NBL D1 Recap (7/8 Mar 2026) - Regular-season champions crowned, results, stats and more
Both pools crowned their regular-season champions at the weekend, with Worcester and Solent both coming out on top.
Worcester simply needed to beat St Helens on Sunday to take Pool A, which they did as drama unfolded elsewhere in confirmed the pool's playoff spots.
Barnet's win on Friday night kept their slim hopes of taking Pool B's title alive, but a Bulldogs win actually hindered Barking's push, allowing Solent to beat CoLA and secure top spot with a game to spare.
In the list below, a * is for Pool A games, and a + is for Pool B games.
Friday 6 March 2026
+ 7:45pm - Barnet Bulldogs (15-3) 79-59 Richmond Knights (7-11) - LIVE STATS / LIVE STREAM
Saturday 7 March 2026
* 12:30pm - Sheffield Arrows (16-6) 101-71 Cardiff Met Archers (6-16) - LIVE STATS
* 2:30pm - Oxford Hoops (4-18) 102-83 Teesside Lions (4-18) - LIVE STATS
+ 3pm - Greenwich Titans (4-14) 77-72 Cobham Cobras (5-12) - LIVE STATS
+ 5:30pm - London Lions II (7-11) 67-57 London Elite (2-15) - LIVE STATS
* 5:30pm - Leicester Warriors (5-17) 74-99 Birmingham City University (16-6) - LIVE STATS
+ 6pm - Solent Kestrels (15-2) 87-49 CoLA Southwark Pride (8-10) - LIVE STATS
* 7:30pm - Manchester Magic (16-6) 89-72 Liverpool (12-10) - LIVE STATS
Sunday 8 March 2026
* 3pm - St Helens Saints (10-11) 69-81 Worcester Wolves (17-5) - LIVE STATS
+ 3pm - Cobham Cobras (5-11) vs London Stars (10-5) - LIVE STATS
* 4pm - Myerscough Basketball Academy (17-5) 73-69 Birmingham City University (16-6) - LIVE STATS
* 5:30pm - Sheffield Sharks II (8-13) 79-62 Cardiff Met Archers (6-16) - LIVE STATS
+ 6pm - Barking Abbey (13-3) 71-50 Richmond Knights (7-11) - LIVE STATS
View all the Results from this weekend
View this post on Instagram
Standout performances
Worcester just needed to shut out the noise from elsewhere and take care of business, and they did just that as they saw off St Helens 81-69.
BCU kept themselves in the race by beating Leicester 99-74 on Saturday, but Sunday's potential winner-takes-all clash with Myerscough instead became a race for second after the Wolves' victory.
'Sco came out on top in that battle, winning 73-69, locking up the #2 seed for the impending playoffs.
Manchester's 89-72 W against Liverpool allowed the Magic to secure the #3 seed, with BCU still clinging on to fourth despite their Sunday loss.
It all meant that despite a 101-71 win against Cardiff, there's no playoff spot for 16-6 Sheffield Arrows who amazingly miss the cut despite amassing 32 points.
In a rare Friday night game, Barnet kicked off the action by beating Richmond 79-59, and setting in motion the final few developments in Pool B's title race.
The win meant the Bulldogs finished the season at 15-3, a mark that fellow challengers Barking could only match if they won their remaining fixtures.
That mean Solent also just needed to pick up one more win to seal top spot. Despite Barking owning the head-to-head with Barnet and Solent, the Kestrels' 2-0 record against the Bulldogs this season helped them to come out on top of any potential three-way tiebreakers.
Securing a comfortable 87-49 win over CoLA meant that Solent were left celebrating, as they worst they can now drop to is 15-3, and into a three-way tie, should they lose their one remaining game against London Stars.
Barking can still lock up second spot, however, and kept that drive alive with a 71-50 Sunday success against Richmond.
What does it mean for the standings?
Pool A's title race and playoff field is now completed, with the following seedings:
#1 Worcester Wolves
#2 Myerscough Basketball Academy
#3 Manchester Magic
#4 Birmingham City University
Solent are Pool B winners, meaning they'll host BCU to open the playoffs, but spots #2, #3 and #4 still depend on London Stars' two games next weekend against Solent and Barking, plus Barking's rearranged game with bottom side London Elite, which is tentatively scheduled for Thursday 12 March.
Player-of-the-week candidates
Sable Cooper (20pts, 7ast, 6stl) and Rob McCowan (25pts, 4stl) powered Barnet's Friday night win despite a 23-point, 17-rebound double-double from Richmond's Callum Vines. The Knights' standout kept producing on Sunday as well, collecting a 17/16 double-double in the loss to Barking.
A big Hamza Ibrahim (32pts, 11reb) performance signed off the Arrows' star's season with a bang, but it wouldn't be enough to seal a post-season spot.
Twenty seven points from Patrick Wrencher Jr and a 16/12 Jamie Cummins' double-double meant Oxford ended their season with a win, Domas Vazgys (26pts, 8reb, 7ast) was in fine form for Greenwich, and Reiss Faure-Daley (11pts, 4reb, 12ast, 5stl) was BCU's standout on Saturday against Leicester.
Academy product Thomas Blower (15pts) top-scored for Solent as they became Pool B champs, Dan Davies (19pts, 17reb) produced the latest performance in a recent string of double-doubles, with Worcester's Earl Burgess (18pts, 12reb) doing the same for Pool A winners Worcester.
Watch out for the winner on our social channels, with the announcement going live at 5pm on Monday evening.
HoopsHQ keeps fans in the heart of the action
Basketball England’s new game-day app HoopsHQ is now live and available to download.
HoopsHQ is the one-stop shop for everyone participating and following Basketball England’s leagues and competitions, including the NBL, WNBL and Jnr. NBL.
It means players, coaches and supporters will be able access up-to-the-minute information on games, including – where digital scoring is utilised – live updates. FIBA Live Stats will still be used in relevant NBL and WNBL competitions.
The app will feature scores, standings and fixtures, plus basic player and team stats, and will be where participants' Basketball England licence cards will be hosted for the upcoming season.