BBL Championship fixtures set pulses racing

With time ticking down until the start of another exciting and roller-coaster British Basketball League season, the BBL Championship fixtures have further heightened anticipation by throwing up some fascinating match-ups on opening weekend.

BBL newcomers Birmingham Knights and head coach Paul Douglas face a baptism of fire when they step out for the first time, since they are scheduled to go to defending champions and last years’ treble-winning Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders in their first contest on Saturday 28 September.

The brand new season will actually tip-off 24 hours earlier on Friday 27 September, when there will be a north-east derby between Newcastle Eagles and Durham Wildcats and London Lions will play their first competitive BBL game at their fantastic new home, the Copper Box Arena against Manchester Giants, the team they edged out to make last season’s play-offs.

The full fixture list for opening weekend is as follows:

Friday 27 September 2013
7:30pm London Lions v Manchester Giants
7:30pm Newcastle Eagles v Durham Wildcats
7:30pm One Health Sharks Sheffield v Cheshire Phoenix

Saturday 28 September 2013
7:30pm Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders v Birmingham Knights
7:00pm Surrey Heat v Worcester Wolves

Sunday 29 September 2013
5:30pm Cheshire Phoenix v Newcastle Eagles
5:00pm Manchester Giants v One Health Sharks Sheffield
4:00pm Plymouth University Raiders v London Lions

Each of the 12 BBL clubs will play 33 BBL Championship games this season, facing each other three times, once at home and twice away – or vice versa.

Not only will teams fight it out to try and land the prestigious BBL Championship title, but also for play-off positioning and a top eight berth, so they have a shot at stepping out at the climax of the campaign – the 2014 BBL Play-Off Final.

That means the fixtures on the final weekend of the season could be the most exciting and important of all. The full fixture list for the last weekend of the regular season is as follows:

Friday 18 April 2014

7:30pm London Lions v Plymouth Raiders
7:30pm One Health Sharks Sheffield v Manchester Giants
7:30pm Worcester Wolves v Glasgow Rocks

Saturday 19 April 2014
7:00pm Birmingham Knights v Durham Wildcats
7:00pm Surrey Heat v Worcester Wolves

Sunday 20 April 2014
4:00pm Durham Wildcats v Cheshire Phoenix
5:00pm Glasgow Rocks v Surrey Heat
4:00pm Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders v Newcastle Eagles
5:00pm Manchester Giants v London Lions
4:00pm Plymouth University Raiders v One Health Sharks Sheffield

Those finishing in the top eight spots will enter the post-season and play a two-legged play-off quarter-final on the weekend of 25-27 April and if successful, a two-legged semi-final the following weekend.

The two victorious clubs will then play the final on Sunday 11th May 2014, bidding to become the last team standing and be crowned the 2014 BBL Play-Off Final winners.

For a full list of fixtures in Microsoft Word format, click here and for a club-by-club fixture list in Microsoft Word format, please click here. If you would like the fixtures in a different format, please email Mathew Brown on mathew@bbl.org.uk.