Melbourne United vs Tasmania JackJumpers NBL26 Round 17 Tips - Tassie to put United in Chokehold at Hoops Fest

Ryan Tucker

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Last updated: Wed 14 Jan 2026 13:12

Ryan Tucker 14 Jan 2026

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Melbourne United vs Tasmania JackJumpers expert predictions for Saturday’s Round 17 NBL Hoops Fest matchup
Tip-off is at 9:30 PM AEDT at RAC Arena
Tasmania favored with strong defense, ranked 1st with only 81.9 pts allowed in recent games.
Melbourne's scoring and defense have declined, now 6th in scoring since initial rounds.
Betting tip: Tasmania at -2.5, game total under 175.5, and Josh Bannan for 3 assists.

Melbourne United vs Tasmania JackJumpers NBL26 Round 17 Tips

Melbourne United vs Tasmania JackJumpers NBL25 Round 17 Expert Tips

The 4th and final meeting of the regular season for these two teams with Tasmania tipped to wrap up the series at Hoops Fest thanks to their stellar defence which has become even tougher over the past few weeks.

Melbourne United vs Tasmania JackJumpers NBL25 Round 17 Expert Tips
Head to Head
Last 5 Match Results
Offensive & Defensive Rankings
Melbourne United Form & Team News
Tasmania JackJumpers Form & Team News
Melbourne United vs Tasmania JackJumpers Frequently Asked Questions

Tasmania head into Hoops Fest with the current best defence in the NBL. On the season they rank 1st with 84.8 pts to opponents per game which has shrunk to 81.9 pts per game over the last 6 rounds despite the majority of teams picking up their scoring in the same span.

Melbourne are not one of those teams whose scoring has increased. They went from a league leading 97.3 pts per game in rounds 1-10 to 88.4 pts and a 6th ranked scoring since. Their perimeter shooting has taken a major blow and defensively they look out of time, out of shape and out of answers.

Injuries have played their part but Melbourne have through the years always been able to manage rotations effectively and produce a competitive team. It is likely they return to an elite level this season, but it’s probably not in this game against an elite defensive unit in Tasmania.

Take Tassie as the -2.5 favourite, the Game Total under 175.5 pts, Josh Bannan to have 3 assists as we stay away from points totals in a low scoring game.

Tasmania have covered this line in their 4 previous wins against Melbourne. They have also won 2 of the 3 matches played this season.
3 straight games have gone Under the Game Total, even when Melbourne have been scoring well.
Josh Bannan had 4 assists in his last matchup against Melbourne and has reached 3 in 5 of his last 9 games.
Melbourne are giving up the 5th most assists to opponents over the past 10 games.

Head to Head

Last 5 Match Results

Date	Home Team	Score	Line	Total Points
03/01/2026	TAS	TAS 84-75	TAS -1.5	U 176.0
23/12/2025	MEL	TAS 92-73	TAS +6.5	U 180.0
18/09/2025	TAS	MEL 88-84	MEL +3.0	U 179.0
01/02/2025	MEL	MEL 94-92	TAS +11.5	O 181.5
23/12/2024	MEL	TAS 97-91	TAS +8.0	O 183.0

Offensive & Defensive Rankings

MEL Off	Rank	Stat	Rank	TAS Def
93.8	3	PPG	1	84.8
42.7	3	RPG	2	40.5
44.7%	7	FG%	3	43.8%
31.6%	8	3P%	6	32.3%
11.8	6	TOV	6	10.8

MEL Def	Rank	Stat	Rank	TAS Off
89.2	5	PPG	8	85.6
41	4	RPG	7	41.8
44.9%	6	FG%	6	44.7%
37.7%	10	3P%	6	32.6%
13.6	2	TOV	4	10.9

Melbourne United Form & Team News

Melbourne sunk to their 3rd straight loss on Sunday against the Sydney Kings 97-94 just days after losing 93-92 against the Cairns Taipans.

United’s shooting consistency is still problematic. In the loss to the Taipans they shot just 24.2% from distance, despite Chris Goulding hitting 45% of his perimeter shots. The loss against Sydney they at least got the number up to 30.6% but they are still short of the 3rd best number of 33.1% they had before the break between Rounds 10 and 11.

Add to that they are now ranked 8th in opposition points over the last 6 rounds, allowing 94.1 pts per game to opponents.

Tasmania JackJumpers Form & Team News

Tasmania are on a 2 game win streak which has created space between them at 6th spot on the ladder and the New Zealand Breakers down in 7th.

As has been the trend for the bottom 6 teams, home court wins have been especially hard to come by this season, Tasmania taking just 4 of 12 games on the Island. Their most recent thought, against Melbourne United on January 3rd.

Their away record of 8-5 is significantly better and it is the lockdown defence that is getting them home. The JackJumpers are the number 1 ranked defence over the last 6 rounds, allowing just 81.9 pts per game to opponents. With the slow pace, their scoring does suffer, putting up just 85.4 per game, but it is still a net positive.

Melbourne United vs Tasmania JackJumpers Frequently Asked Questions

What time does Melbourne United vs Tasmania JackJumpers start?

Tip-off between Melbourne United vs Tasmania JackJumpers is at 9:30 PM AEDT, Saturday, January 17

What channel is Melbourne United vs Tasmania JackJumpers on?

You can watch Melbourne United vs Tasmania JackJumpers on ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel.

Verdict

Melbourne United v Tasmania JackJumpers

Take Tassie as the -2.5 favourite, the Game Total under 175.5 pts, Josh Bannan to have 3 assists as we stay away from points totals in a low scoring game.