By Isaac Akugizibwe
KIU, Main Campus-KIU basketball teams, KIU Titans and Rangers head to Lugogo Indoor Arena this evening for their first games of the 2024 National Basketball League Semifinals.
KIU Titans face arch-rivals Namuwongo Blazers in Thursday night's late tip-off (9 pm) while KIU Rangers open up the 2024 semifinals showdown against UCU Lady Canons at 7 pm.
The Rangers are to end the UCU dominance when they take on the Women's division's record winners. The Mukono based outfit are the only team to survive a beating by KIU Rangers this season.
KIU Rangers have failed to beat UCU Lady Canons in the last three years, a record that Julius Lutwama's girls hope to end tonight.
They will be boosted by the return of forward Mary Moses Amaniyo who has been away for National duty with the Uganda National Women's basketball team the Gazelles.
The Titans on the other hand have no room for error, especially considering that their opponents have disclosed similar ambitions this season.
KIU Titans' main goal this season is to better last season's finish and maybe bring the NBL crown to Kansanga. To realize that, Julius Lutwama's boys will need to win every game from today onwards.
They will be boosted by the return to fitness of guard Peter Obleng and Center Stanley Mugerwa who missed game two of the quarter-finals.
Lutwama will also bank on the undisputable fighting spirit of the team led by Captain Collins Kasujja but will also need the best of arguably the league's best point guard Joel Lukoji Banza.
The Semifinals are being played in the best-of-five series format with the first team to register three wins advancing to the finals.
Game two for both fixtures is scheduled for Sunday, at Lugogo Indoor Arena.