# 2018–19 Swiss Basketball League

The 2018–19 Swiss Basketball League (SBL) season is the 88th season of the top tier basketball league in Switzerland.
Fribourg Olympic defended successfully their league and conquered their 18th league.

## Competition format

All teams will play two times against each other for completing 20 games per team.
The six first qualified teams will join the group for places 1 to 6 while the other six teams will play the group for places 7 to 11. These two groups will be played with a one-legged round-robin format, where all teams from group 1 to 6 and the two first qualified teams from the group for the seventh position will be qualified for the playoffs. In this intermediate stage, teams start with the points accumulated by the winnings achieved in the first stage.
The quarterfinals and the semifinals will be played as a best-of-five series while the final in a best-of-seven series.

## Teams

Winterthur was relegated to the NLB after finishing the previous season in the last position. Monthey-Chablais achieved the licence A in second instance after being firstly rejected.
| Team | Location |
| Boncourt | Boncourt |
| Fribourg Olympic | Fribourg |
| Lions de Genève | Geneva |
| Lugano Tigers | Lugano |
| Monthey-Chablais | Monthey |
| Pully Lausanne Foxes | Pully |
| Riviera Lakers | Vevey |
| SAM Basket Massagno | Massagno |
| Starwings | Basel |
| Swiss Central Basket | Lucerne |
| Union Neuchâtel | Neuchâtel |

## Regular season
### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Lions de Genève | 20 | 17 | 3 | 1742 | 1475 | +267 | 34 | Qualification to group 1–6 |
| 2 | Fribourg Olympic | 20 | 16 | 4 | 1738 | 1468 | +270 | 32 | Qualification to group 1–6 |
| 3 | Union Neuchâtel | 20 | 14 | 6 | 1576 | 1447 | +129 | 28 | Qualification to group 1–6 |
| 4 | SAM Basket Massagno | 20 | 14 | 6 | 1551 | 1468 | +83 | 28 | Qualification to group 1–6 |
| 5 | Monthey-Chablais | 20 | 11 | 9 | 1580 | 1520 | +60 | 22 | Qualification to group 1–6 |
| 6 | Riviera Lakers | 20 | 10 | 10 | 1686 | 1712 | −26 | 20 | Qualification to group 1–6 |
| 7 | Boncourt | 20 | 9 | 11 | 1627 | 1647 | −20 | 18 | Qualification to group 7–11 |
| 8 | Lugano Tigers | 20 | 8 | 12 | 1659 | 1674 | −15 | 16 | Qualification to group 7–11 |
| 9 | Swiss Central | 20 | 4 | 16 | 1427 | 1689 | −262 | 8 | Qualification to group 7–11 |
| 10 | Starwings | 20 | 4 | 16 | 1380 | 1643 | −263 | 8 | Qualification to group 7–11 |
| 11 | Pully Lausanne Foxes | 20 | 3 | 17 | 1433 | 1656 | −223 | 6 | Qualification to group 7–11 |

### Results

| Home \ Away | BON | FRI | GEN | LUG | MON | MAS | PUL | RIV | BAS | SWC | NEU |
| Boncourt | — | 71–93 | 103–107 | 96–85 | 82–89 | 84–76 | 75–80 | 83–77 | 74–62 | 94–54 | 99–88 |
| Fribourg Olympic | 69–70 | — | 83–69 | 86–70 | 101–78 | 74–77 | 81–75 | 115–64 | 106–68 | 100–81 | 75–56 |
| Lions de Genève | 85–78 | 79–75 | — | 84–85 | 78–68 | 77–80 | 98–78 | 97–89 | 103–52 | 92–46 | 77–61 |
| Lugano Tigers | 97–88 | 94–84 | 80–82 | — | 66–67 | 76–89 | 91–89 | 96–89 | 95–73 | 86–66 | 95–97 |
| Monthey-Chablais | 77–87 | 76–87 | 76–100 | 75–73 | — | 61–67 | 80–76 | 97–85 | 101–61 | 76–59 | 61–68 |
| SAM Basket Massagno | 81–64 | 72–77 | 80–87 | 79–77 | 80–70 | — | 83–50 | 98–83 | 84–74 | 71–61 | 60–73 |
| Pully Lausanne Foxes | 81–72 | 58–81 | 61–91 | 69–76 | 68–75 | 76–84 | — | 85–93 | 66–83 | 79–86 | 65–99 |
| Riviera Lakers | 85–70 | 82–88 | 80–95 | 112–97 | 80–91 | 78–61 | 76–65 | — | 89–87 | 105–69 | 92–90 |
| Starwings | 88–80 | 70–85 | 71–91 | 68–64 | 71–94 | 68–74 | 66–81 | 59–67 | — | 67–65 | 56–71 |
| Swiss Central | 82–85 | 76–94 | 71–72 | 92–79 | 55–104 | 83–88 | 86–76 | 92–95 | 70–65 | — | 66–83 |
| Union Neuchâtel | 91–72 | 82–84 | 58–78 | 89–77 | 76–64 | 75–67 | 81–55 | 77–65 | 83–72 | 78–67 | — |

