The bj-league announced Monday that the 10-team league will be divided into two conferences for the upcoming 2007-08 season.
The Sendai 89ers, Niigata Albirex BB, Toyama Grouses, Saitama Broncos and Tokyo Apache are in the Eastern Conference. The Western Conference is comprised of the Osaka Evessa, Takamatsu Five Arrows, Oita HeatDevils and two newcomers, Rizing Fukuoka and Ryukyu Golden Kings.
Each team will play 44 regular-season games, including six games against all the teams in their conference and four games apiece against each team from the other conference.
The league's teams played 40-game schedules in each of the past two regular seasons.
In addition, the second- and third-place teams in each conference will play a wild-card game to determine which team advances to play the top seed in the conference finals. The wild-card games will be played at the home site of the No. 2 teams. The winners of the semifinal games will then face off in the title contest.