The 2023–24 Super Division (62nd edition), Algeria's top tier basketball club competition, ran from October 7, 2023, through May 14, 2024.[2] President of the Algerian Basketball Federation Rabah Bouarifi, said that the competition system has been changed, as it will be held in one group consisting of 16 teams instead of two groups, each group consisting of nine teams, as was the case last season. Another change will be made during the following season, to reach the Super Division of 14 teams only.[3]
Review
The first day of the Super Division did not have any real surprises. True to their ambitions, the championship leaders marked the occasion with a successful first outing. USM Alger reigning Algerian champion, which was to begin the defense of its title against the newly promoted ASS Oum El Bouaghi, did not play due to its participation in the 35th edition of the Arab Club Basketball Championship.[4] At the end of the 2nd round there are now five of them sharing the leadership chair of the Super Division. Indeed, NB Staouel, Rouiba CB, USM Blida, CSC Djisr Kasentina and NA Hussein Dey managed to follow up with a second success in a row, brought from outside, by respectively beating US Sétif (53-67), ASS Oum El Bouaghi (77-87), CR Beni Saf (60-62), PS El Eulma (62-84) and CRB Dar Beida (70-79).[5] On october 18, 2023, The Ministry of Youth and Sports (MJS) announced that it was suspending all sport events “until further notice” in solidarity with the Palestinian people. The suspension was announced the day after a strike on a hospital in Gaza, which has been relentlessly shelling the Gaza Strip since the start of the war sparked on October 7 by the bloody attack. of the Palestinian Islamist movement on its soil.[6]
The Super Division summit between the defending champion USM Alger and its runner-up WO Boufarik, after it was postponed several times finally took place in the Hacène Harcha Arena where USM Alger lost (78-63) after being ahead in the first two quarters, thanks to this performance WO Boufarik totaling 14 points, takes first place in the Super Division standings. The team has a perfect record of seven victories in as many matches. USM Alger with 12 points is positioned third sharing this place with USM Blida.[7][8] The 23rd day of the Super Division was mainly marked by the fall of the two leaders WO Boufarik and NB Staoueli beaten respectively against NA Hussein Dey and CSC Djasr Kasentina. Traveling in the capital, the Boufarikois lost to NA Husseïn Dey by a small point difference (74-73), in a highly contested match which required the use of overtime to decide between both teams. For its part NB Staouéli fell back into its ways after being dominated by CSC Gué de Constantine (66-54) in the algérois derby.[9]
Venues and locations
Promotion and relegation (pre-season)
A total of 16 teams will contest the league, including 14 sides from the 2022–23 season and two promoted from the 2022–23 National 1.
First match(es) will be played: June 22, 2024. Source: [citation needed]
First playoff
The first day of the first Super Division play-off tournament played in Staouéli, was marked by the victory of WO Boufarik, TRA Draria and MC Alger. These three teams started the second phase of the championship in the best possible way, in order to be among the first two in the ranking to compete in the final of the Super Division (round trip), at the end of the two play-offs tournaments.[14]MC Alger and WO Boufarik confirmed their good start, recording a second success during the 2nd day of the play-offs. For its part, NB Staouéli relaunched itself in the race for the qualifying to the Super Division final after inflicting its second defeat in a row on the defending champion USM Alger.[15]
MC Alger and WO Boufarik, co-leaders of the Super Division, moved closer to the final after following up with a 3rd success in a row, on the occasion of the 3rd day of the play-offs played in Boufarik. Opposed to the reigning Algerian champion USM Alger in this case, MC Alger inflicted on its neighbor its 3rd defeat in a row in an Algerian derby won with a score of (77-70). For its part, WO Boufarik got the better of NA Hussein Dey in a game which ended with a score of (89-72).[16]WO Boufarik grabbed the first ticket to the final thanks to its victory against NB Staouéli (76-67), in a match counting for the 4th day of the play-offs. For his part, MC Alger ex-co-leader failed to keep up with the pace imposed by the Mitidja guys. The Green and Red, who remain on 3 victories in a row, were inflicted with their first defeat by TRA Draria (61-59) and thus fell to second position in the ranking.[17] TRA Draria will be WO Boufarik’s opponent in the final. The formation of the capital qualified for the first time in its history for this stage of the competition thanks to its victory gleaned, with forceps, against USM Alger but also the defeat of MC Alger recorded against the WOB, on the occasion of the 5th and final day of the play-offs.[18]
^On January 16, 2024 The game between TRA Draria and M Ouled Chebel was stopped in the fourth quarter with a result 52–50, to be repeated on January 23rd.[12]
^On January 26, 2024 The game was stopped at the end of the second quarter with a score of 31–45 for WO Boufarik. Later the match will be replayed in Rouiba on February 20, 2024.
^The match was originally to be played on 27 February 2024, 5:00 p.m, but it was postponed due to rain entering the Salle Rais Hamidou.[13] The sports commission decides that the match is to be replayed at the opponent's home (MC Alger) at the Salle omnisport Abdelaziz Ben Tifour in Hydra on March 8, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. "Art 20 of the special regulations 2023–24". MC Alger is responsible for organizing the meeting and must put in place all the necessary arrangements for the smooth running of the game.
