Both Solent and Thames Valley enter the contest knowing that victory will be pivotal in the race for the NBL regular season title, with the game scheduled for 2:00pm on Sunday 11 April at Solent Sports Complex.
Thames Valley won the previous league meeting between the two sides in late March, emerging victorious 81-70 thanks to 19 points from Lewis Champion.
Whichever side wins on Sunday will put the destination of the D1M title in their own hands, safe in the knowledge that a perfect end to the season will mean they can’t be caught by the chasing pack.
The Cavs warm up to Sunday’s showdown with a home tilt against Reading on Saturday, before finishing their schedule the following weekend away to third place Hemel.
Solent also have a pair of games scheduled once they’ve played their title rivals, hosting Leicester and then travelling to Essex as part of a double-header next weekend.
The Kestrels also have an away game with Nottingham to re-arrange, that game was postponed last month and will need an alternative date.
The blockbuster between Solent and Thames Valley sets up the remaining two NBL Live contests of the year as commentator John Hobbs and the cameras will be in Worcester on 24 April to capture the Wolves v Nottingham Trent University in a key WNBL clash, before heading to Reading on 8 May for the Rockets against Ipswich in another WNBL contest.
Reigning champs Ipswich are currently leading the way in D1W as they gun for a second straight title, though they’ll still need to navigate a tricky tie against second place Loughborough on 1 May.
Worcester, Nottingham and Reading will all be fighting hard to secure the best spot possible in the league’s top eight, with those places dictating the seedings for the WNBL post season.
The WNBL playoffs get underway on the weekend of 15/16 May, with a 1v8, 2v7 3v6 and 4v5 format in the opening round.
Winners will progress to the semi-finals on the weekend of 22/23 May, with the WNBL Playoff Final scheduled for Saturday 29 May at a venue that is still to be confirmed.
The NBL playoffs begin on the weekend of 24/25 April, with the division’s top two sides receiving a bye as sides #3 to #14 face off.
The post-season progresses through to a final on 15/16 May, which will be played at the National Basketball Performance Centre in Manchester, and the schedule can be viewed by clicking the button below.
Details of post season games plus any streaming arrangements will be made available once known, but make sure you head over to the Basketball England YouTube channel and subscribe for all the latest uploads and notifications.
Main image credit - Luke Simcock
