Strathmore take on Zetech as Zuku basketball league begins

What you need to know:

  • This will be the third season that the restructured competition is held following the 2013 and 2014 editions.

The 2015/2016 Zuku University Basketball League (ZUBL) season tips off Friday at Nyayo Stadium.

This will be the third season that the restructured competition is held following the 2013 and 2014 editions.

This year’s tournament will feature 26 top men and women’s teams drawn from different colleges and universities.

Some of the top teams expected include; Strathmore University, United States International University (USIU), University of Nairobi (UoN), Co-operative College and Kenyatta University among others.

The conference system has been used to draft the teams and will feature Nairobi, Western, Central and Coast in the preliminary round before post-season play offs wrap up the competition.

Three matches are lined up for the opening day this evening. Mount Kenya University women and men’s teams will battle their perennial rivals Daystar in the first two matches.

In the last match, defending champions Strathmore Blades will square off with Zetech Titans in what is a repeat of last season’s final. Strathmore closely won the encounter 64-62. Both teams will be looking to start the season strongly.

USIU Flames are the defending women’s champions having dispatched Strathmore 58-33 in the final.

UoN Terror’s captain Steve Kuria said his team would look to replicate the form that saw them win the tournament in 2013.

“We have faced some of the teams here in the league and we know what we have to do to ensure that we win. It will be highly competitive but am confident we will do our best.”

FIXTURES

Frday: At Nyayo; MKU-Thika v Daystar Falcons (4pm), MKU-Thika v Daystar (6pm), Strathmore v Zetech (8pm)

Saturday: At USIU; (Women) JKUAT v MMU (10.30am), SPU v ANU (1.30pm), UoN v Co-operative (3pm), KU Ruiru v Machakos (3pm). At Strathmore; (Men) Machakos v UMMA (10.30am), (12noon) Co-op v KU-Nairobi, MMU v Strathmore (2pm), CUEA v Moi- Nairobi (3.30pm). At Kenyatta; JKUAT v KU Ruiru (3pm)