Mersin vs Unicaja – Preview & Prediction (Nov. 12, 2025)

Mersin has suffered two consecutive defeats, but both came against very strong opponents — Galatasaray (79-85) and Fenerbahce (79-87). In the FIBA Champions League, they hold two wins and one loss, showing plenty of quality except in the matchup against their next opponent, Unicaja, which they lost convincingly. Mersin doesn’t have great depth in their roster, and that becomes evident in the demanding schedule when European games add extra fatigue. They play with a short rotation, which becomes a major issue when facing top-level opponents, as was the case in their last two games.

Mersin has a very solid starting five, but the problem lies in the bench contribution. In the FIBA Champions League, their most efficient player has been Anthony Cowan, averaging 14 points per game. Alongside him, Justin Cobbs has been extremely important, averaging 12 points and 3.7 assists, and he’s been even more effective in recent Turkish Super League games. Jack White has been inconsistent, clearly not yet reaching his full potential. In the frontcourt, Ben Bentil and Francisco Cruz stand out, while Gabriel Olaseni adds important depth inside — though with him, the list of players capable of maintaining a high rhythm essentially ends.

After several excellent seasons, Unicaja is showing some weaknesses this year. Although they top their FIBA Champions League group with a perfect 3-0 record, the team doesn’t seem to be at last season’s level, which is understandable given numerous roster changes. Still, their opponents so far have been relatively weak, and Unicaja averages 90.3 points per game with an impressive 42% from three-point range. They are also among the best teams in assists (21.2 per game), though they still have room for improvement in rebounding.

Kendrick Perry remains Unicaja’s key player in this competition, averaging 14.3 points per game, and it was expected that he would receive strong support from Xavier Castaneda. However, Castaneda has yet to deliver performances that match his potential. Tyson Perez contributes on both ends of the floor and is currently the team’s leading rebounder in the FIBA Champions League. Chris Duarte has been inconsistent, performing at a high level only in certain games, while in the paint, the team relies heavily on Aleksander Balcerowski, who plays a crucial role in defensive rebounding.