It's been a good while since we have used such absurd alliteration as above, but the final minor round men's matchup between North and Norwood at the Launch Pad has provided a great opportunity to do so.

A North win by over 5 points gives them the minor premiership, a week off, and home court advantage in the semi final. A Norwood win, or a North win by less than 5 points, would see the Flames get that privilege. For the pedantic amongst you, a North victory by exactly 5 points would see the placings determined by percentage, a category in which Norwood currently hold a slight lead.

As if the criticality of this game wasn't enough, the game also features some of the best talent of this year's Central ABL season, including reigning NBL premier Dusty Rychart. While there might not be an all-expenses-paid trip to Vegas hanging on the outcome of this season (a round at the Lion might be more likely) Rychart has dominated every game that he's played this year, except the round 9 loss to Norwood. Given that this game was on the same day that he arrived in Adelaide on an international flight, expect a vastly different performance this time around.

Norwood and Adelaide 36er centre David Cooper has been similarly dominant this year. At the defensive end, Cooper's presence is staggering, leading the league in blocked shots by 32 from the closest competitor. Norwood's strength has meant that Cooper is often not required to carry as much of the scoring load, though in the last game between these two teams, he had 17 points and 15 rebounds.

Cooper is a three-time winner of the CABL "Player of the Week" award, but Rychart is in great form, having himself won it in each of the last three weeks. The involvement of similar sized players such as Dan Thompson and Nick Hambour will make for intriguing matchups, but expect the performances of Rychart and Cooper to have a big effect on the outcome.

The backcourt battles are no less enticing. Todd Matthews has had a stellar season, highlighted by a 34 point effort in the previous bout. He leads the league in steals by almost 30 from his nearest competitor, and his change of pace has wrought havoc with opposition defences all season. His opponent could be any of 36er Erik Burdon, Breaker Ryan Kersten, or reigning CABL All-Star-Five member Michael Zorich. All provide a different mixture of scoring, passing, and defence, but all will have their work cut out for them against the league's premier point guard.

For both teams, this game is effectively a final. If you don't think victory is important, ask yourself whether you would rather be facing Forestville next week, or in the stands watching.

Make no mistake - this is big.