Things to watch out for on the last day of the first round of the 2024 Nile Conference

The first round of the 2024 Nile Conference concludes on Monday, April 22 with the four teams facing different scenarios as the race to the playoffs in May continues.

In the first game of the day, City Oilers (0-2) will chase their first win of the season when they take on Al Ahly Ly, a team that has dropped to 1-1 following a nail-biting loss to Al Ahly SC on Saturday night.

Ahead of their clash against Bangui Sporting Club, hosts Al Ahly SC remain as the only undefeated team with a perfect 2-0 mark.

Bangui, on the other hand, boosted their chances of extending their BAL season beyond April 27 after beating City Oilers to improve to 1-1.

The Ugandan champions surely have never expected to rank last in the conference with a 0-2 mark and a negative (-36) point-differential early in the conference.

In two games against Al Ahly SC and Bangui Sporting Club, the Kampala-based team showed some tenacity, but they don’t seem to be playing at the level they aim to.

Can the Oilers bounce back?

Oilers forward Bashir Ahmed, who averaged 13 points in the first two games, thinks there’s room for improvement

He said: “We still have four games left. We just need to come out and fight. Next game, we need to come out, swinging. Every player on the team had something to say on what we need to work on as a team.”

On paper, the Libyan champions look favourite to improve to 2-1.

Even City Oilers head coach Karim Nesba admitted that they face an uphill task although he ensured that the Oilers won’t throw the towel in.

“Realistically, I know it’s going to be very difficult [to bounce back from the first two losses]. [But] we are going to be give our best. That’s what we owe to the team,” Nesba said.

At 20:00, local time, a Bangui Sporting Club win over hosts Al Ahly SC would be the biggest upset in the conference so far.

Bangui Sporting Club head coach Francois Enyengue reflected on where his team stands, saying: “Our goal is to try and get better game by game, but we are also focused on fighting for a place in the playoffs. Hopefully, today’s win [against City Oilers] will inspire my team to further success.”