Tofas Bursa – Cholet Basket Preview & Where to Watch

• → Game to take place at the Tofaş Spor Salonu, Bursa on Tuesday, 6 January 2026 at 20:00 Local Time (TRT)
• → Form check: Tofaş closed 2025 by beating Bahçeşehir 92–82 at home; Cholet shook off heavy losses to Paris and Monaco with a 94–84 win at Le Portel, bossing the glass.
• → Context: A Round of 16 split in 2023/24 and two razor-thin Tofaş home losses in past Play-Ins set the tone. Best-of-three, Game 1 in Bursa.

Paint math meets paint volume

Tofaş lean into high-efficiency twos and half-court control. Alex Perez has the ball on a string and has been in full command lately: the San Diego native even flirted with a triple-double in the OT comeback against Trapani. Around him, Marek Blaževič gives them reliable post touches and short-roll decisions, with 17 points per game and a borderline top-10 true shooting of 70%. Hugo Besson’s spacing keeps help honest. The formula: win the middle of the floor, keep turnovers down, and let Perez dictate tempo.

The visitors’ rim pressure

Cholet’s identity is direct: get downhill, live on twos, and punish the boards. That Le Portel win came with a monstrous rebounding edge and wave after wave of second-chance looks—exactly the profile that travels in Play-Ins. TJ Campbell’s table-setting stabilizes the half-court, Gerald Ayayi’s shot creation has ticked up, and Mohamed Diarra’s activity around the cup gives them extra possessions without needing a blistering shooting night.

Inside the margins

• Second chances: Trapani and Rytas have set the pace defensively here this season, but Cholet have been right near the bottom in second-chance scoring - if they flip that script through Diarra and Qudus Wahab, Bursa’s defensive rebounding will be stressed.
• Two-point economy: Tofaş derive the league’s highest share of points from twos; Cholet lead the competition in twos made per game. Whichever side drags the other out of its comfort zone—via early help, weak-side tags, or packing the lane, tilts the night.
• Late-game nerve: Bursa’s OT escape over Trapani showed real composure. Game 1s often swing on decision-making in the final three minutes; Perez-led execution vs. Cholet’s physicality could be the separator.

Stakes

Game 1 leverage in a best-of-three. Tofaş are chasing a statement home win after narrow Play-Ins heartbreaks in 2023 (AEK by three) and 2024 (PAOK by one). Cholet are out to carry their domestic bounce-back onto the European stage and steal home-court with pressure on the rim and the glass.

How to watch Tofaş vs Cholet

Watch Tofaş Bursa vs Cholet Basket live from the Tofaş Spor Salonu on Courtside 1891. You can watch for free with a Courtside 1891 Plus account.