Preview: Round 3 Game 1 v South East Melbourne Phoenix

It’s been a long time coming, but finally Melbourne United is back in Victoria to play in front of a home crowd!

After two key road wins to start the season off, United will look to make it three wins on the trot when they take on the South East Melbourne Phoenix at Bendigo Stadium on Sunday in Throwdown V.

Another chapter of the cross-town rivalry will be written on Sunday afternoon and the stars of both teams will be ready to put on a show.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Chris Goulding has started the season on fire and his signature three-point shooting remains one of the best offensive weapons in the league. In the two-point win over Cairns last Monday night, Goulding was instrumental in helping the team get off to a fast start draining his first four long-range attempts.

His teammates have been setting great screens and when the ball movement is on point, Goulding finds ways to fight through the opposition defence to get great looks. Even when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands, he’s such a threat that it forces opposition defences to stay attached to him, which leads to open lanes and space for his teammates to work in.

Goulding is leading the team in scoring (16.5 points per game) and has connected on a very healthy 45% (9/20) of three-point attempts in two games so far.

KEY MATCH UP

Import guard Keifer Sykes has been terrific for the Phoenix and Mitch McCarron will have his work cut out trying to limit his impact on the game. Just as he always is, McCarron will be ready for the challenge.

In South East Melbourne’s win over Adelaide in Round 2, Sykes led the way with 24 points and 8 assists, including four triples. He’s more than capable of scoring in a variety of ways, but he’s also already proven to be a great passer, so United’s defence will need to be locked in.

McCarron is averaging an equal team-high three assists per game, and while his scoring numbers don’t jump out at you, his defensive pressure has been elite. He never allows the opposing point guard any time or space and with Shea Ili and Yudai Baba rotating through that position as well, Melbourne has a three-pronged point guard line-up that is relentless defensively.

THE OTHER GUYS

South East Melbourne has also been on the road to start their season and this will be their first game in Victoria, after trips to Adelaide and Perth.

Mitch Creek has been leading the Phoenix in scoring with just over 20 points per game, while also averaging 6 rebounds. His energy and leadership is infectious and it will require a team effort to slow him down.

Former United player, Kyle Adnam doesn’t start for South East Melbourne, but he is one of their most influential players; he’s a pocket rocket and just never stops going. Averaging a career-high 13.3 points per game, Adnam is definitely a player to keep an eye on.

Kiwi big man Yannick Wetzell has been a beast on the boards in his first season with the Phoenix and with United having started the season off very strongly in that department, it will be a great battle between the likes of Wetzell (9.6 rebounds per game) and Ben Moore (8.3 rebounds) against Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. (11.5 rebounds) and Jock Landale (8 rebounds).

GAME INFO

Who: Melbourne United v South East Melbourne Phoenix.
Tip off: 3:00pm (AEDT), Sunday 31 January.
Where: Bendigo Basketball Stadium, Bendigo.
Watch: SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand.