Samsung and Hana enter their league opener with different ways to control the pace. Samsung wants early shots from new passing options, while Hana wants pressure and interior touches. KoGas and Anyang bring a different clash: KoGas has two creators and several finishers, while Anyang can score through its domestic guards even when its foreign rotation changes. In both games, the first defensive stop and rebound should shape the next attack.
Samsung has lost Bae Hye-yoon's post creation, so Lee Hae-ran and Kang Yu-rim need quicker looks from Miyasaka Momona and Han Ya-eun. Both newcomers played throughout the cup, giving Samsung more than one outlet against Hana's pressure. Hana can work through Jin An, Saki Iijima and its perimeter scorers, but Yang In-young missed its last reported cup game after a rib injury and her role in this opener is unconfirmed. Samsung's rest and home pace give it a route to stay close even if Hana wins stretches inside. That's why I'm siding with Samsung to keep this competitive.
KoGas can start through Belangel, then give Aluma the ball as a second creator while Ra Gun-ah and the wings finish the next action. Anyang's Byun Jun-hyung, Park Ji-hoon and Moon Yu-hyeon can answer with pressure and their own scoring routes, as the KT game showed. Mooney is on the injured list and missed Anyang's last game; Thomas returned in that game, while Reid's foul trouble disrupted the interior rotation. KoGas can test that coverage with paint touches, useful kick-outs and a rebound after its first stop, then carry a close game into the late possessions. That's why I'm siding with KoGas to win at home.
