Mombasa vs Cairo

Trey has been cleaning up on the glass for Cairo this season and Mombasa’s first priority has to be to limit Cairo to one shot per possession. Whoever is on Trey has to physically discourage him from setting up near the basket. Jay and Omar Hussein may look for 1v1 space so players like Ali Hassan and Aryaa who might be off ball have to be involved in shrinking the floor.

Cairo has to get back in transition as a team, because Dean will get lots of high percentage looks at the rim against one man. It can feel like a bad idea to play Dean, Ali Hassan and Sal up close when they blow by, but giving them space sets up their 3s. Nader and Ahmad Ismaeil have to play them close while finding a way to stay in the play as they give up the first step.

Cairo is a different team physically than what Mombasa has played most of the season. However, Mombasa makes up for it most of the time with skill. Should be a close game.

Cairo by 3

Dhaka vs Tripoli

It will be difficult for Dhaka to make the jump from struggling defensively all year to containing Mana and AK. The first step has to be to take away Tripoli’s easiest looks, which will probably come from Mana going downhill against Nabil. Dhaka has to commit a second body to Mana and not allow him the space to bump and spin his way to his spots.

The formula to stop Dhaka has been pretty straightforward this season. If the whole team commits to slowing down Ian Felix, the results have been pretty good. Nabil and Splash have had strong seasons to this point. We’ll see if Dhaka can balance getting their best shotmaker his looks and deferring to other capable players when the defense overcommits.

Dhaka is too top heavy to match up well against a deep Tripoli team.

Tripoli by 8

Granada vs Jerusalem

We know Zain will focus on limiting Mike, who can score half his team’s points in any given game. Last time they matched up, this opened the door for Mahrooz, who got to the line 6 times. Jerusalem doesn’t need to change up what worked but Granada have to respond, perhaps guarding Mike with a bigger body like Omar Sehwail to keep Zain closer to the basket.

Anas Najib has not been talked about enough for the season he’s had. While Granada plays well as a team, when the offense breaks down, he is the go to option to win his matchup. Jerusalem will have Fares on Zain and between Mike and Mahrooz, they’ll take Anas and either Joey/Omar. The one they don’t take could be the X-factor if they can make their impact on the game.

It’s hard to beat a team multiple times and you know Granada will come with adjustments.

Granada by 2

Kabul vs Beirut

This is a difficult matchup for Kabul, since Beirut has dynamic guards in Towfeek and Shafic. Kabul thus far hasn’t been the best guarding on the perimeter as teams are getting into the paint easily which brings everyone else out of position. They will be asking a lot out of Raied and Marwan to take on that role but it seems like their best option.

This Kabul team shares the ball well and are good at converting when they get to their spots. However, they are not the quickest team and Beirut could make things difficult for them by applying pressure on the perimeter. If Khalid can help take away the paint as well, Kabul may shoot themselves out of the game early. Kabul needs a good shooting game from Hassan and Muhammad Mustafa.

Kabul has not been able to put it all together on both ends yet this season.

Beirut by 8

Damascus vs Islamabad

Last time they played, Damascus held on for a competitive first half before Islamabad pulled away. This time, it could be more difficult if Amir Charrkas is added to the fold. It’s difficult to help off Islamabad’s shooters so Damascus will need strong individual performances, which Singer and Corey are capable of. If things aren’t working early, they may have to force Deep to become a scorer.

Damascus could have a boost of their own, as last time they played Corey showed up late. With Corey in the fold, they can be more balanced and make things harder for Islamabad. Shahzaib can match up with Singer but it will be interesting to see who takes on Corey, possibly Adam. Deep can help off ball as well and shrink the floor against a Damascus team that doesn’t shoot well from three.

Damascus relies on a lot of tough baskets compared to Islamabad who can pile them up quickly.

Islamabad by 6

Istanbul vs Lahore

If Istanbul has their full team, they have the size to match up with Lahore’s bigs, Aadil and Adham. How effective they are will come down to their effort and execution, though, which has been positive in the last couple weeks. Between Hashem and Muhammad Assaf, they have strong perimeter defenders too, although Julian’s size will be a different challenge for them.

Even before the last game got out of hand, Lahore had some difficulty containing Nick, and Hashem as well for most of the game. Lahore has done a good job the last couple weeks keeping teams inefficient from the field, so they will look to carry that defensive effort into this game. Istanbul’s outside shooting will be tested against a team that can defend the paint solidly.

Lahore is hot right now and it’s been a balanced effort with many players playing well. Istanbul will capitalize, though, if the opportunity is there.

Lahore by 3