Kwara Falcons v Stade Malien; ABC v REG (PREVIEW)

The 2023 Sahara Conference resumes on Tuesday, March 14 in Dakar with two games involving four teams hoping to revive or boost their chances to remain in contention for playoffs berths in May in Kigali.

Kwara Falcons v Stade Malien

Kwara Falcons enter Tuesday’s Sahara Conference action against Stade Malien looking to bounce back from a modest start of their Basketball Africa League (BAL) debut.

Falcons and Maliens have never faced each other in official competitions.

The Falcons’ 64-48 defeat against Rwanda Energy Group (REG) was the largest losing margin by any team in the Sahara Conference so far, and it exposed the Nigerian champions’ weaknesses.

The 16-point loss to REG should be a wake-up call for the Falcons if they are to fight for a spot in the BAL playoffs in May in Kigali.

Falcons forward Anthony Wilson Jr insisted that the loss to the Rwanda champions shouldn’t define the Falcons, but he admitted that they need “to fix what we need to fix and come firing on our next game.”

A look into the numbers suggest that the Falcons need to be able to move and handle the ball better than they did against Rwanda Energy Group .

The 11 assists they recorded on Saturday were the lowest among the six Sahara Conference’s six teams, and the 22 turnovers were the highest in the 2023 Sahara Conference so far.

To avoid a second defeat in as many games, the Falcons need to fight for every possession and contest every Stade Malien’s three-point attempt, which turned out one of the reasons the Malian champions came up short against Monastir. Malien finished 5-for-31 from behind the arc.

Long range shooting was the only part of the game that Stade Malien came up short against Monastir.

The Bamako-based team out-rebounded the BAL reigning champions (43-41); they forced Monastir to turn the ball over 21 times – four times more than Stade Malien; they recorded 7 steals – three more compared to Monastir – and had one more assist (15-14.)

If stats from Falcons and Stade Malien over the weekend are anything to go by, the Malian champions appear to hold a slight advantage.

Abidjan Basket Club (ABC) v Rwanda Energy Group (REG)

This is another clash between a BAL debutant (ABC) and a team that reached the playoffs last season (REG).

Both teams are 1-0 after the Sahara Conference opening round.

But what do numbers and scout report suggest?

At first glance stats, team cohesion, even squad talent indicates that this could be an evenly-match encounter.

The team that makes fewer mistakes - ball handling will be crucial -, and, whose bench produces valuable minutes, is likely to improve to 2-0.

Abdoulaye Harouna - who is in his third BAL season with his third team – was fundamental for the Abidjan-based club in the win against hosts AS Douanes.

But the Nigerien isn’t the only go-to man for ABC. Mike Fofana, Don Robinson Jr and Chris Obekpa can may give REG some hard time.

Rwanda international player Adonis Filer dished out 8 dimes in REG’s win over Kwara Falcons, and continues to prove why he is one of the most impactful guards in the BAL.

A battle in the paint could be one the attraction of this matchup.

REG’s Pitchou Manga and Obekpa lead the league in blocks with 5 and 4 rejections, respectively.

ABC and REG have never faced other, and winner of this cash will boost their chances to move on to Kigali.