It's all set: The BBL season 2018/2019 begins with the difficult away game of the German champion in Ulm on Friday evening , the 28th of August at 19:00 CEST. The premiere of the Bavarian basketball team in the Neu-Ulm arena has long been sold out with 6,200 spectators. The game will be broadcast - like any other Bavarian game - on Entertain TV, "Telekom Sport", the club channel "FC Bayern TV LIVE" starting at 18:45. In addition, the free TV channel SPORT1 will be there live, which will then show a top match from the league every Sunday at 15:00 CEST/CET.
The double winner will present themselves to their own audience in the Audi Dome for the first time in the coming week, in the BBL on the upcoming holiday (German Unification Day, October 3rd at 15:00 CEST.) against the rising stars Rasta Vechta and in the cup round of the last sixteen on Sunday (7th of October, 15:00 CEST.) against the Giessen 46ers.
The Bavarians are heading into their eighth BBL season as championship favorites and at least 14 of the 18 coaches in a dpa survey named FCBB as the most likely candidate for the title. President Uli Hoeneß and Managing Director Marko Pesic have also "given title defense top priority". However, this does not change the fact that the Munich-based company sees the competition from Berlin and Bamberg in particular as serious title contenders, especially as the Bavarians will face the new challenge of the EuroLeague.
The Bavarians will enter the European premier league on October 11th with a home match against Efes Istanbul. Before that, the start in the easyCredit BBL is waiting for the Ulmers, who after a disappointing season without playoff participation have set their sights high.
"In my opinion, Ulm is a very good team this year, they have strengthened themselves with individually strong, physical players," FCBB coach Dejan Radonjic noticed from a distance. "As always, they are very offensively oriented, we have to adjust well to their transition on defense. We know that they have an excellent atmosphere in their own hall."
New for the Ulm team is the physically strong US-Guard Patrick Miller, who last season was in Partizan Belgrade (15,3 ppg in the Adriatic-League) and Gaziantep in Turkey (16.9 ppg). The team of coach Thorsten Leibenath, who is going into his eighth season with the Bavarian/Swabians, was joined by Forward Dwayne Evans from league competitor Ludwigsburg and by the second Italian league US-Forward, Javonte Green as well as Maximilan Ugrai (Jena).
"The first game of the season is always very difficult, but we want to go in with full intensity and win unconditionally," said Bayern captain Danilo Barthel before departing on Thursday evening. The current balance speaks clearly for the Bavarians (11-6), the last victoriy for the Ulmers came in 2016. Last season, the Munich team won both the league game and the cup semi-final in Ulm.
THE SCHEDULE:
- Friday, September 28th, 19:00 CEST: ratiopharm Ulm - FCBB (1st matchday BBL)
- Wednesday, October 3rd, 15:00 CEST: FCBB - Rasta Vechta (2nd matchday BBL)
- Sunday, October 7th, 15:00 CEST: FCBB - Giessen 46ers (cup round of 16)
- Thursday, October 11th, 20:30 CEST: FCBB - Efes Istanbul (1st matchday Euroleague)
- Sunday, October 14th, 15:00 CEST: Löwen Braunschweig - FCBB (3rd matchday BBL)
- Tuesday, October 16th, 20:30 CEST: FCBB - Panathinaikos Athens (2nd matchday EuroLeague)
- Thursday, October 18th, 21:00 CEST: FC Barcelona - FCBB (3rd matchday EuroLeague)
- Sunday, October 21st, 18:00 CEST: FCBB - Telekom Bonn (4th matchday BBL)