Melbourne's perfect run meets its biggest hurdle

Melbourne United's depth once again shone on Friday night, but coach Dean Vickerman knows the real test is about to begin.

With Shea Ili sidelined, the task of containing Bryce Cotton on Sunday now falls to Tyson Walker and Dash Daniels, as Melbourne prepares to face the in-form Adelaide 36ers.

United moved to 8-0 after a 94-67 win in Cairns, having won their opening eight games by an average of 19.6 points. They’ve done it with balance, depth and composure, but Sunday’s clash with the 5-1 36ers will be their biggest challenge yet.

The Cotton and Ili battles have long been one of the league’s great rivalries, but this time the assignment belongs to others.

Import guard Walker will get the first crack at Cotton, who is averaging 30.7 points and 6.0 assists so far this season, and Next Star Daniels will also spend plenty of time on him. Vickerman is eager to see how they respond.

"From what we understand, it's going to be a sold out John Cain Arena which we always look forward to having that place packed up," Vickerman said.

"We get to challenge ourselves against Bryce who's playing just at a phenomenal level right now and obviously Shea's always been someone that's had the task of trying to slow him down.

"But that falls to Tyson and Dash, and the whole group but I'm really looking forward to playing this game Sunday."

In the 27-point win in Cairns, Melbourne had all 12 players scoring and 10 out there for at least 16 minutes. It allowed Vickerman to keep everyone as fresh as possible for the clash with Adelaide.

One new face who has been a revelation is powerhouse Dutch big man Jesse Edwards, who is averaging 12.6 points and 8.5 rebounds, while providing a strong physical presence.

He added another 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks in Cairns, and believes the team’s depth is what truly sets this United group apart.

"I think there's a bunch of reasons but we've got such a great depth of guys and there's no drop-off at all when anybody comes in," Edwards said.

"Everybody in this game got a point, everybody literally contributed and there wasn’t a single time that there's a lineup on the court that you think there's going to be issues out there.

"That gives a lot of confidence to the guys on the court to go hard and not be afraid of anybody on the bench coming in because you know they can pick it up right where you left off.

"There's a bunch of things good about this team but that's one of the main ones for sure."