• Home
• News

3 March 2026  4 min read

Elite Academy Leagues preview - Elite Eights (04/03/26)

Four games await for both leagues, with hard-fought seedings hoping to help the sides drawn at home for this week's playoff openers.

With the first taste of North vs South action of the season, players, fans and coaches alike will be eager to see how this year's sides stack up, and where any potential upsets might come from.

Following this week's quarter-finals, the semi-finals take place on 11 March, with the finals going ahead on Thursday, 26 March to avoid a clash with BUCS Big Wednesday on 25 March.

Wednesday 4 March 2026

EABL

#1 Manchester Magic vs #4 Oaklands Wolves

#2 Myerscough College vs #3 Barking Abbey

#1 City of London Academy - Southwark vs #4 Derby Trailblazers

#2 Itchen College vs #3 Charnwood College Riders

WEABL

#1 Nottingham Academy Wildcats vs #4 Oaklands Wolves

#2 Manchester Mystics vs #3 Barking Abbey

#1 City of London Academy - Southwark vs #4 Milton Keynes 5 Dimensions - The Hazeley Academy

#2 Copleston High School vs #3 The Sheffield College

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Academy Basketball England (@academybballengland)

EABL

Defending champs Barking Abbey are still alive in their quest to defend their title from 2024/25, but their journey gets underway with a tough trip to North runners up Myerscough in a repeat of last year's Playoff Final.

The clash provides a timely opportunity for revenge for the North West programme in what could be the tie of the round.

North winners Manchester Magic will aim to use their #1 seed to book a place in the Final Fours, a step further than they managed a year ago after their plight was ended at the first hurdle by CoLA.

Oaklands Wolves stand in Magic's way this time around, going 4-6 for fourth place in the South Conference.

Fellow #1 seeds City of London Academy - Southwark made the Final of this competition in 2023/24 and would love a chance to have another shot at securing their maiden EABL title.

Their run starts at home to North #4 seeds Derby Trailblazers, who went 3-7 in the regular season.

That just leaves South #2 seeds Itchen College to host four-time EABL champs Charnwood College Riders.

The duo met at this stage of the playoffs a year ago, though in Charnwood on that occasion, with the Riders winning 83-77.

Will lightning strike twice for the teams on the South coast? It's possible, but 7-3 Itchen will hope to carry their impressive form into what could be a deep playoff campaign.

WEABL

Defending champs Copleston couldn't secure a #1 seed heading into the playoffs, instead passing that honour to South winners and long-standing rivals CoLA, but the Suffolk side's title defence is still alive and well as the South's #2 seeds.

Their journey starts with a repeat of last season's opening round, hosting The Sheffield College. Copleston eased to a 100-41 victory that day and will be hoping for more of the same this Wednesday.

City of London Academy - Southwark entertain Milton Keynes 5 Dimensions - The Hazeley Academy, with MK5D making their playoff debut.

Entering the WEABL for the first time in 2024/25, going winless across their maiden campaign, MK5D have enjoyed a rapid rise in their second year, and a playoff berth is more than deserved for coach Vyse's side.

A road trip to CoLA will be a daunting task, as it would be for any side facing the five-time WEABL winners, but the game will still provide the Milton Keynes programme with another good yard stick of their early progress.

North runners up Manchester Mystics made last year's WEABL Final before coming unstuck against Copleston. The North West programme will be hoping for a similarly lengthy playoff run and get underway on Wednesday against 2017/18 winners Barking Abbey.

The round is wrapped up by undefeated North champs Nottingham Academy Wildcats, who will hope to roll their momentum into the post-season as they take on #4 seeds Oaklands Wolves.

Unable to make it back to the WEABL Final since a lone appearance in 2021/22, Nottingham have been steadily building in recent years and their current cohort will be hoping to make a splash in 2025/26.

 

Visit the EABL Hub

Visit the WEABL Hub

Main image credit - Kareem Lee