Bamberg Baskets in quarterfinal mode: Seven games unbeaten before match in Neu-Ulm

The BMA365 Bamberg Baskets go into the next playoff duel against ratiopharm ulm with momentum. Seven games without defeat and nine wins from the last ten games have clearly pushed the form curve upwards towards the quarterfinals. After 34 season games, Bamberg stands in the easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga 2025/2026 with 48 points in third place – and will travel to Neu-Ulm on May 23.

Two narrow home wins against Ulm – and a test that intensifies

The fact that Bamberg has recently won twice against the same opponent adds extra excitement to the series. On May 16, the team won at home 80:74 against Ulm, followed by another close game on May 18, which Bamberg won 90:87. The 102:83 home win against Telekom Baskets Bonn on May 10 also fits this picture: Bamberg is currently not only winning, but also repeatedly setting offensive accents.

The two Ulm games also show two central playoff patterns: On the one hand, Bamberg can control games (80:74), on the other hand, the team has recently found solutions even under the high pressure of a close endgame (90:87). Notable: In the game on May 16, Demarcus Demonia led the Bamberg team as top scorer, while in the 90:87, Ulm's Mark Smith was the best scorer of the game – an indication that individual Ulm runs and scoring peaks challenge Bamberg, but have not been enough lately.

Strong offensively, under pressure in rebounding: the structure of the season

The season record underlines why Bamberg goes into this away game with self-confidence: 24 wins and 10 losses correspond to a win rate of 70.6 percent. Remarkable is the balance between home and away: Bamberg won twelve times each at home and in foreign arenas; the ten defeats are also evenly split into five home and five away losses.

The most important stability factor is the offense. Bamberg scores an average of 89.6 points per game (opponents: 81.6), plus 18.5 assists per game (opponents: 16.8) and a field goal percentage of 47.7 percent (opponents: 42.2). The profile behind this is clear: Bamberg does not rely only on individual shots, but on ball movement and efficiency in finishing – an approach that is particularly valuable in playoff series because it seems less dependent on a single "hot" scorer.

However, one risk remains structurally inherent: rebounding. With 35.3 rebounds per game, Bamberg is below the opponent's value of 40. This is exactly where a series can tip – not because of a single bad shooting day, but because second chances, additional possessions, and longer defensive sequences can neutralize one's own offensive quality. For Bamberg, it will therefore be crucial in Neu-Ulm that the strong shooting percentage is not devalued by too many Ulm extra attacks.

Game in Neu-Ulm: Stage for the next step

On Saturday, May 23, 2026, the next duel in Neu-Ulm is on – played in the ratiopharm arena. The series thus enters a phase in which home advantage, adjustments, and details weigh more heavily than in the main round. The game is also scheduled to be broadcast on DYN, Welt, and in the Sport-Bild stream.

Further encounters against Ulm are already scheduled: On May 25, another game will take place in Neu-Ulm, and on May 27, the next duel will follow in Bamberg.

Coach Anton Gavel works with a clearly defined staff: Arne Woltmann and Stefan Weissenböck also belong to the coaching team. The squad comprises 13 players with an average age of 25.5 years, distributed among five forwards, five guards, and three centers – a setup that allows for rotations and has also covered different game developments in the previous playoff games.

Bamberg thus travels to Neu-Ulm with a stable season base, current results against the same opponent, and an offensive identity. Whether the series will also hold up away from home will depend above all on whether Bamberg can maintain its efficiency – and at the same time make the decisive rebound duels closer.