There will be a new Basketball Africa League (BAL) champion crowned in the swap deal between Petro de Luanda and US Monastir on Saturday at BK Arena in Kigali.
It’s the 38e and final game of the BAL 2022 season, which begins at 12 p.m. ET and 6 p.m. local time.
After knocking out defending champions Zamalek in the semi-finals, US Monastir gave themselves a second chance to lift the BAL trophy after finishing in second place last year.
While Monastir is aiming for its very first African title, Petro de Luanda is aiming for its third continental trophy.
US Monastir’s best continental result was a third-place finish at the 2017 FIBA Africa Champions Cup.
Both teams have reached the most important game on the BAL calendar in similar situations.
Petro and Monastir tasted a loss apiece in the regular season but headed into the league game with a 6-1 mark.
US Monastir finished second in the disputed Sahara Conference in Dakar in March. Petro de Luanda finished second in the Nile Conference contested in Cairo in April.
The similarities between Petro and Monastir this season go beyond their numbers.
Monastir is aiming for a treble after winning the Tunisian League title this year and the Tunisian Cup trophy a week before the start of the 2022 BAL playoffs.
Petro, meanwhile, is aiming for a quadruple, having won all three national competitions (Angolan League, Angola Cup and Angola Super Cup). The team finished their domestic campaign undefeated in 34 games.
What the numbers show
Even when it comes to points scored per game, Petro de Luanda and US Monastir are tied.
Petro de Luanda averaged 87 points per game compared to US Monastir’s 84 in eight games apiece.
The Angolan champions recorded 23 assists per game while US Monastir recorded 21 cents per game.
Even shooting from long range — an X-factor for both teams in the playoffs — is similar. Both clubs shot 31.3% from beyond the arc.
What went wrong when they lost
A close look at the numbers explains what went wrong when Petro and Monastir lost in the regular season.
Turnover figures played a big role in Monastir’s 77-74 loss to Rwanda Energy Group (REG). Miodrag Perisic’s side turned him over 19 times, three more than their average.
One of the reasons Petro lost to Zamalek (85-72) was their ineffective shooting from long range. Petro only connected 17% of his shots deep in the loss.
X factor
The impact of Ater Majok in Monastir’s rotation is beyond doubt.
The 6-foot-11 center did it all averaging a team-high 33 minutes per game. Majok converts 64% of his shots in the paint, which ranks first in the league.
But Monastir’s attack is not only about Majok, Radhouane Slimane and Michael Dixon contribute massively.
On the other side, Petro enjoys a deeper rotation of ten players who can all contribute on any given night.
Childe Dundão and Abou Gakou – both elected to the BAL 2022 All-Defensive Team – have had breakthrough seasons.
