Heidelberg versus Würzburg: The big basketball duel is coming!

Heidelberg versus Würzburg: The big basketball duel is coming!

Attention basketball fans! On Saturday, October 25th, the MLP Academics Heidelberg will meet the Fitness First Würzburg Baskets in the SNP Dome. The duel between the two playoff semi-finalists promises a lot of excitement, especially given the current form curves. While Heidelberg got off to a rather bumpy start to the season and couldn't win their first five competitive games, Würzburg shone with a flawless six wins in a row. These tendencies could make for an uneven encounter, but as we all know, anything is possible in basketball.

Although Heidelberg is having difficulties in the Bundesliga, there was also a bright spot recently: its first victory in the Champions League came in the round of 16 of the BBL Cup, when the team defeated Ludwigsburg 82:73. However, they recently suffered a defeat in the Champions League against Legia Warsaw 67:74. Würzburg can only dream of that - they had to admit defeat to Oldenburg in the cup with 60:61. In the league, Davion Mintz from the Baskets is the second best scorer in the league with 15.5 points per game and shows why Würzburg is currently at the top.

The key players in focus

DJ Horne for Heidelberg and Davion Mintz for Würzburg are central to the action. Horne has scored an impressive 21.0 points per game in the Champions League this season and will be required despite the further loss of Paul Zipser, who will be out for a longer period due to a broken metacarpal. Mintz, on the other hand, has a completely new team around him and is supported by Brae Ivey, who only needs one more three-pointer to reach the mark of 100 three-pointers in the Bundesliga. Horne even needs four more threes to reach 100 as well.

Both teams are struggling with 16.3 turnovers per game, but Heidelberg has to be particularly careful as they allow the second most turnovers to their opponents (16.8 TPG). The statistics suggest that these teams are seeing two very different approaches to the current season.

The history and framework of the game

So far there have been eight duels between these two teams, of which Würzburg won five. The statistics suggest that the Würzburgers are favorites when it comes to history. Still, the league has its own rules and surprises are always possible. It will soon become clear whether Heidelberg can continue its upward trend or whether Würzburg can continue to outperform the competition in the league.

For all fans who want to follow the game live, the game will be broadcast on Dyn at 7:45 p.m. While the basketball landscape in Germany has experienced a boost due to the national team's great successes, such as the European Championship title in September 2025, this duel could be a further step for the further development of both teams and the entire sport in Germany. MLP will remain the title sponsor of MLP Academics Heidelberg until 2028. Another reason to look forward to this encounter!

The league itself is booming, the easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga has 16 recognized teams, and despite stagnating numbers, interest is showing signs of increasing after last year. Basketball remains a popular sport and the great level of German players, including world champion Dennis Schröder, shows that there is still a lot of potential for improvement.

Be there when the two formations meet this weekend and witness an exciting game!