36ers ready for Tassie's 'cheap hits'

Thursday's blockbuster between Adelaide and Tasmania shapes as one of the games of the Hungry Jack's NBL26 season to date.

Firstly, it'll pit the two Bryces - Cotton and Hamilton -against one another, with both being in the mix for the 2025-26 MVP thus far.

Secondly, the Round 4 fixture will see the 2-0 36ers take on the JackJumpers, who have won all three of their road matches this campaign.

"They [Tasmania] are probably referring to themselves as 'road dawgs' right now, so it's up to us to slow down their momentum early," 36ers star Dejan Vasiljevic said on Wednesday's episode of NBL Now.

"The key is cutting off the head of the snake, which is Bryce Hamilton - who I'm surprised is not in more MVP discussions.

"But we also still need to keep an eye on Will Magnay and Josh Bannan, who like to bully down in the post.

"[Against this team] we've got to utilise every advantage we can to compete at a high level."

Adelaide, who have opened the season with two wins for the first time since 2008, know they're going to have to deal with Tasmania's 'grit and toughness' if they are to move to 3-0 on the season — something that hasn't happened since 2000.

"They [Tasmania] play with tough grit — they can push, they can shove, they can get away with little cheap hits," the two-time NBL champion said.

"Then they crash the glass hard, so it's up to us to limit them to one shot.

"Because if we do, with the NBA system we're trying to play under Mike [Wells] by playing fast, it'll allow us to get out, push the pace and play fast."

The Round 4 fixture at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre tips off at 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.