National Basketball League clubs will have to wait until next week to find out if they will be part of the competition next season.

The NBL was due to make an announcement this week, but a spokesman says the Commissioner is still finalising licence agreements.

Most of the interest revolves around bids for new teams in Sydney and Brisbane, while the Cairns Taipans are still working to meet the league's financial requirements.

The Nicholls State University men's basketball team (0-1) overcame a ten-point first half deficit to take a 36-33 halftime lead, but a 21-7 second-half run by Duquesne (1-0) gave the host Dukes an 85-62 win in the season opener for both teams and spoil Nicholls' hopes for an upset in Pittsburgh on Friday night.

Nicholls was led by junior guard/forward Anatoly Bose, who totaled 23 points on 35.0 percent shooting (7-for-20, 4-for-12 from three-point range), and sophomore guard Fred Hunter who posted 12 points and a team-high 7 rebounds in Nicholls first-ever contest against a current member of the Atlantic 10.

Saint Louis University freshman forward Cody Ellis (Perth, Australia / A.I.S.) was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week for the period ending Feb. 27. The honor is Ellis' first of his Billiken career.

Over three games, Ellis averaged 14.3 ppg while shooting 46.4 percent from the field, 42.1 percent from 3-point range and 81.8 percent from the line. He began the week by hitting four 3-pointers, both free throw attempts and finished with 14 points at Massachusetts as the Billikens won their third straight road contest. He sank half his shots against Xavier and all seven free throws to finish with 19 points, his second-highest total of the season. To close out the week, Ellis made two 3-pointers and finished with 10 points in the victory over Duquesne.

The Billikens (19-9, 10-4 A-10) welcome nationally ranked Temple to Chaifetz Arena Wednesday, March 3, in a 7 p.m. game. The contest is the final regular season home game for the Billikens.