW to only 19%FG as their defence was dominant.

Gauson have failed to beat Camden on both occasions this season, which should give Camden confidence going in to the matchup.

Osmaston forced Kauno Zalgiris 7 BC in to 18 turnovers and hit 15 3 pointers on their way to a 101-79 win. Guatibonza had a game high 32 points for Kauno, but with little support from his teammates. Samuel top scored for Osmaston with 28 on 50% shooting.

All 5 starters for CWA Fury hit double figures as they showed a true team performance with 19 assists on 32 baskets. Quigley top scored for CWA with 19 points.

Osmaston and CWA Fury tied the season series 1-1, with the home team winning both times. Osmaston have home court advantage this time and will be looking to make it count.

Division II.4
BC Newmarketas dominated with a full court press which came up with 28 steals, forcing 33 Wigan turnovers in total. Newmarketas turned that pressure on the defensive end in to pressure on the offensive end, scoring 52 baskets and 126 points.

Trefas team took control of their game with a 37-14 2nd quarter as they went on to win 107-95 over BC Black Dragons. Shirin and Tarakanov each scored 26 points for Trefas in the victory.

BC Newmarketas beat Trefas Team by 16 points on the final day of the season. A rematch of that game happens in the conference finals here and they will be looking for a similar result this time as well.

Durham Wasps maintained their unbeaten season record with a comfortable 116-81 win over EmigrantaiTM. The Wasps shot 54% FG, with PF Bill top scoring with 23 points. SG Milner hit 6 3s as he scored a game high 28 points for EmigrantaiTM but they were unable to trouble the Wasps.

A 45 point 4th quarter wasn’t enough for Cramlington Showboaters as their comeback fell 4 points short. The Showboaters guard duo of Ferrando and Hall combined for 62 points, including 10 3 pointers, but a huge 41 points on 16-28 shooting from Olympiakos SF Hacheryan led the way and led Olympiakos to the conference finals.

Durham beat Olympiakos by a combined 42 points in their 2 regular season matchups and will be wanting to continue their unbeaten season.

The finals are set! Here’s a roundup of the conference finals and how the finalists got there.

EBBL
49 of Arsenal 98’s 87 points came from their inside duo of Siong and Milnek as they upset the top seeded Optic Fibres. Salomone had a game high 30 points but the Fibres offence struggled as they were held to only 33% shooting by a strong Arsenal defence. Arsenal 98 head to their 5th EBBL finals, looking to win their 3rd title.

Team Nook dominated the first half as they took 19 point lead before the Mortal Wombats rallied a comeback to take the lead with 1:30 left on the clock. But they were unable to maintain their lead as missed shots from Piric and Beikun and clutch free throw shooting from Nook gave them the lead back and sealed the game 97-93. The Wombats almost pulled off one of the all time great comebacks but ran out of steam at the end. Ul-Haq had a game high 27 points for Nook with Rousseau adding 21 points and 18 rebounds. Team Nook reach their first EBBL final in franchise history.

Arsenal 98 will host the series against Team Nook as they had a superior record. Team Nook picked up their first ever win over Arsenal 98 this season, but in all 6 previous games between the two teams, only 1 game has seen both teams field a full strength side.

BC Bloosa confirmed their EBBL spot for next season with a 109-90 win over Leeds City Ballers. Konstantellos had a massive 54 point game for Leeds, but the team strength of Bloosa was too much. 8 Bloosa players scored in double figures, with Waldhof leading the way with 19 points. Leeds City Ballers are relegated to division two.

St Purple & Greens wrapped up their series in two games despite fielding only 3 players in game 2. They retain their EBBL status for next season.

T20 Cricketers battled hard to win 83-75 and force a game 3 in their series against Roaring Lions. Renard top scored for T20 with 25 points, with Duchert adding 20 points as well. Skrzypkowskil also had 25 points for the Lions, but that came off an inefficient 8-28 shooting game. Lions now head back home for game 3 where both teams will be desperate to secure survival.

Division II.1
Reds BC couldn’t pull off another upset as they fell 86-74 against Galaxy Walkers. MVP Svejstrup showed why he was the MVP with 32 points on 12-20 shooting, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks which Reds had no answer to.

New jersey2 shot 69% from downtown as a strong 2nd half performance got them the away win over Detroit Pistons I. Birtwhistle led the way with an amazing all round performance, finishing with 28 points (11-15FG), 6 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals. Eagles and Allen also added 50 points. Zeegers also had a big game with 28 points and 20 rebounds, but the rest of the Pistons struggled to help with the scoring.

