ULAANBAATAR (Mongolia) - Four teams will be slugging it out for the two remaining tickets to Round 2 of the Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL) Qualifiers later this April.

There will be a thrilling pair of games at the UG Arena not just because of what's at stake, but because each club has their own strong cases as to why they deserve to fly to Indonesia and compete for the two coveted spots to the BCL Asia proper.

Hi-Tech Basketball Club 

Round 1's best offensive team

Hi-Tech are heading into their meeting against the NS Matrix Deers at 20:00 as Round 1's best offensive team. They are leading the competition in scoring with 105.7 points per game, which also makes them the only club to be averaging 100-plus points.

They're also shooting a second-best 49.2 percent from the floor. A big reason behind such efficiency is the way that the reigning Basketball Thai League (BTL) champions have been sharing the ball with 24.0 assists a night, tops in the tournament as well.

Multiple options

That good of an offense is because of the weapons Hi-Tech have at their disposal. They have three of the top 10 scorers of Round 1, namely star guard Freddie Lish (23.3 points per game), big man Kevin Allen (20.0 points per game), and another veteran guard in Marcus Elliott (18.7 points per game).

Lish is one of just two players to set a round-high 34 points in a game, the other being Divine Myles as the two figured in a shootout in Hi-Tech's eventual victory over the Ulaanbaatar Xac Broncos in an overtime classic.

It was also in that game where Kevin Allen put up a monster outing of 30 points and 23 rebounds, making him the tourney's rebounds leader with 12.7 per contest. The bruising 2.11M (6'11") center is also leading the field in field goal accuracy with 63.4 percent.

Moreover, they still have other veteran internationalists in Moses Morgan (14.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists pergame), Nakorn Jaisanuk, Nattakarn Muangboon, and Chanatip Jakrawan, all of whom could provide whenever they're needed.

Prawira Harum Bandung

Round 1's best 3-point shooting team

Prawira Harum Bandung now find themselves fighting for a ticket to Round 2, thanks to the way they've been shooting the three-point shot. The Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) champions are firing with a 45.3-percent accuracy from deep, which is the best in Round 1.

Much of their firepower from downtown comes from Indra Muhamad (63.6 percent) and Yudha Saputera (52.5 percent). Muhamad proved that he can be a reliable marksman when he fired 6-of-9 treys for 20 points in their 105-94 bounce-back versus the Deers.

More than just Brandone Francis

Muhamad and Saputera are proof that Prawira aren't just all about Brandone Francis, who's undeniably one of the Qualifiers' best players.

The Dominican winger has been starring with 26.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game and has shown immense leadership by example on the court. But he has solid pieces around him, too, like wide-bodied forward Antonio Hester, Hans Abraham, and James Gist.

NS Matrix Deers

Defense is their calling card

They may have a 1-2 record but NS Matrix are a tough team to face. They're currently leading major defensive stats such as blocks with 6.3 and steals with 11.7 per outing. The Malaysian champions are the only team in Round 1 averaging double-digits in steals.

Center Jordan Tolbert is the blocks leader of the event with 2.7, alongside norms of 19.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Teammate Taishaun Johnson, meanwhile, leads the steals department with 3.3, together with averages of 21.7 points, 4.7 boards, and 5.3 dimes per contest.

Local stars waiting to shine

Tolbert and Johnson have been carrying much of the load for the Deers, but we have yet to see the veteran tandem of Ting Chun Hong and Wong Yi Hou erupt in a game together like what they did for Malaysia in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Pre-Qualifiers.

Ting is averaging 10.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game while Wong is putting up 8.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per contest. Will Sunday finally see these long-time teammates put on a show, in what should be NS Matrix's most important game to date?

Ulaanbaatar Xac Broncos

Field goal marksmanship

The Broncos are also one of the top offensive teams in Round 1. The Mongolian champions are presently the best shooting squad, as they've been making 52.2 percent of their field goals. That includes a 41.1 percent accuracy from deep, second behind Prawira.

Tommy Bilguun and the crowd

The Broncos have one of the best players in their arsenal as well in Tommy Bilguun, who's averaging 18.3 points on 55.6 percent shooting from the field, 3.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per night. But it's not just him that imposes a threat to opposing teams.

Of course, there are reinforcements such as Myles (20.7 points per game) and Justin Moss (15.7 points per game) but there's also Anand Ariunbold (10.0 points per game) and Ikhbayar Chuluunbaatar (8.3 points per game) that should make it tougher for defenses. We haven't even seen Sanchir Tungalag explode.

Making it even more difficult for other teams is the raucous home crowd, which has often packed the UG Arena to support the hometown side like what they did in their game against Hi-Tech. For sure, another sold-out crowd would show up Sunday and make an impact on the outcome of the game.

FIBA