BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS, a competition involving the top four teams of the regular league, kicks off today at Amahoro indoor stadium.

The opening game sees seven-time champions in the women’s category APR battling Rwanda Allied Peace for Progress (RAPP) at 4p.m. The other team contesting the ladies title is regular league champions Ubumwe, who will be in action on Sunday against RAPP. 

The battle for the men’s crown also gets underway today at the semi-final stage when reigning champions Espoir take on United Generation Basketball club (UGB) at 6pm in Game One of the best of three.

APR come up against Cercle Sportif de Kigali (CSK) at 8pm. Winners of the semi-finals will face each other in the best of five playoff finals starting next weekend. 

Espoir, who have only lost once in three seasons, are hot favourites but semi-final opponents UGB, who are featuring in the playoffs for the first time since 2007, are aiming to pull off a shock win, according to their head coach Yves Murenzi.

"We are well prepared for the playoffs battle, we have been in training for the last three weeks and I’m confident we can eliminate Espoir although it’s going to be very tough.” Murenzi told Times Sport on Thursday.