All eight teams playing in the ABA Final Eight tournament in St. Louis on April 13-15, 2023 have now been determined. The league has not yet released tournament seedings, matchups, or game times.
The Burning River Buckets from the Cleveland, Ohio metropolitan area defeated the Ohio Kings from Cincinnati, Ohio in the ABA North Central Region championship game on April 2, 2023 by a score of 117-102. This is the second season of existence for the Buckets and their second consecutive North Central Region title.
To get to the championship game, the Buckets defeated the defending ABA champions, the Steel City Yellow Jackets, on the Jackets’ home court in the semifinal on April 1, 2023 by a score of 143-124.
The Buckets won both games against the Lyons this season, one in Danville and one on their home court. The Lyons did not face any of the other teams in the ABA Final Eight during the 2022-23 regular season.