ratiopharm ulm meets medi bayreuth on the fifth matchday in the easyCredit BBL. After an unfortunate outcome in the EuroCup, the first BBL victory should finally come there.
“It’s positive that you can clearly see a development in the team overall. We have to work on our construction sites with defensive rebounds and stop losing possession in the final phase.
Not only on this evening did the team prove what they are made of. ratiopharm ulm led for over 35 minutes against the favored Italians and only lost late in overtime. A pattern that emerged from the games against Rostock, Göttingen or Panevezys and could only be brought under control in the home win against Venice. Very pleasing: the three-point throw. “We were particularly dependent on 3-point shots, but we found good and successful solutions there,” commented Anton Gavel on the 40 percent quota from the outside. With this tight schedule there is no room for nostalgia, because the next game in the BBL is already scheduled for tomorrow.
And the challenge on Saturday (6 p.m.) against Bayreuth is no less important. With the Oberfranken team, a guest in the ratiopharm arena is in ninth place after a 2-2 start and has reached the quarter-finals of the BBL Cup. Head coach Lars Marsell’s team has been doing particularly well in the league recently, particularly offensively: with 99:77, Bayreuth’s Crailsheim literally shot from their own hall. 22 assists with only eleven turnovers and a three-point quota of 54 percent prove an efficient offensive. The two guards Brandon Childress (19.0 pts) and Ahmed Hill (15.5 pts) played a large part in this success, as they regularly steer important situations and also contribute their own scoring. However, there is a weakness in turnover. With 15.3 turnovers per game, Bayreuth is above the league average and accordingly grants many points from fast-break situations.
Head coach Anton Gavel: “Bayreuth will certainly be coming with a lot of self-confidence. Lars is doing a very good job as head coach. With Basti Doreth, the team has an experienced leader who knows how to lead this young team. Especially in the last game against Crailsheim they were able to prove their offensive potential. It is important to work in the pick’n roll defense and in turn to end defensive sequences with rebounds. As long as we’re going through our sets aggressively, we’ve always found a way to score.”
