Five teams from Basketball England’s NBL Division One, plus two from basketballscotland’s Scottish Basketball Championship (SBC), have accepted invitations to the men’s tournament as 'wildcards' and will join the nine SLB franchises when the Cup commences in January.
The teams who have accepted invitations to the competition are as follows:
The competition will adopt a bracket format, meaning from the outset the 16 participating clubs and their fans can chart their team’s course to the final at the end of March, with a venue for the showpiece to be announced soon.
All teams will be entered into an open draw to decide the first round ties, which are set to take place on the weekend of 10 January.
The first round and quarter-final stages of the Cup will be single-leg contests, with the Semi-finals played over two legs. At this stage an aggregate score will be used to determine the winners, who will book their place in the Cup Final.
"We are thrilled to welcome seven great teams from both the NBL and SBC to the Cup line-up. Their inclusion not only adds a new level of excitement and intrigue to the competition but highlights the depth and talent across British basketball.
“We’re grateful to Basketball England and basketballscotland for their support in allowing their teams to compete in the competition and I’m excited to see how the Cup unfolds as we continue to elevate the sport together."
“It’s great to see five of our NBL Division One clubs getting the opportunity to test themselves against Super League Basketball teams. It’s a real positive that we can work in collaboration with SLB to facilitate these opportunities.
“There is a fantastic crop of talent in Division One this season and, following Ipswich’s recent success in the Women’s SLB Trophy, it will be exciting to see what the men’s teams representing Division One can do on the big stage when the Cup commences in January.”
“It's great to be invited to take part in the SLB Cup under the newly established league and we see this as a great opportunity.
"We still have a lot of guys on the team who were here when we had some success in the old BBL Trophy and many of our team have played at that level in the past, so there's a lot of experience on our team.
“Playing in these kind of games is exciting as it gives us a chance to be successful in the competition and the season as a whole. Remembering the past success we had, the momentum it gave our club and the joy it gave our supporters, we would love to be able to compete in a way that allows us to experience those things again.”
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