PREVIEW: Short hop for Sharks down to league leaders Leicester

BBL Championship

Back on the road for the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks with a short hop down the M1 to take on the league leading Leicester Riders. The Sharks come into the game on the back of three straight wins following last Friday’s 90-77 success against Glasgow. The Riders looked seemingly invincible after going 12-0 but suffered their first defeat last Sunday, narrowly being edged out by 79-77 at London Lions.

Friday – Riders v Sharks – Morningside Arena – 8pm

Watch – www.bblplayer.co.uk

Ones To Watch

Patrick Whelan – Great Britain’s latest call up has also been leading the way for the Riders with 14.4 points per game. He almost steered his side to the win over London with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals but in the end, it wasn’t quite meant to be.

Geno Crandall – The reigning league MVP is lighting up the hardwood once again in the East Midlands. A do-it-all 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 7.6 assists has already returned one piece of silverware to the Morningside as Crandall underlined his status as Leicester’s danger man.

Darien Nelson-Henry – The Riders skipper is back to his best following a brush with injury earlier in the campaign. His 14 points and 5 boards in the Lions defeat is similar to his season average and when he is at his influential best, the Riders normally see success.

Marc Loving – Equally at home above the rim or shooting from beyond the arc, Loving contributes to the Leicester team effort with 13.7 points per game and 5.7 rebounds and had 12/7 in the London encounter.

Last Meeting

January 2^nd 2022 – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (Ratinho 21 Nichols 13 Glasgow Jr / Tuck 7) 62 Leicester Riders (Nelson-Henry 19 Adekoya 15 Walker 14) 100

Shark Bites

The Sharks have never lost on February 18th! The record goes back 26 years and all 5 games played on that date resulted in wins, four of which were away from home.

The Riders and the Sharks are the only 2 teams with a winning record away from home in the BBL Championship this season.

Leicester have won the last 5 games against the Sharks in all competitions and the last 8 Championship only games.

The Sharks last win in the league against the Riders was on the 7th December 2018 and the Sharks also managed a draw in their first visit to the Morningside Arena – by 79-79 in a BBL Trophy Semi Final first leg on Valentines Day 2016.

SharkNation

Another thrilling night in the Tank last Friday when we took down the Rocks! Fancy a road trip? Head to Morningside Arena (leicesterarena.co.uk) if you want to see us take on the Riders in person. Can’t be there live? No problem – click the link to the BBL Player at the top of the page and watch for free from the comfort of your own home. Wherever you choose to see the game, we thank you for your tremendous support and appreciate you riding the wave with the 2021-22 Sharks. It’s first versus second and it’s time to #FearTheFin!

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Adam Bates