Al Ittihad and Rivers Hoopers in tight race for Kalahari Conference title

The winner of the game between Rivers Hoopers and Al Ittihad on Saturday 11 April will take a big step towards the 2025 Kalahari Conference title.

The Egyptians have beaten all four of their opponents to enter the penultimate day of the conference unbeaten, while the Hoopers sit second with a 3-1 record.

A Hoopers win over Al Ittihad on Saturday would see both teams tied at the top of the standings with 4-1 records and a game in hand.

Both teams have secured the conference's two automatic berths to the 2025 BAL Playoffs and Finals.

There is prestige and honor in winning the conference, but how have past conference champions fared in the BAL Playoffs and Finals?

Since the conference system was implemented in 2022, no conference winner has gone on to win the league championship. It's often a conference runner-up that wins it all on the last day of the season.

Zamalek and REG won the Nile and Sahara Conference titles respectively in 2022, but it was US Monastir, who finished second in the Sahara Conference, who took home the crown.

In 2023, Petro de Luanda upset Nile Conference hosts Al Ahly SC 91-90 in one of the most electrifying matches in BAL history, but it was the latter who had the last laugh, winning the season with an 80-65 victory over AS Douanes.

Al Ahly SC v Petro de Luanda

Last year, Al Ahly SC won the Nile Conference title, FUS Rabat finished top of the Kalahari Conference and Rivers Hoopers won the Sahara Conference title, but the most anticipated title went to Petro de Luanda, a team that had a bumpy campaign in the Kalahari Conference.

Historically, all three conferences have had one of their teams win the BAL title.

In Saturday's second match, hosts FUS Rabat (1-3) and Stade Malien (0-4) will battle for the best possible position.