RABAT, Morocco -- Al Ittihad became the first team in Basketball Africa League (BAL) history with a 6-0 regular season record as they beat hosts FUS Rabat 98-74 on Sunday to finish off the Kalahari Conference.
Earlier in the day, Stade Malien had become the first team to set a 0-6 record since the tournament added an extra conference and an extra regular season game for each team last year.
After a shortened bio-bubble season in 2021, the BAL introduced conferences held across different countries in 2022. Zamalek went 5-0 in the Nile conference that season, while Petro de Luanda followed suit the following year. Neither team ended up as champions in those respective seasons, with both losing in the semi-finals.
The 2024 season saw the addition of the Kalahari Conference and a format switch to lengthen the regular season for each team. Ittihad are the first team to record a perfect 6-0 regular season record since. Likewise, Stade Malien are not the first team to exit the BAL winless, but the first to fail to win in six matches.
Ittihad scored the first six points of the game and kept the momentum up to take their lead to 11-2 before FUS had a run of their own inspired by sharpshooter Nisre Zouzoua. The hosts took a 19-17 lead at the end of the quarter, inspired by a raucous crowd and helped by a missed dunk from Majok Deng.
With Abdelhady Elraei Metwaly in superb shooting form, Ittihad went on a 13-0 run at the start of the second quarter and this time, they kept their momentum until the end of the quarter despite a few bright moments from the hosts. By half-time, Ittihad were 47-30 up.
In the third quarter, FUS head coach Said El Bouzidi was ejected, leaving following a heated exchange with the officials. By the end of the quarter, the game was all but done and dusted with Ittihad leading 73-41.
Frustrations continued to spill between FUS players and the officiating team, with the home crowd growing agitated with the state of the game too. The fourth quarter saw Zouzoua take his personal tally for the game to 22 points - the most of any player on the evening.
Metwaly was Ittihad's top scorer with 19. Ultimately, as has so often been the case in the Kalahari Conference, depth made the difference for the Egyptian champions.
"Adding four new players to the team [for the BAL from the team that plays domestically in Egypt] is very tough. It makes the rotation a little bit tighter, but it just means that you've got to prepare yourself well mentally and physically when your time comes to be ready to perform," Youssef Said Shehata told ESPN in the mixed zone after the game regarding the benefits of healthy competition for places within the roster.
With Ittihad and Rivers Hoopers having finished the conference as the top two teams, they will be at the playoffs in Pretoria. FUS will advance along with them only if they are one of the two best third-placed teams across all three conferences in terms of their record.
Had they finished the conference with three wins, they would have been significantly better-placed, but as it stands, all hope is not quite lost.
Next up will be the Sahara Conference in Dakar (April 26 - May 4), with the Nile Conference in Kigali (May 17-25) afterwards.
Kalahari Conference final standings:
Al Ittihad - Egypt (6-0) - qualified for playoffs
Rivers Hoopers - Nigeria (4-2) - qualified for playoffs
FUS Rabat - Morocco (2-4) - could potentially qualify for playoffs
Stade Malien - Mali (0-6) - eliminated
The BAL airs on ESPN's channels in Africa (Supersport 218 and 219, Starsat 248).