Leicester Riders and Surrey 89ers are set to face off over two legs in the Super League Basketball Cup Semi-Final this weekend.
The winner will progress to the Final at Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham on March 9 to fight for the second piece of SLB silverware available for clubs this season.Ā
Leicester and Surrey are familiar foes, having gone head-to-head four times so far in all competitions, the Riders taking victory on all four occasions.
Hereās a breakdown of the season series so farā¦
Leicester sweep season series so far
Leicester have gotten the best of the season series from the jump this year. During the Ridersā undefeated run through the Trophy group, they took on the Niners back-to-back in October for two wins, then beat them twice early in the Championship season.
Leicester won by an average margin of 14.5 points per game, winning each fixture by double digits, scoring over 80 each time and holding Surrey to under 80 points on every occasion.
It started with 87-75 and 89-76 wins in the Trophy group, one home and one away. Then the Riders started their Championship campaign with a trip to Surrey, winning 82-66, then took another road win before Christmas 89-72.
Leicesterās successes in Guildford will breed confidence in the Ridersā roster going into their biggest games of the season so far.
Riders’ stars shining in Surrey
Zach Jackson, the Ridersā leading scorer on the season, has led Leicester through the season series with Surrey by averaging 17.25 points per game.
Heās put up 20 twice against the Niners, his best outing coming in the Trophy on the road where he logged 21 points on 53.8% shooting from the field.
Defensively, Charles Thompson has put in dominant performances at the rim, sending four shots away in his last trip to Surrey, meanwhile Jaylin Hunter has found success pulling the strings from the backcourt with 13 points and 7.75 assists per game.
For Surrey, Cameron Gooden went off for the most points of this series with 22 points to kick off the SLB Championship. Heās averaged the most points for the Niners with 13.25 points.
Dame Adelekun also impressed with his ability on the boards through his games against Leicester, putting up a monster 10 points and 18 rebounds at home in October.
Leicester better their season averages
The Riders have bettered most of their season averages against Surrey this season.
Scoring 86.75 points per game, the Riders shoot 48.55% from the field and dish 21.5 assists per game, all better than their average numbers in all competitions.
Their shooting from distance, despite the high scoring numbers, has been slightly below their typical number on the season at 35.89%, and Leicester will be locked into their foul shooting also.Ā
They went 3-7 from the line in their last matchup against Surrey, and 66% in their four games against the Niners this year- 9% below their norm. Having left 19 points at the foul stripe in the season series, theyāll be locked in on improving that number this weekend.Ā
Meanwhile defensively, Leicester have held the Niners to only 72.25 points per game. Surrey average 79.45 points in all competitions this year, and Leicester hold their opponents to 78.32 points on average, therefore Leicester will look to lean on their defensive prowess to continue their success in the series.
Fixture information
The first leg of this Semi-Final will be played on Friday, February 7, in Surrey, tipping off at 7:30 pm.
You can watch it live on DAZN here.
The return leg in Leicester will be on Sunday, February 9, tipping off at 3 pm.
