PREVIEW -What did we learn from last season's seeding games?

The 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) postseason begins on Friday, June 6, in Pretoria, South Africa, with seeding games that will determine the quarterfinal match-ups.

The BAL introduced the seeding game system last year.

Teams that finished the regular season with the best records will face the second-best ranked team, and so on.

Al Ahli Tripoli is ranked No. 1 after winning all six of its regular season games and having a better point differential than No. 2 Al Ittihad Alexandria, who also finished undefeated in six regular season games.

In the seeding game round, Tripoli will play Al Ittihad, US Monastir will play Rivers Hoopers, Petro de Luanda will play APR, and Kriol Star will play FUS Rabat.

A look back at last season’s seeding games reveals how unpredictable these games can be.

No matter how impressive a team was during the 2024 regular season, lower-ranked teams excelled in the seeding game rounds.

After losing to FUS Rabat in the seeding game round, the then-reigning champions, Al Ahly SC, were matched against Al Ahly Ly in the quarterfinals, a team they had beaten twice in the regular season.

In the do-or-die round, Al Ahly Ly prevailed, 86–77, to advance to the semifinals. This shocking result left the BAL throne vacant, and Al Ahly SC returned home with a 0–2 record in the 2024 BAL postseason.

Here’s a look at the opening games of the 2025 BAL postseason.

Kriol Star (7) vs FUS Rabat (8) – Friday, June 6

These two teams have never faced each other before due to their different realities.

FUS Rabat, who won the 2024 Kalahari Conference in Pretoria, automatically qualified for this BAL season. They hosted the 2025 Kalahari Conference in April in Rabat.

On the other hand, Kriol Star overcame challenges in the Road to BAL qualifier to become the first basketball club from the Cape Verde Islands to qualify for the BAL.

On the final day of the Sahara Conference in Dakar, Kriol Star caused a stir by beating the reigning champions, Petro de Luanda, 71-69 in overtime.

Despite stepping on the court with a short-handed roster, the Cape Verdeans were an improbable winner. Their unexpected tenacity and determination caused the season's biggest surprise result.

Both FUS Rabat (2–4) and Kriol Star (3–3) adjusted their rosters for the postseason.

At first glance, the biggest difference between the two teams may be FUS Rabat’s taller, more productive front-court.

Al Ahli Tripoli (1) vs Al Ittihad Alexandria (2) – Friday, June 6

For some, this match-up is still considered a possible championship game this season.

These are two high-scoring teams with some of the best players in the league.

Interestingly, both teams are making their debuts in the Basketball Africa League (BAL). Al Ahli Tripoli qualified via the Road to BAL qualifiers, finishing 7-0. Al Ahli Alexandria, meanwhile, qualified automatically as the Egyptian champions.

Before Al Ahli Tripoli made 20 three-pointers in a 115-87 win over Nairobi City Thunder on May 18 in Kigali and US Monastir made 17, Al Ittihad held the season record of 16 three-pointers, set in a 100-80 win over Rivers Hoopers on April 8 in Rabat. Expect a high-scoring game.

Petro de Luanda (5) vs APR (6) – Saturday, June 7

Both Petro de Luanda and APR finished their regular seasons with similar 3-3 records.

Petro de Luanda arrives in Pretoria as the reigning BAL champions, while APR is making its first appearance in the BAL postseason and is eager to make history, as evidenced by the signing of the 2023 BAL MVP, Nuni Omot.

APR appears to have an advantage in the front-court, which could decide this match-up.

Historically, Petro de Luanda and APR have only faced off once. That occurred in the 2009 FIBA Africa Champions Cup, where the Angolan giants defeated APR 84-69 in the group phase. They eventually finished second in the tournament, which took place in Kigali, Rwanda. APR finished third back then.

US Monastir (3) vs Rivers Hoopers (4) -Saturday, June 7

When one uncovers the BAL history of US Monastir and Rivers Hoopers, the first thing that comes to mind is that there’s unfinished business between the two teams.

The two teams have faced off four times in the BAL, with each team winning twice.

It all started in the inaugural season of the BAL when US Monastir dispatched the Hoopers 99–70 in Kigali.

Three years later, in 2024, the Hoopers returned to the league, and the two teams split their games in the Sahara Conference in Dakar. Then, the Hoopers defeated the US Monastir 92-88 in the quarterfinals in Kigali.

Both teams arrived in Pretoria with similar 4–2 records, making this one of the most anticipated games of the seeding round.