## Group 1–6
### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Lions de Genève | 20 | 17 | 3 | 1742 | 1475 | +267 | 34 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Fribourg Olympic | 20 | 16 | 4 | 1738 | 1468 | +270 | 32 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 3 | Union Neuchâtel | 20 | 14 | 6 | 1576 | 1447 | +129 | 28 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 4 | SAM Basket Massagno | 20 | 14 | 6 | 1551 | 1468 | +83 | 28 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 5 | Monthey-Chablais | 20 | 11 | 9 | 1580 | 1520 | +60 | 22 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 6 | Riviera Lakers | 20 | 10 | 10 | 1686 | 1712 | −26 | 20 | Qualification to playoffs |

### Results

| Home \ Away | FRI | GEN | MON | RIV | MAS | NEU |
| Fribourg Olympic | — | — | 102–65 | — | 124–71 | 91–47 |
| Lions de Genève | 73–85 | — | — | — | 84–61 | 86–95 |
| Monthey-Chablais | — | 87–98 | — | 83–89 | — | — |
| Riviera Lakers | 97–102 | 83–95 | — | — | — | — |
| SAM Basket Massagno | — | — | 68–90 | 93–85 | — | — |
| Union Neuchâtel | — | — | 78–92 | 93–95 | 86–67 | — |

## Group 7–11
### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Boncourt | 20 | 9 | 11 | 1627 | 1647 | −20 | 18 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Lugano Tigers | 20 | 8 | 12 | 1659 | 1674 | −15 | 16 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 3 | Swiss Central | 20 | 4 | 16 | 1427 | 1689 | −262 | 8 | |
| 4 | Starwings | 20 | 4 | 16 | 1380 | 1643 | −263 | 8 | |
| 5 | Pully Lausanne Foxes | 20 | 3 | 17 | 1433 | 1656 | −223 | 6 | |

### Results

| Home \ Away | BON | LUG | PUL | BAS | SWC |
| Boncourt | — | 82–94 | — | — | 98–60 |
| Lugano Tigers | — | — | — | 87–86 | 94–68 |
| Pully Lausanne Foxes | 104–102 | 66–73 | — | — | — |
| Starwings | 80–95 | — | 85–89 | — | — |
| Swiss Central | — | — | 87–79 | 104–109 | — |

## Playoffs

Seeded teams played at home games 1, 2 and 5.

### Bracket

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final |
| Fribourg Olympic | 3 | | |
| Boncourt | 0 | | |
| Boncourt | 0 | Fribourg Olympic | 3 |
| | | Monthey-Chablais | 0 |
| SAM Basket Massagno | 1 | Monthey-Chablais | 0 |
| Monthey-Chablais | 3 | | | | |
| Monthey-Chablais | 3 | | | Fribourg Olympic | 3 |
| | | | | Lions de Genève | 0 |
| Lions de Genève | 3 | | | Lions de Genève | 0 |
| Lugano Tigers | 0 | | | | |
| Lugano Tigers | 0 | Lions de Genève | 3 | | |
| | | Riviera Lakers | 0 |
| Union Neuchâtel | 2 | Riviera Lakers | 0 |
| Riviera Lakers | 3 | | |

### Quarter-finals

| Team 1 | Series | Team 2 | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 |
| Fribourg Olympic | 3–0 | Boncourt | 86–77 | 97–60 | 90–67 | 0 | 0 |
| Lions de Genève | 3–0 | Lugano Tigers | 85–71 | 99–81 | 92–86 | 0 | 0 |
| Union Neuchâtel | 2–3 | Riviera Lakers | 87–70 | 79–82 | 89–92 | 84–71 | 69–86 |
| SAM Basket Massagno | 1–3 | Monthey-Chablais | 81–69 | 77–85 | 71–84 | 67–69 | 0 |

### Semi-finals

| Team 1 | Series | Team 2 | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 |
| Fribourg Olympic | 3–0 | Monthey-Chablais | 89–71 | 112–67 | 109–77 | 0 | 0 |
| Lions de Genève | 3–0 | Riviera Lakers | 107–80 | 88–73 | 94–75 | 0 | 0 |

### Finals

| Team 1 | Series | Team 2 | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 |
| Fribourg Olympic | 3–0 | Lions de Genève | 83–72 | 71–65 | 79–77 | 0 | 0 |

## Swiss clubs in European competitions

| Team | Competition | Progress |
| Fribourg Olympic | Champions League | Regular season |