Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles’ men and women have already been assured of Play-Offs places, but as the final Championship tip-offs approach across both leagues the first fixtures for our post-season are not yet set.
While our Eagles women have one more weekend of British Basketball League action to decide their post-season opponents and that could down to the wire.
Results yesterday, including victory on the road in Cardiff, secured our women a 6th place finish a full 7-days before one final home game of the season next Saturday 27th April.
Who our women face will be settled between a mix of three teams currently in 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the league. Caledonia and Leicester play today and a Riders win could see them take second place, leaving next week’s ties setting our opponents between Caledonia Gladiators and Sheffield Hatters.
In one of those twists of fate that you couldn’t have written, if Riders do take second place in the women’s league, both our men and women then have an even greater chance of facing the same Play-Offs Quarter-Finals opposition.
The men’s 1-1 results from this week put 4th out of reach and it will be the outcome of Leicester Riders at Surrey Scorchers this afternoon to decide our post-season placing and therefore our Quarter-Finals opposition.
Above the fold, Sheffield Sharks took their Saturday night home win over Plymouth City Patriots to lock-in that higher seed 4th spot and get home advantage against either our Eagles or the Riders.
A Riders win secures us 6th to face Caledonia Gladiators on the road next week or if Scorchers take it we stay in 5th and face the Sheffield Sharks.
Fans can find out live by watching the British Basketball League’s YouTube channel this afternoon from 3pm.
This season’s new format for the quarter and semi-finals stages of the Men’s British Basketball League Play-Offs will be decided by a three-game series. It is the outcome of the first two tip-offs, not the aggregate scores, that decides who progresses and if those games result in a 1-1 tie then a third fixture breaks the deadlock, played with home advantage for the higher seed.
Confirmation of the fixtures for our men’s Play-Offs series will be official announced tomorrow and tickets for our home game will be available on our box office from 12-noon.
Our Play-Offs Quarter-Finals home game is included for season ticket holders.
