WORCESTER Wolves Basketball Club are relying on favours from elsewhere to keep their title hopes alive.

Wolves are away to Coventry Crusaders tonight (7.30) in their final National League Division Two game of the season.

They must win and then hope that leaders North-West London lose at Liverpool tomorrow if they are to take the title and win promotion to Division One.

If that happens, Wolves and North-West London would be level on points and Wolves will be champions by virtue of their better aggregate score in the two matches between the sides.

Third-placed Liverpool, the only side other than North-West London to beat Wolves this season, certainly have a good chance of doing them a favour. Wolves player-coach Rick Solvason said: "It could be interesting. Liverpool have been playing well and have potential."

Whatever happens, Solvason wants his side to concentrate fully on their own match at fourth-placed Coventry and put themselves in good shape for the end-of-season play-offs, which begin next week.

He said: "The league is out of our hands now and there is no point in dwelling on it. We have to take care of our own game so we know we are going into the play-offs in a good frame of mind.

"We mustn't take our eyes off Coventry - we have beaten them three times this season but two of those in the Patrons Cup were very close. They have everything to play for to get a home tie in the first stage of the play-offs, and we can't afford to take them lightly."

Forward Dean Blake is the only absentee from Wolves' squad due to family commitments.

Wolves are guaranteed home ties in both the quarter- and semi-finals of the play-offs, and are likely to face Northampton or Oxford in the last eight at University College Worcester next Saturday.

If they win the semi-finals will also be at UCW on April 17, with the final at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena on May 1. The league champions and the play-off winners will both win promotion.