Anyone's game: Why NBL27 is wide open

The Hungry Hack's NBL27 Season was tipped to be one of the most exciting and competitive in recent history, and now the stats back it up.

Through the opening seven rounds, the League is on track to be the highest-scoring campaign since the NBL switched to 40-minute games in 2009-10.

Teams are averaging 94.3 points per game, ahead of the previous best of 93.2 in NBL25.

Not only that, the League has never been closer and anyone can beat anyone on their day, highlighted by eight of the nine road teams securing wins in Round 7.

Other stats to reiterate that include:

• Six teams are within two games of top spot, compared to just three at the same stage last season.
• Sydney and Tasmania are locked together at the top, compared to Melbourne United’s two-game lead at the same stage last season.
• The best record in the League is 7-3. At the same stage last season, Melbourne United was 9-1, after opening the season 9-0.
• Just 4.5 games separate first and last on the ladder, down from 6.5 games at the same stage last season.
• Just one game has been decided by 30+ points this season, compared to 8 at the same stage last season.
• Average winning margins have dropped from 15 points to 11 points per game, compared to the same stage last season.
• 58 per cent of games have been decided by 10 points or fewer, up from 46 per cent at the same stage last season.
• Blowouts (games decided by 15+ points) have dropped from 48 per cent to 35 per cent of games, compared to the same stage last season.
• Only one team has won three or fewer games, compared to 3 teams at the same stage last season.
• The bottom team’s points differential is -92 (Illawarra), compared to -188 (Cairns) at the same stage last season.
• The top team’s points differential is +98 (Sydney), compared to +155 (Melbourne) at the same stage last season.

The 2026-27 season has also had the fewest heavy defeats to date, with 1.9 per cent of games (1 of 52) have been decided by 30+ points, the lowest share at this stage in 16 seasons.

The next two closest were NBL22 and NBL24, who had 2.3 per cent of games decided by more than 30 or more points.

It’s not just the stats that are highlighting this, with 2018 champion Pete Hooley explaining why this has been the closest NBL campaign he can remember.

“We look at the schedule ahead and you can’t actually guarantee a win,” Hooley said on NBL Overtime.

“You never really could in the NBL, but this year I don’t think you can.

“That’s how close it is. The margins of error are so small, which is great.

“Someone’s going to miss out [on Finals] by the season’s end by a couple of points.

“It happens every year, but now with how close it is, every single point down the stretch matters.”

Fellow Overtime panellist Damon Lowery echoed Hooley’s sentiments.

“You’re going to lose some games that you should have won and you’re going to win some games that you should have lost,” he said.

“It is completely open, anything can happen.”

Round 8 tips off on Wednesday, as Brisbane hosts Perth in an Ignite Cup fixture from 8pm AEDT, live on ESPN.