Rivers Hoopers, the 2024 Basketball Africa League (BAL) bronze medallists, will face Union Sportive Monastirienne in a crucial placement tie on Saturday, June 7, at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa.
Both teams finished with identical 4-2 records in their respective conferences—Rivers Hoopers were second in the Kalahari Conference, while US Monastir topped the Sahara Conference.
According to the BAL Playoffs Team Ranking, the Rivers Hoopers are seeded fourth overall, with Monastir just above them in third.
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This will be the fifth meeting between the two clubs in BAL history, with the head-to-head record currently tied at two wins apiece.
Kelvin Amayo #13 of the Rivers Hoopers Basketball Club celebrates after the game against the Cape Town Tigers during the 2024 Basketball Africa League Playoffs . Photo by Getty Images)
Their previous encounters include an intense quarter-final in the last season where Rivers Hoopers knocked out the 2022 champions Monastir, and their inaugural BAL season group phase meeting, won by the Tunisian side.
The placement game is part of the BAL’s seeding matches, which determine the quarter-final matchups in the single-elimination playoffs.
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Alongside the Rivers Hoopers vs. Monastir tie, other seeding games will see Al Ahli take on Al Ittihad, Petro de Luanda face APR, and Kriol Star compete against FUS Rabat.
The BAL Season 5 Playoffs run from June 6 to 14, with all games hosted at Pretoria’s SunBet Arena.
