Rwanda Energy Group (REG) head coach Dean Murray has said that he expects "difficult competition" in this season's basketball league playoffs given how strong the opponents have been during the regular season.

REG are the back-to-back defending champions of Rwanda Basketball League, a feat that has seen them represent the country in the previous two seasons of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), an NBA-backed continental competition vied for by some of the top clubs on the African continent.

The playoffs will start Friday, August 18, after the second round of the regular season concluded over the weekend.

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REG capped off the regular season sitting at the top of the table rankings following a slim 73-72 victory over the Patriots on Sunday, August 13, at Lycee de Kigali Gymnasium.

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They will now face Espoir BBC in the playoffs after the latter finished fourth in the regular season.

Prior to the playoffs, Murray referred to it as a tough competition that could be fun for the crowds to watch.

"The competition is going to be very difficult. All the teams are strong and we have to play each game better. Our team will have to keep improving to have a chance to win every game in the playoffs. All the teams are very good," Murray said.

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Despite losing their last regular season to REG, the Patriots are among the teams that the defending champions might again face in the finals playoffs should they eliminate APR BBC in the semi-finals playoffs.

And of course REG must beat Espoir BBC to advance to the finals.

Murray could only put rivalry with Patriots aside and praise the team ahead of the playoffs.

"The Patriots are a very good team," he said.

Teams like APR and the Patriots have quite beefed up their rosters with key players who have established their elite status on the continental basketball scene. The Patriots, for instance, brought in Ater Majok, Michael Dixon, Jean Victor Mukama, while APR introduced American Guard De Marcus Holland and Prince Ibeh.

The playoffs will be played in a best of five series in the semi-finals, while the finals will be played in a best of seven series.