Suns finished seventh in the table after a much improved season, but found the Hatters too strong in the pair of league games between the sides, losing 63-45 at home and 64-41 in Yorkshire.
Last season's playoff champions UWIC Archers, start their campaign with a home game against Team Northumbria where they will look to repeat last season's 89-38 hammering of the north east side. Archers also won 86-70 when they travelled to Northumbria on their way to the runner-up spot in Division One.
Northumbria have lost three of the team that made the playoffs semi-finals last season, but coach Deirdre Hayes has added University of Virginia forward Kristen London. The American missed out on last week's National Cup loss at the hands of Division Two side Durham Bobcats, but has finally received her visa to join her Northumbria teammates this week. Hayes has a history of finding strong American players who have thrived in the league and she will be hoping that London can be another one of these finds.
Archers' and GB under-20s women's coach Damian Jennings is taking nothing for granted despite that Cup loss for Northumbria. "I'm sure people will look at Team Northumbria's disappointing result against a Division Two side in the National Cup and think we will have no problems," he said. "But I have no doubt, knowing Deirdre as I do, she will have them fired up through a challenging week demanding of her players some kind of 'bounce-back' performance. Yes it is good to be home for the first game of the season, but we are in no way creating any pre-empted result based on last weekend's scoreline.
"Pre-season has not quite gone to plan but we are generating momentum in practice and we are all looking forward to the challenge ahead."
This season sees Division One reduced to eight teams, playing each other three times and Jennings believes the change is for the better.
"The new format is a strong move in the right direction for domestic high performance basketball," he said. "There are so many reasons for us in Britain to adopt an elite or premier league concept where we nurture British talent, attract genuine talent from abroad, offer an alternative to the USA collegiate system and guarantee week-in-week-out competitive games.
"I am personally excited about the new-look EBL, knowing particularly that every week there is something genuine to prepare for and not just concentrate on individual player development."
Two sides who finished in the top four last season meet at Leeds Metropolitan University as the home-town Carnegie host Nottingham Wildcats.
The sides also met on the opening weekend of last season, with Carnegie recording an 81-66 victory on the road but Wildcats gained revenge in January with a 72-66, helping them pip Leeds to third spot in the final table.
Leeds coach Chris Straker is looking forward to the game, saying, "We have a young and exciting team which is great fun to work with. We have been working very hard and we can't wait to get out their on the court for our first league game.
"Obviously we are expecting a tough game. Nottingham have a number of experienced and talented players on their squad who have played at this level for a number of years and we are a relatively inexperienced team. However, I have a lot of belief in our young players, their ability, and desire to improve each day and believe that if we stick to our game plan and work hard for each other I am sure we can enjoy a very competitive game.
"There is a great unity between the players and if we can build on the professional performance we showed last week against Sunderland I will be very pleased."
The action is completed at Barking Abbey where there's an all-London clash between hosts Leopards and Brixton Topcats.
Abbey did the double against Topcats last season, winning a tight game 65-54 in Brixton just before Christmas before hammering the visitors 82-44 at home.
The new-look Big Cats are now coach by Damian Kennedy, and despite having lost GB Standard Life player Natalie Stafford they made a winning start in the National Cup last week as new signing Niamh Dwyer poured in 30 points in their 89-35 win at Oaklands College - Hertfordshire Warriors.
