JOHOR BAHRU (Malaysia) - Much of the focus will surely be on the Chinggis Broncos as they're only two wins away from a successful title defense in the Basketball Champions League Asia-East 2026 Final 6.
But there are three other teams in the hunt as well, all of which could make a serious run to the crown which makes the upcoming Semi-Finals highly awaited, as the chase for glory heads into the home stretch.
The penultimate phase is set this Saturday, May 23, with the four teams left standing after months of battles at home and abroad vying not just for the gold, but for the chance to compete for the biggest prize of 'em all.
Qualifying for the BCL Asia 2026, that is, as the top two teams of the pan-regional contest will clinch themselves spots to the most prestigious club competition in the continent fully owned and operated by FIBA.
Action begins at 17:00 local time at the Arena Larkin Indoor Stadium, with the Broncos putting their 'back-to-back' aspirations on the line against South China Athletic Association in a battle between familiar foes.
These two have already faced one another twice during the Group Phase, and their upcoming trilogy should serve as a tiebreaker after splitting their two meetings, with South China winning the rematch, 86-84.
Aside from the mental edge of sorts, momentum is on the HKA1 outfit's side, having won both of their games in the Final 6 Group Phase to finish atop Group B as they beat Hi-Tech Basketball Club and Taoyuan Pauian.
And those were come-from-behind victories, with their win against the Pilots one for the books as they rallied back from as much as 16 down behind a historic 45-point explosion by Isaiah Briscoe.
No doubt that they're a major concern for the Broncos, who, after beating Johor in their Final 6 opener, fell flat and got humiliatingly blown out by Dewa United Banten, 95-53, in easily their worst loss this season.
That result, coupled with a solid follow-up win over the Southern Tigers, allowed the Indonesian outfit to secure the no. 1 seed in Group A, and forged a Semi-Final showdown with the erstwhile unbeaten Pilots.
Aside from the reigning champs, fans and observers alike have their sights on the Chinese Taipei representatives if they have what it takes to finish their story after falling in the Final of last year's tourney.
Before bowing to South China, Taoyuan Pauian won their first seven games - they went 6-0 in the Group Phase, and then opened their Final 6 run by downing Hi-Tech to return to the Semi-Finals with a game left.
They definitely would've wanted to head into the next round on a high but that loss hardly affected the team's morale whatsoever; if anything, it helped the squad prepare better for the bigger battle ahead.
But the Pilots wouldn't want to be too confident, for they will be facing a Dewa United team that's on a roll. Counting the preliminaries, they're heading into the Semi-Finals with a three-game winning streak.
All games will be streamed live on FIBA's official YouTube channel, which you can see here.
FIBA