Surrey United have two chances to pull off a shock, firstly with a BBL Cup quarter-final against Plymouth University Raiders tonight and at Surrey Sports Park again on Sunday in the BBL Championship against Esh Group Eagles Newcastle.

Unsurprisingly, United head coach Jack Majewski is still looking to bridge the gap which could finally lead to a first win of the season.

He said, “I wouldn’t say that we take the Cup any more seriously than the league. We simply are dying to win our first game!

“Being in the last eight is very good fortune and everything to do with Surrey Heat last year, sadly not a reflection of us playing particularly well.

“On the other hand, Cup games govern themselves with completely different rules and anything can happen.

“There is no question that to progress to the semis would do absolute wonders for us, especially to our mental sphere.”

He added, “Our main problem is to maintain our focus for 40 minutes. We have clearly demonstrated that we can play really well for maybe 20 to 30 minutes, but then we commit catastrophic mistakes which allows our opposition to build a large margin which we can’t reduce.

“We are probably our own biggest critics and we are not looking for excuses or shortcuts, we are determined to find answers within the group of players which we currently have.”

Meanwhile Jay Marriott and his Raiders players will also have one eye on league action, since since they have an important visit to Manchester Giants on Sunday.

The other game this evening sees Worcester Wolves try to avoid an unthinkable third loss in a row, having started the campaign with seven consecutive wins. They head to One Health Sharks Sheffield with Paul James still smarting from their recent defeats to Raiders and Riders.

“There’s no question about it, last weekend’s defeats were very disappointing,” admitted the play-caller.

“Against Plymouth we played poorly and failed to put them away when we had the chance, allowing them to be in with a shooters chance at the end.

“The Cup game against Leicester was a much better performance, but in reality was much like the night before.

“A very good 90 seconds of shooting from Leicester was the difference between the teams. I’m expecting a good reaction from the team.

“Both these games could have gone our way had we done a better job with our execution in the closing stages of the game.”

His words were echoed by BBL Player of the Month Will Creekmore.

He added, “Last weekend was tough because we had a great chance to win both games. “We were up by double figures and we let our guard down for a couple minutes and that cost us.

“I fully expect us to bounce back and re-establish ourselves as the team to beat.”

Worcester also have a difficult looking match-up on Sunday, when they go to the Emirates Arena to face Glasgow Rocks who are looking to get their season back on an even keel.

Birmingham Knights are the only other team along with Surrey United yet to experience that winning feeling, but head coach Paul Douglas (pictured) is trying to keep spirits up as his team prepare to entertain London Lions tomorrow, before a trip to the north-east to face Durham Wildcats.

He confessed, “It has been tough, but that can happen when you have a young squad.

“Losing can become a habit like winning, but we think that if we become more assertive on defence, a win will come sooner rather than later.

“I have been on losing teams in the past, so I see the warning signs if players drop their heads too much.

“The key thing for them is to believe that when teams go on a run and make a few shots that we stay composed and just do what we do in practice.

“This will see them through the dark times,” continued Douglas.

“When we pick up our first win the players will appreciate it more. “I feel that when we play ‘Knights Basketball’ we have caused some problems for teams, but we have to be more consistent on doing that.”

In the other two BBL Championship clashes this weekend, Cheshire Phoenix go to Leicester Riders tomorrow and then host London Lions on Sunday at Northgate Arena.

Enjoy the games!

Story – BBL

Photo of Knight’s Coach – BBL

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