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Viewers will still have good basketball

Hagen have shown in the first game weeks why they had the best offence in the league last year. Rasta have had the best offence in the 2nd league last season, and have not changed their play style by entering the top league.

Hagen have missed the last leg so they have maximal efficiency after playing two matches. They picked up this season right where they left last season. They still play fast basketball with a  run and gun offense, and their defense is a combination of pressing and double teaming which forces their opponent to end their attacks quickly. They defeated Bayreuth like this in the last leg. It was not easy. They were falling behind until the last quarter, even in the final moments of the game, but they shot great when they needed to. They scored 36 points in the last 10 minutes.

- I'm happy because I knew it would be difficult against Bayreuth. We were better in the beginning, then the opponent was, then we were at the end - said coach Ingo Freyer who was true to his tactics.

He played again without a real center. This is ideal for fast play. This is how they managed 76 shots from the game. They also had 19 free throws. The back David Bell was the top scorer with 23 points, the wing Larry Gordon added 20 with 12 rebounds.

They will be playing against league rookies who Freyer has respect for. He watched them live in Bonn on Wednesday:

- Physically they are a strong team who always gives 100%. The play Williams is particularity good. He is literally all over the place.

Hagen probably wont be able to use their only real center Bernda Kruel who has the flu. He only played for a few minutes. He'll probably stay on the bench, but it's a question how much the coach will use him.

The guests from Vechta will accept the hosts style of play. Rasta have played similarly in the first three game weeks. Their offence is strong, their defense not so much. They managed to keep up with Telekom until the end of the last quarter. Then the experience and quality of the opponent took over. Rasta received 96 points. Another proof that they are not a convincing team. Their attack did not look bad. They had 64 shots with 53% efficiency. If they did better in free throws (9/18) they might have been a bigger threat.

- We knew we had a hard task in Bonn. I'm happy with the performance of the team in the first three legs. It's clear we're going to need more time to get used to playing in the 1st league - coach Pat Elzie admitted.

They lost 16 balls against Telekom. This might be a problem today against Hagen, especially if they run around. The good thing from the last match is that they had 12 rebounds more.

There's no doubt that we'll see great basketball in Hagen today. The home team, if we take into consideration the preparation matches, averages 96 points. Rasta had an average of 93 in the 2nd league last year. It's hard to compare the 1st and 2nd league obviously, but the guest's style of play remained the same, as well as the coach. The crucial thing for the guests will be the way they adapt to a somewhat uneven defense of the home team and whether they will raise their shot efficiency up three points.

Hagen's style is well-known, and today they'll face the team that plays basically the same. Run and gun style of the home team almost can't get a better opponent than Rasta who continued the very fast game in the first league, just like last year when they had 93 points per game in the second league. Hagen will be able to develop their game, and with a constant pressure and double teaming in the defense, they'll force the guests to shorter offenses. Home team had 92 points total against the Bayreuth in the last round, a round before Wurzburg 86, and Bayreuth has a really good defense. They had 99 points per game in the pre-season. For example, they had 101 total against Telekom, and Rasta conceded 96 total by Telekom a few days prior. Hagen had 76 shoots out of the game against Bayreuth, with 30-ish free throws. It best describes their game. The 93 points margin seems pretty high, but considering the home team style of play, and the similar style by the guests, that margin seems very reachable.