I’m the only game between the two teams this season, new jersey2 came out on top in a 71-70 win. Walkers will be looking to their MVP to lead them to the title.

Division II.2
Borac Basket were happy to see star man MacNeish return from injury ready for their conference finals matchup with BC Zalgiris, he finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks. But it was again u21 star Bunce top scoring for Borac with 13 points in 15 minutes which proved crucial in a low scoring 75-59 win. Kian Tat had a game high 24 points for Zalgiris but had no support from his teammates.

Gophers comfortablely dispatched off Lancaster City 124-92 as league MVP Lianjie again leading the way with 25 points. Van Orshaegen added 24 points on 8-12 shooting for Gophers. Ferrandon had a game high 29 points for Lancaster but that came on 30 shots. Gophers hit 17 3 pointers in the victory as they scored freely.

Borac Basket will have home court advantage for the finals against Gophers, and will hope MacNeish can regain his game shape after his return from injury. Borac won the only matchup this season by 15 points, but with MVP Lianjie in great form Gophers will still be in with a shot of winning the title.

Division II.3
SF Acker hit 7 from 7 from downtown for a game high 32 points along with 6 rebounds and 6 assists, as Camden Kings came out 98-93 winners over Gauson. Gauson we’re able to grab 19 offensive rebounds, but we’re unable to make it count on the scoreboard. Oslak had a chance to tie the game with 3 seconds remaining but his 3 pointer came up empty.

MVP Samuel shot 8-10 for Osmaston, but it was Relinque who top scored with 28 points. CWA Fury fought hard to stay in the game, but a poor 3rd quarter gave Osmaston a lead that they couldn’t recover from. The league leaders, Osmaston showed their defensive prowess holding CWA Fury to only 76 points, which gave them an easy target to beat with their own offensive output.

Camden picked up a 4 point home win over Osmaston earlier in the season but will need to pull off an away win if they want to promote back to the EBBL.

Division II.4
BC Newmarketas once again scored 125+ points as they shot 56% FG in a 128-93 win over Trefas Team. MVP Vasseur dominated all round with 35 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists 2 steals and a block with 0 turnovers, and he was well backed by De Flor and Jucys who combined to add 53 points. Shirin shot 12-18 for 30 points of his own, but Trefas couldn’t keep up with the scoring of Newmarketas.

Durham Wasps are two games away from a perfect season after a 95-83 win over Olympiacos 1925. It looks like the season could have ended early for Wasps when Olympiacos had a 9 point lead heading in to the final period, but Durham showed championship mentality and pulled off a 32-11 4th quarter to comeback and win the game comfortably. O’Malley had a game high 26 points for Wasps in the win.

Durham Wasps’ next challenge will be to slow down a red hot Newmarketas offence, but I’m sure the Wasps are up for the challenge given they had the leagues best defence.

I'm no longer familiar with the III teams, but here is a quick write-up of their Finals.

Likely Close

III.2 JA Miami vs Ilex Inferno - each team has one loss on the season. Inferno won their one game (at home) during the regular season, but JA Miami having the home court in the playoffs could be crucial. Both teams have spent a few seasons in III and are looking to return to II.

III.3 Scunthorpe Devils vs Soaring Eagles - the Devils pulled off an upset vs a 22-0 in the previous round, and their reward is a home series due to a +4 PD vs the Eagles. Both teams put up strong ratings so whichever team progresses will have a chance of surviving in II next season.

III.5 Pillow B.C. vs Follow_me - Pillow won by a point in the previous round, while Follow_me comfortably defeated FC Southampton. Both these teams were in II.I last season, and both went 21-1 this season so it's possible they might both promote regardless of the result.

III.16 BC Alpha Aliens vs KS Gornik Walbrzych - I expect Alpha Aliens will be too good, they went 22-0 and with home court their team is likely too strong (they've also done well on B3 predictions this season, well done!). KS Gornik Walbrzych have made nice progress since their manager took over, and in another league may have been able to promote.


Likely One-Sided

III.I Rythern Reapers vs Green Death1982 - the Reapers went 22-0 and will therefore return to II at the first time of asking. They will also likely win this series.

III.4 North Walsham Vipers vs Spalding United - Spalding went 22-0 and should be making a return after two seasons in III.

III.11 Bolton vs Ucla bruins - bruins look inactive and much weaker. Bolton have only been playing a month and already look headed for a promotion.

III.12 The JECC Dunkers vs Forest Rangers - Dunkers are in the same situation as Bolton - much better team going against an inactive team after only playnig a month. Going up to II so early will be tough for these teams, but hopefully they can enjoy the experience regardless of results next season.

