If the season ended today, the Wolves would hold the #1 seed in the ECBL playoffs for the second season in a row – but of course, the season isn’t over.
With a record of 8-2 overall, the Wolves definitely control their own destiny in playoff seeding; however, with a few weeks left in the regular season, nothing has been settled – so let’s take a moment and review the playoff landscape before the final push.
Close on the heels of the Wolves are the Fayetteville Panthers – with a record of 8-3, the Panthers are one of only two teams to hand the Wolves a loss this season. There were a few contributing factors in the loss – the Wolves were short handed, on the road and playing the second game of a back-to-back when they last lost to the Panthers. However, the Panthers have proven to be a quality team this season, winning their last 6 games. The Wolves travel again to play Fayetteville on April 11, so this matchup could create a tie at the top of the division and the tiebreaker would go to the Panthers.
The Wolves have one home game remaining on the schedule – May 19th against Kingdom Life Basketball Club, who have yet to secure a win in the 2024 season and suffered a loss to the Wolves earlier in the season. Following that, the Wolves hit the road again to face another playoff contender, the Petersburg Cavaliers, who won the conference title in both the last two seasons.
Elsewhere in the conference, the DC Heat have been a force, compiling a 7-2 record with only one loss on the court, to the Wolves. The other loss on their record was by forfeit, so the lone loss to Winston-Salem is significant and puts them in a position where they need to win out the remainder of their season and hope for a loss from other teams.
The playoff seedings in the Northern Conference may not be set, but several teams seem to have a spot secured: Winston-Salem, Fayetteville, DC, Rowan County and Petersburg. Where those teams are positioned is still up in the air. Rowan County could be the dark horse, being the only other team to defeat Winston-Salem this season, and despite a slow start, have built a 7-4 record.
For full details in the remaining schedule, be sure to check out the Schedule & Results page.