KGC, SK Knights jet off to Japan for EASL Champions Week

The 2023 EASL Champions Week poster shared on the EASL's official Facebook account on Dec. 7, 2022. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The inaugural East Asian Super League (EASL) Champions Week kicks off in Utsunomiya, Japan on Wednesday with the Anyang KGC and Seoul SK Knights representing Korea in the eight-team tournament.

The eight teams, hailing from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Philippines, are split into two four-team groups for the group stage; A and B.

Unlike the typical round robin format, every team in each group will not get the chance to play each other, with each team only playing two games — one that counts as a home game and one that counts as an away game — with the top two teams from each group on the final standing advancing to the knockout stage.

The teams in Group A are KGC, the Taipei Fubon Braves of Taiwan, Ryukyu Golden Kings of Japan and San Miguel Beermen of the Philippines.

KGC will play the first match of the tournament against the Taipei Fubon Braves at Nikkan Arena Tochigi in Utsunomiya on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

KGC have been by far the most successful team in the KBL this season, topping the table with 34 wins in 46 games. They even rode a 10 game winning-streak until it was cut short by the fourth-place Seoul SK Knights on Feb. 19.

The Braves, on the other hand, sit in third place on the six-team P. League table.

The Japanese Kings will play their first game against Filipino side Beerman at the same venue on Thursday.

The second game of the group will move over to Okinawa Arena in Okinawa, where KGC play the Beerman on Saturday. The Kings will face the Braves three hours after the KGC game.

The Knights are in Group B alongside Utsunomiya Brex of Japan, the Bay Area Dragons of Hong Kong and TNT Tropang Giga of the Philippines.

Group B games all take place at Nikkan Arena Tochigi.

The Brex will play the Giga on opening day, while the Knights will play their first game against the Dragons one day later. The Korean side will then play the Giga on Friday at 5 p.m., followed by a game between the Brex and the Dragons two and half hours later.

The top two teams from each group advance to the final four, with the final games set to take place at Okinawa Arena on Sunday.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]