Last information for violet fans before the tip-off in the BBL Cup against Alba Berlin

Göttingen. The next treat for the fans of BG Göttingen: In the quarterfinals they certainly drew one of the hardest lots, but it is also one of the most attractive. Defending champion Alba Berlin is a guest on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. Here is the most important information about the game in the Sparkassen-Arena:

The opponent

…is Alba Berlin again. As in the round of 16 in the duel with ratiopharm Ulm, the league game and the cup match are very close together. In the first round there was a reunion with the Swabians after eleven days, now there is just a week between the two games against Alba Berlin. The BG Göttingen enjoyed the surprising 96:95 victory over the German champions last Sunday for a few days – now the team of BG head coach Roel Moors is concentrating again on the duel with the defending champion of the cup competition.

The odds

…from the league game spoke mainly for the violets. Again, the free-throw rate of the capital city (62 percent) was unusually bad. In Mark Smith (season best with 33 points, nine three-pointers and 64 percent three-pointer hit rate) and Harald Frey (24 points, 43 percent three-pointer hit rate), the Moors team also had two outstanding players who stood out from the closed team performance. “We did what the coach told us to do,” Smith said. “We have to continue like this now.”

As with the Goettingen team, five players from Berlin scored double digits (Jaleen Smith, Gabriele Procida, Maodo Lo, Yovel Zoosman, Johannes Thiemann). However, the home side lost fewer balls (9) than ALBA (12) and got five more offensive rebounds (14:9). The violets scored 15 points from these second chances, Berlin only six from theirs. And one quality of the Moors team became clear again when they were eight points behind three and a half minutes before the end of the game: The BG didn’t hang their heads, but fought to the end.

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And then you have to ask yourself: What has been going on at the free-throw line in Berlin in the past few weeks? The Albatrosses only hit 24 of 39 free throws (61.5 percent) in Göttingen and missed four of six in the last minute. As in the tight games in the Euroleague against Munich (10/19, 52.6 percent) and Belgrade (13/25, 52.0 percent), they gave away a win on the line again.

The Eternal Balance

…leads Berlin in the digital database, which has been maintained since the 1998/99 season, with 22:8. However, the violets were able to win four of the last eight main round duels in the league. However, in the cup semifinals at the Top Four of 2021 in Munich, Berlin won 112:96.

The duel in focus

…is obvious. Shooting guard Mark Smith netted nine three-pointers and a total of 33 points in the Göttingen team’s victory last week, so it doesn’t matter which albatrosses are allowed to try their hand at defending against the 23-year-old young professional – the duel with Smith will be the focus.

The cup record

…last season couldn’t be more different. Alba Berlin is the defending champion, the violets had to give up in the round of 16 in the 2021/22 season, where they clearly lost 77:97 in Braunschweig.

The BG assistant coach

… suspects that the reigning cup winners have been warned after the defeat in the previous week and will probably present themselves in a different form than last Sunday. “This game is much more important for Berlin – they have to win it to defend their title,” says BG assistant coach Olivier Foucart. “Our chances of a win are no better than last weekend. We have to keep both feet on the ground.” Berlin narrowly lost to Barcelona in the Euro League on Thursday evening. “We expect that Berlin will come to us in a different mental and physical condition on Sunday. But we have nothing to lose and will play with the same confidence to keep the chance of victory within reach.”

The Sparkasse Arena

…can be used for the basketball games after the explosive ordnance probing around the hall until January 4th – albeit with restrictions, since the forecourt in front of the main entrance as well as the foyer and the adjoining rooms including the VIP area cannot be used . There are some changes for the visitors.

The entry

…takes place for the spectators via three different entrances on the north side (front towards Schützenplatz). With a view of the arena from Schützenplatz, the “new main entrance” with the ticket office and admission is on the right-hand side (west). The box office is open from 7 p.m. There is another entrance on the far left (east) on the north side for season ticket and day ticket holders. The third entrance next to the east inlet entrance is for partners and media representatives.

food and drinks

…receive spectators inside the arena. An additional sales stand will be set up behind the west stand. The sales stand in the interior on the east stand and the food truck in front of the arena will remain – now also on the north side near the “new main entrance”.

Fan shop and fan club

…are located in the interior on the right (viewed from the playing field onto the fan block) next to the west stand.

toilets

…for spectators are located exclusively in the upper tier of the arena and can be reached via the staircases at the two entrances on the north side.

Wheelchair spaces

…will now be set up on the east side of the arena, since there are only ground-level toilets that can be used by wheelchair users. Wheelchair users use the VIP/media entrance on the north side.

The broadcast on TV

…starts live on Magenta Sport at 8:15 p.m. Stefan Koch comments on the game. Stefanie Blochwitz conducts the field interviews.

The Quarterfinals

… started on Saturday with the game between the Hakro Merlins Crailsheim and the MHP giants Ludwigsburg. 95:69 the Ludwigsburg prevailed over the Merlins. The Ludwigsburg team needed almost five minutes to groove into cup mode. After a 13:8 lead by Crailsheim, the giants took over and delivered an almost perfect first half (54:35). Crailsheim didn’t find his rhythm at all offensively. At the latest when the outstanding Isaiah Whitehead and Prentiss Hubb increased the lead to 34 points (73:39/28.) with a three-pointer, the mass was read early in the evening. In the last quarter, only a relaxed phase-out was announced: Crailsheim still scored a few respectable points, Ludwigsburg easily rocked the 95:69 to the finish.

In addition to the game in Göttingen late in the evening, there are two other matches on Sunday: The game between EWE Baskets Oldenburg and MLP Academics Heidelberg starts at 3 p.m. FC Bayern Munich and medi Bayreuth will then face each other at 6 p.m.

The draw

… of the semi-finals that took place as part of the Top Four tournament on 18/19. February will be played after the game in the Sparkassen-Arena. The teams will be drawn on site by BBL Managing Director Dr. Stefan Holz and boxing talent Lena Büchner and broadcast live by MagentaSport.