The ties are confirmed, and Super League Basketball Women fans eagerly await the commencement of the playoffs – which team will come out on top?

Oaklands Wolves vs Leicester Riders

Prediction: Oaklands Wolves

It is the toughest matchup that the Leicester Riders could have anticipated; nevertheless, they will be hoping to arrive in St Albans and cause an almighty upset that would shock the world of SLBW.

The Oaklands Wolves head coach, Lee Ryan, and his talented roster of players will be hoping to translate their sensational regular season form into a playoff scenario – winning 18 of their 20 games.

During their final game of the season, the franchises faced off as the Wolves asserted their dominance with an 88-64 victory over the Riders and imposed a psychological edge for their playoff tie.

Sam Ashby starred in the emphatic victory – scoring 12 points and grabbing six assists while sinking an efficient three out of four attempts from 3-point range.

Leicester will be looking towards a higher power in order to pull off a shock result that would be regarded as one of the greatest underdog performances ever to occur in Super League Basketball Women. 

Sheffield Hatters vs Durham Palatinates

Prediction: Sheffield Hatters

This will be another tie where the favourites will be expected to come out of battle unscathed, the Sheffield Hatters have cemented themselves as a juggernaut of British basketball this year – registering 16 wins with one game still left to play.

Sheffield have been remarkable offensively this season, displaying a slick style of basketball that sides have not had an answer for on the defensive end of the court – scoring a mammoth 100 points on six occasions. 

Unfortunately for Durham, they fell victim to one of these devastating offensive performances for the Hatters. Their most recent matchup saw the Palatinates self-destruct as the game finished 52-101 in favour of the franchise from Sheffield.

Star-player Tyia Singleton will be looking to make an instant impact in her first post-season as a professional and continue to turn heads as a rookie –  averaging 16 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.

The Sheffield Hatters should possess too much quality in this playoff matchup for the Palatinates, but as we know, anything can happen in the postseason.

Newcastle Eagles vs Essex Rebels

Prediction: Newcastle Eagles

Newcastle take on Essex at the incredible Vertu Motors Arena in a fixture that will heavily favour the hosts.

The franchise based in Tyneside have only lost on two occasions when playing with the home field advantage. The Eagles even shocked the league when inflicting the first defeat on the unbeatable Oaklands Wolves by a convincing 86-70 score line.

Jada Guinn and Tierra Hodges are the talented foundation of a menacing offensive gameplan for Newcastle – combining for a gigantic 39 points per game.

With the criminally underrated Lauren Saiki registering 5.4 assists per game, the ‘Geordies’ are a headache for any opponent and will likely be too much for the Rebels to handle.

Despite all of this, Essex possess their own not so secret weapon that could allow the franchise to muster a shock result – Taylor O’Brien currently averages 19.3 points per game.

However, player-coach Chloe Gaynor will still expect her players to comfortably coast into the semi-finals.

Caledonia Gladiators vs Manchester Basketball

Prediction: Manchester Basketball

Possibly the most exciting matchup out of all the playoff fixtures, Caledonia Gladiators will take on Manchester Basketball. 

This game could be decided on a flip of a coin but Manchester have the potential to pull off an upset in East-Kilbride.

The sides finished the season series winning one game each, nevertheless, Caledonia fans will argue that during their home fixture, they dominated their North-West counterparts, with the game ending 95-75 in the Gladiators’ favour.

Manchester have proven in recent times that when they are motivated, no opponent is unbeatable – defeating the Oaklands Wolves 82-77.

It should also be highlighted that Manchester Basketball have a phenomenal player on their roster, who is currently a frontrunner in the MVP race, Danni Williams.

Williams has been in breathtaking form this year – chalking up 22.2 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game.

It was a tough call, but Manchester Basketball are the team predicted to progress into the next round of the playoffs.