The EWE Baskets Oldenburg host the Telekom Baskets Bonn in the NETTO BBL Cup quarterfinal qualifiers on Friday at 8:00 PM local time (UTC+2) at the Große EWE Arena, where over 5,550 tickets have already been sold, according to club reports. Two victories separate head coach Milenko Bogićević’s squad from reaching the tournament’s Final Four for the third time since 2022.
Chasing a Return to the Final Four After February Defeat
Oldenburg reached the Final Four in February 2026 before bowing out in the semifinals against ALBA BERLIN. Advancing past that stage starts with overcoming a Bonn side that retained nearly its entire roster from last season’s BBL semifinal run. EWE Baskets Seth Hinrichs pointed to a recurring vulnerability in recent fixtures against Hamburg, Munich, and Hagen, where slow starts consistently left the team chasing deficits.
We have to put our stamp on the game from the very beginning,
Hinrichs said in an interview published on the club’s website ahead of the cup clash.
Historical Balance Meets Roster Constraints in the 77th Meeting
Friday’s fixture marks the 77th all-time meeting between Oldenburg and Bonn. Only matchups against ALBA BERLIN (85 games) and Bamberg (81 games) feature more frequently on Oldenburg’s historical schedule. The head-to-head record sits dead even at 38 wins apiece in league play, though the EWE Baskets hold a 4:2 advantage in cup competitions.
The team has played recent matches without three creative guards: Le’Tre Darthard, Nate Johnson, and Ja’Qualyn Gilbreath. Nicholas Tischler leads available contributors with 14.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 54.2 percent from beyond the arc. Zach Ensminger adds 10.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, while Jeremy Roach contributes 14.2 points and 4.8 assists. The club confirmed it is uncertain whether any of the sidelined guards will return to the lineup on Friday.
55 Heimspiele in Serie sind wir in der @easyCreditBBL ausverkauft und erhöhen die Kapazität der Großen EWE Arena ab dem Heimspiel gegen die @TelekomBaskets leicht auf 6.335 Plätze. Damit entstehen auch 50 neue Dauerkarten im Stehplatzbereich.🗓️ Der Vorverkauf der Einzeltickets… pic.twitter.com/bIdOn1gcnm
Bonn’s Shift from Defensive Identity to Offensive Efficiency
Under head coach Marko Stankovic—a former assistant to Tuomas Iisalo—Bonn has transitioned from a defensive-first unit into an offensive powerhouse. After retaining their core from last season’s playoff run, the visitors shifted from the league’s weakest three-point shooting team at 27.2 percent to the top-ranked perimeter shooting side at 42 percent efficiency. John-Michael Wright converts 50 percent of his three-point attempts, Patrick Heckmann hits 55.6 percent, Joel Aminu shoots 46.2 percent, and forward Jeff Garrett Jr. connects at 43.5 percent.
While defensive anchors Kur Jongkuch and Tylan Birts remain sidelined with injuries, Bonn’s offense relies on balanced scoring. Wright averages 16 points, Garrett chips in 13.6, and Aminu adds 12.8, complemented by Grayson Murphy’s 6.2 assists per game.
Quarterfinal Qualification Scenarios and Broadcast Details
The winner of Friday’s encounter in Oldenburg advances one step closer to the tournament’s final. Live coverage of all easyCredit BBL and NETTO BBL Cup fixtures streams exclusively on Dyn. Whether Oldenburg’s depleted backcourt can generate the defensive intensity required to disrupt Bonn’s high-efficiency perimeter offense remains the decisive question ahead of the 8:00 PM tip-off.
