Mike Tuck claims Sheffield Sharks have mental advantage over Glasgow Rocks ahead of BBL clash

The Sharks, who are currently second in the British Basketball League (BBL), are due to travel to Scotland to take on Glasgow Rocks on Wednesday (6:30pm tip-off), having got the better of them when the pair met in the BBL Cup in October.

Asked whether that gives them a mental advantage heading into the clash, Tuck replied: "It does because you have seen them, you know what they are like, you know you can beat them.

"Especially up at their place, it’s not an easy place to go and win. The confidence will be there behind us but you have to stay sharp, those games don’t matter now.

"We are at our best when we are locked in and focused from the beginning.”

A maximum of 500 fans will be allowed to attend the match at the Emirates Arena due to coronavirus restrictions brought in by Scotland’s devolved government to tackle the spread of the Omicron variant.

Sheffield’s last game against London Lions fell victim to the fresh wave of Covid-19 cases wreaking havoc with the UK’s sporting calendar.

Atiba Lyons’s men have not played since 8 December when they registered their fifth win from seven in the regular season.

“It’s been positive,” Tuck said of the campaign so far.

"We have done well, we are in a good place in the table. The two losses we did have were ones where we wish we could have taken them back, I thought we could have won both those games.

"We’re excited. I think we’ve got a solid group together here that’s very focused and able to play high-level, high-IQ basketball when we lock in and focus.

Like Lyons, Tuck also feels the best is yet to come from this ‘special’ cohort.

"I knew from when everybody arrived at the beginning we had a pretty special group,” he said.

"We have a lot of guys who have played around the world and are a little bit older and some guys who are young and hungry to prove themselves. It’s a good mix.

"There’s still lots of basketball to play in the season and we are just going to get better.”