III.13 Sussex Bears vs Limmipool Panthers - as you might have guessed, these teams have been playing about a month. The Bears look more balanced and have the home court so I'm expecting them to progress. The Panthers did have a nice win in the previous round though, away from home and using GDP to full effect.

III.14 London Daredevils vs Stevenage Deers - a 22-0 record for the Daredevils, which the manager can take full credit for as they've been in charge all season. This should be a comfortable victory over an inactive new team.

III.15 Colchester Tempests vs Furious Eleven - Tempests had a home win over LUFC in the previous round, two managers active on the Discord with decent teams for the newcomer III leagues. Furious Eleven are also not bad, but are unlikely to be competitive.

Bots - III.6 to III.10

Game 1 of the finals has taken place, with home teams taking control of the series. Here's a round up of how it went.

EBBL
Arsenal 98 comfortably claim game 1 in the EBBL finals with a 90-77 win over Team Nook, mainly in part to a 35-19 third quarter win. Nook’s SG Ul-Haq fell to an injury just 10minutes in to the game which at first didn’t look to de-rail them but once Bergkamp’s team got in at HT they were able to gameplan better against a team missing one of their key players. Chi Siong top scored for Arsenal with 19 points, while Melnik also added 17 points and 13 rebounds. Kamarzaev had a game high 21 points for Nook on an efficient 8-12 shooting. Georgas did add 20 points of his own as Ul-Haq’s replacement, but that came on an inefficient 8-27 shooting.

Game 2 will be hosted by Team Nook who need to perform much better if they are going to force a game 3. Nook will be at full strength as Ul-Haq has recovered from his injury. Bergkamp’s team are now 1 win away from their 3rd EBBL title.

In the only relegation series to go to game 3, T20 Cricketers were able defeat Roaring Lions 89-75 to retain their EBBL status for next season. Duchert proved to be a great playoff purchase for T20 as he came up with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks in the victory. The Lions looked towards their NT star Cassell to lead them to a win, but he struggled shooting only 6-20FG. Former NT player Redding top scored for the Lions with 16 points, but overall their offence struggled to score. Roaring Lions have been relegated.

Division II.1
Galaxy Walkers won by 21 points, led by their MVP Svejstrup who had another strong stat line with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steal and 2 blocks. De Bodt also had a strong performance for the Walkers with a 19 point, 16 rebound double-double while adding 4 assists as well. New jersey2’s star, Birtwhistle, scored 30 of his teams 68 points, but it took him 28 shots to reach that mark. Only Manzano was able to add double digit scoring for new jersey2 as they shot 26% from the field.

New jersey2 have a big ask to turn the series around given they have to overturn a 21 point loss in game 1 in to two wins, but anything can happen in BB if the luck falls your way.

Division II.2
Van Orshaegen missed a game tying 3 pointer at the buzzer as Borac Basket maintained HCA in the series with a 97-94 win over Gophers. Kurtiss shot 10-14FG for a team-high 24 points for Borac which proved crucial in the win. MVP Lianjie had a game high 29 points for Gophers but they came up just short. Borac’s star MacNeish struggled with 8-23 shooting but he offered 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals to help Borac pick up the win.

Game 2 is big for both teams, as this game shows that the series can go either way. Both teams will be desperate to win game 2. Borac don’t want to risk a one game showdown, while Gophers need to win to keep their season alive.

Division II.3
Osmaston produced the offensive performance of the finals so far as they scored 136 points on 59%FG on their way to a massive 53 point win over Camden Kings. MVP Samuel had 33 points for Osmaston on 11-16FG (7-93FG) in 29 minutes, showing why he was almost unanimous MVP of the league. Relinque and Johnson also added 20 points each on combined 13-19 shooting. Otvos did match Samuel’s 33 points, but it took him 32 shots to reach that mark as he was a -44 in the game for Camden.

It's a big ask for Camden to overturn a 53 point loss, but they head home for game 2 where they will fight as hard as they can to get a win and force a game 3.

Division II.4
Durham Wasps are one win away from the division II.4 title, and an unbeaten season as they beat BC Newmarketas 102-84 behind 24 points, 18 rebounds and 3 blocks from Zelinka. Young star Forrest scored 23 points and added 8 rebounds on 9-16 shooting. Vasseur and Jucys both had 23 points each for Newmarketas, but they couldn’t overcome the 31 rebound deficit in the end. Wasp were able to grab 24 offensive rebounds in the game which is where Zelinka profited mostly from.

Game 2 is hosted by BC Newmarketas as they look to upset Wasps’ quest for an unbeaten season. If they are to succeed the tactical choices from Newmarketas will need to be much better than in game 1.