Great Britain captain Drew Sullivan has played down the hype surrounding Leicester Riders this season as they enter the business end of the season.

Riders started the season in fine form and were tipped by many to win silverware this year, but they were knocked out of both the BBL Cup and BBL Trophy, leaving them with the league and play-offs to focus on.

Sullivan's former club, Newcastle Eagles, appear to be in pole position in the Championship this season, winning 15 of their 16 games so far.

That puts them four wins ahead of Leicester, although Riders do have two games in hand.

Sullivan said: "We haven't always played well in the big games, but people forget we've got three rookies and a guy who is just a couple of years out of college.

"The fans at Leicester are desperate to win something and expectations are high.

"But sometimes you have to check those expectations and be a little more realistic.

"Right now, if we're in contention at the end of the season, then I'm confident we can challenge Newcastle and the other teams at the top.

"But you can't beat consistency at this level and that's what the Eagles have."

Leicester started the season with nine wins in their first 10 games, before the hangover of a cup semi-final defeat at Newcastle led to a first league loss of the season to Plymouth.

They got back on track with four wins before back-to-back home defeats by MK Lions and Glasgow Rocks last month saw them lose ground on the Eagles at the top of the table.

Riders will be looking for revenge when they travel to MK this weekend, having won their last three games.