DOHA (Qatar) - There should be no doubt that we're bound to witness a race so intense as early as the Group Phase of the FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) Final 8.

One is widely perceived as the 'Group of Death' while the other could see huge surprises but only one thing is certain: There won't be no shortage whatsoever of thrilling action in the preliminaries that starts on May 25 at the Lusail Sports Hall in this sprawling Qatari city.

#	Team
1	Al Riyadi
2	Manama
3	C.S. Sagesse
4	BC Astana

The favorites: Al Riyadi

Dominant has been Al Riyadi all season long and that's mainly because of the mantra they live with: Conquer and win everything in every contest they play in.

From sweeping the West Asia Group Phase to beating Sagesse and Shahrdary Gorgan for a successful title defense thanks to Thon Maker, plus their recent success in the Lebanese Basketball Championship, the Yellow Castle are seen as the faves in this stacked group.

Adding motivation to this group is the way the inaugural Final 8 turned out for the crew. Injuries to Wael Arakji and Ali Mansour during the pool stage massively affected their chances, so much that they couldn't even stand on the podium, finishing only fourth.

The underdogs: Sagesse

Sagesse SC are the only team in this group that has no title this season. They fell short in upending Al Riyadi in the West Asia Semi-Finals, and then lost to the same team in the Lebanese Basketball Championship Finals through a gentleman's sweep, 1-4.

That, however, does not mean they're pushovers. Before ending up as runners-up in the domestic league, they finished their West Asia campaign strongly by mauling Al Shorta in the Third-Place Game. Plus, they're parading Nick Rakocevic, a welcome addition to their frontcourt.

The pivotal game: Al Riyadi versus Manama

Both teams are no strangers to one another. They've already battled each other in the last Final 8, with Al Riyadi coming out on top in a dominant 112-84 win. That was the only loss Manama suffered as they won all their next games on the way to the crown.

Both squads will meet each other again on the 29th in the final game of the Group Phase at 21:00 local time, but that may not just be an ordinary rematch. They could be disputing the top seed of Group A to get one of the four tickets to the knockout Semi-Finals set on the 31st.

The open question: How tough is Manama's road to back-to-back?

Of course, much of the attention are on the defending FIBA WASL champions but given the group they're been situated in, one can't help but wonder how their title defense would go.

Much has been said about how much of a threat Al Riyadi and Sagesse could be for the entire group but lest we forget that there is also BC Astana, who made a serious run in the previous Final 8. They finished in third-place, beating Al Riyadi in a close encounter, 94-90.

So, standing in their way in the Group Phase are two of the top four teams from last year's meet in Dubai, and a team hungry for gold after falling short domestically. It would be interesting to see how the Bahraini side will respond to the challenges each of their foes will throw.

#	Team
1	Kuwait Club
2	Shahrdary Gorgan
3	Kazma
4	Tamil Nadu

The favorites: Kuwait Club

Of course, there will always be that added addition to winners and that's the case for Kuwait Club, who are coming into the Final 8 as the reigning two-time Gulf League champions.

Just recently, Coach Peter Schomers' charges ruled the Kuwaiti Basketball League for the sixth season in a row and they definitely want to keep the success going in Doha.

The underdogs: Tamil Nadu

As motivated as they are, though, Kuwait Club will have themselves a series of tough challengers in Group B. That includes the debuting Tamil Nadu, the champions of India.

It will be the first time that South Asia will be represented in the Final 8 and so there's been some sort of curiosity among the others in the field as to how this side plays, but that alone could also be advantageous for them. Who knows, they may be the surprise team of the tilt.

The pivotal game: Shahrdary Gorgan versus Kuwait Club

Possibly the biggest hurdle for Kuwait Club in the group could be Shahrdary Gorgan, whom they will be locking horns with on the 28th in the final game of Group B.

That's a team coming in with their own motivation. After another runner-up finish in the West Asia League, the defending Iranian champions would want to have a better showing in the Final 8 this time after falling short of reaching the Semis last season.

One of the reasons behind their disappointing campaign was Kuwait Club, who beat them in the tournament opener by way of a 95-85 decision. But now, with a different set of players, Arsalan Kazemi and Co. could give one of the favorites a run for their money.

Their rematch could also be a battle for the no. 1 seed, depending on how the race in Group B would turn out given that Kazma and Tamil Nadu are raring to show that they belong, too.

The open question: Can Kuwait Club finish the story?

Given their recent success in both this league and in Kuwait, it is intriguing, to say the least, if that would translate to winning the FIBA WASL trophy for Kuwait Club.

They were so close to winning a double last year but, then again, got stunned by Manama, and that result has since been drilled in their minds. Sure, they did beat that team twice already in the Gulf League Finals, but there wouldn't be a more fitting revenge than in the Final 8.

Will they meet again in the Last Dance, though?

FIBA