The WBBL Championship regular season heads into the last weekend with lots still to be decided – not least the league title itself, along with Play-off places and standings.
Here’s this weekend’s fixtures and a rundown of where each team can/will finish the 2017-18 season:
Saturday 28 April – Pride v Palatinates, Lions v Archers, Wildcats v Northumbria, Mystics v Suns
Sunday 29 April – Hatters v Riders, Palatinates v Wolves, Wildcats v Lions
LEICESTER RIDERS (18-1)
They will be champions if Sevenoaks Suns lose to Manchester AND they beat Sheffield. (SAT UPDATE – CONFIRMED AS RUNNERS UP AND POSITION 2)
SEVENOAKS SUNS (18-1)
They will be champions if they beat Manchester OR Riders lose to Sheffield – they basically just have to match Riders. Suns have the head-to-head at 1-1 but on basket difference (74-64, 61-65). (SAT UPDATE – CONFIRMED AS CHAMPIONS AFTER BEATING MYSTICS)
WESTFIELD HEALTH SHEFFIELD HATTERS (14-5)
They are confirmed in 3rd place and so this is the third time in the four WBBL seasons they have managed a top three finish.
MANCHESTER MYSTICS (12-7)
They will finish either 4th or 5th. If it is the former, they would match their best ever finish (matching 4th place last year). A victory seals fourth or a loss for Nottingham Wildcats.
NOTTINGHAM WILDCATS (10-8)
The reigning league champions can finish 4th – 6th and have never finished outside of the top 4 previously. If they collect 2 wins and Manchester lose, they can claim 4th place as they have a 2-0 H2H over Mystics. (SAT UPDATE – COULD FINISH FOURTH NOW AFTER BEATING NORTHUMBRIA)
TEAM NORTHUMBRIA (9-10)
The north-east side could finish 5th with a win and also BA London Lions beating Nottingham Wildcats. Having beaten Nottingham earlier in season, it would become 2-0 in the H2H. If this doesn’t happen, they will remain in 6th position. (SAT UPDATE – 6TH PLACE FINISH CONFIRMED)
CALEDONIA PRIDE (6-13)
The Scottish side can finish 7th-9th and will qualify for the Play-Offs by beating Durham, or if Oaklands Wolves win, meaning Durham can’t get the 6 wins they need. They don’t need to worry about Cardiff as pride have the H2H over them. A narrow defeat against Durham would also help if a 4-way tie occurs due to their 75-68 win earlier in the season. (SAT UPDATE – PLAY-OFF PLACE BOOKED)
OAKLANDS WOLVES (6-13)
Wolves can finish 7th- 9th and the only way they would miss out on the Play-Offs is if they lose to Durham, Pride beat Durham and Cardiff win. Wolves have a 2-0 H2H over Pride, so if both win, Oaklands will be 7th and Caledonia 8th.
CARDIFF MET ARCHERS (5-14)
The Welsh club can finish 8th-10th. To sneak into the Play-Offs, they need to win and hope that Wolves lose and Pride win. If both Pride and Wolves lose, then a 4-way tie ensues and they finish 10th. They finish 9th with a loss and two Durham defeats. Note Archers have the H2H over Wolves 1-1 (68-42, 72-73) but are 0-2 in the H2H with Pride and Durham also have the H2H over them too, (56-69, 66-52). (SAT UPDATE – WON AND NEED WOLVES TO LOSE)
PALATINATES (4-14)
The rookies can finish 8th-10th. They need to win both games this weekend against Wolves and Pride. If they lose once and Archers also lose, they will be 9th as they have the H2H over Cardiff. They would need to beat Pride by 7 points if Archers win. If they get two wins and Archers lose, they will be in the Play-Offs. (SAT UPDATE – CAN’T MAKE PLAY-OFFS AFTER SATURDAY LOSS)
BA LONDON LIONS (1-17)
The Lions are already confirmed as 11th.