Al Ahly favorites as BAL set to resume with Nile Conference in Egypt

The Nile Conference kicks off the 2023 BAL season this week,

BAL Al Ahly favorites as BAL set to resume with Nile Conference in Egypt

Tosin Abayomi 12:00 - 25.04.2023

After the conclusion of the Sahara Conference, the BAL returns with the Nile Conference in Cairo.

The six participating teams are working hard to prepare for the 2023 Nile Conference, which will take place in the Egyptian capital city from April 26 to May 6.

Al Ahly (Egypt), Cape Town Tigers (South Africa), Ferroviario da Beira (Mozambique), Petro de Luanda (Angola), City Oilers (Uganda), and SLAC (Guinea) are all attempting to go to Cairo with the most energy and momentum possible through fresh signings and national league victories.

The Basketball Africa League is back with Nile Conference play scheduled to start after a thrilling Sahara Conference finale and a five-week layoff. 

The opening match pits Clube Ferroviario da Beira (Mozambique) against the Egyptian host team Al Ahly Sporting Club (Egypt).

The BAL Nile Conference is set to take Africa by storm
The BAL Nile Conference is set to take Africa by storm

The Cape Town Tigers (South Africa), Petro de Luanda (Angola), City Oilers (Uganda), and SLAC (Guinea) are added to the two teams. 

The top four teams will proceed to the championship round, which will start on May 20. Each team will play the other once.

BAL Sahara Conference recap 

The Nile Conference kicks off the 2023 BAL season this week, although US Monastir's elimination on the final day of the Sahara Conference left its throne vacant.

A BAL champion losing during the regular season is unprecedented as Nigerian champions Kwara Falcons failed to win any game.

The Conference champions from Tunisia arrived in Dakar as the top seed, but a negative point differential (-7) prevented them from making the playoffs.

On the other hand, BAL rookie Stade Malien began the final day of the Conference in fifth place, but a tremendous 90-71 victory over ABC completely turned the tables on the BAL standings.

Five of the six teams in the 2023 Sahara Conference finished with a win-loss record of 3-2 each.

The teams with the most victories—three—were Abidjan Basket Club (ABC), AS Douanes, Stade Malien, Rwanda Energy Group (REG), and US Monastir.

The team with the weakest point differential was eventually eliminated by a tie-break rule*, leaving the other four teams to advance to the playoffs.

In the end, Stade Malien won the 2023 Sahara Conference, while US Monastir was eliminated.

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