It is nostalgic as Oilers and Titans clash
For the Oilers, wins are of much greater importance, with the record champions still working on ensuring their playoff ticket.
City Oilers' Joseph Chuma dunks during a league match at Lugogo. Photo by Michael Nsubuga
By Charles Mutebi
Journalists @New Vision
National Basketball League
Today
Women
Nabisunsa v Jaguars (6:30pm, YMCA)
Miracle v KCCA (6.30pm, Lugogo)
Men
KIU v Oilers (8:30pm,YMCA)
Livingstone v Sommet (8.30pm, Lugogo)
How times change!
Last year, these were the best teams in the National Basketball League (NBL) and contested the Finals. Just as they had done the season before that.
This year, the City Oilers and KIU Titans have fallen on hard times, with the latter winning just two of 19 league games—a return that has cost them their nearly three-decade stay in the NBL.
This is the first of three games before KIU drop to the second division. Win or lose, their fate is sealed.
For the Oilers, wins are of much greater importance, with the record champions still working on ensuring their playoff ticket. Andrew Tendo's side are currently in the eighth and final playoff spot and have five games to go. As it is, the Oilers could finish second or miss out on the playoffs entirely. The race is that fluid. The Oilers are on a two-game winning run, and it seems more probable that they will finish higher up the table than fail to make the postseason.
Still, this has been the Oilers' worst regular season since their NBL debut back in 2013. That year, they finished fifth and met KIU in the postseason. Safe to say, you know what happened there.