UNICS will host Zenit in the Game of the Week on Thursday.
Time: 19:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Kazan, Basket Hall
Broadcast: TV Start, Match! Igra, League website.
The closer we get to the end of the regular season, the more valuable it is to win every game. Especially when the 2 teams that claim the top spot in the standings will play!
Rivalry history
The rivalry between Zenit and UNICS has already lasted 39 games in the United League. More than once, the teams have played in the Playoffs, blocking each other’s path to the next rounds. In the Semifinals 2016, UNICS defeated Zenit and advanced to the Finals; 2 years later, the St. Petersburg team won the bronze medal game at the Final Four.
The most recent example is the Semifinals 2023. The battle between UNICS and Zenit came down to the Game 7 in Kazan, where the hosts took the win in the final seconds, celebrating their return to the Finals.
This season
UNICS and Zenit have already played twice in the regular season, and both times the Kazan team got wins.
By the way, the win over Zenit started a 7-game winning streak that ended March 9 in Perm.
Standings
UNICS is at the first place. To be more precise, the team share it with CSKA: both have 24 wins in 31 games. By the way, the Kazan team took over the lead only at the second stage of the regular season.
Zenit is the third, trailing the duo by 2 wins (the St. Petersburg team has 21-9).
That’s why no one wants to lose this game in Kazan. Zenit will actually lose its chances for first place in the regular season with a road loss, and in theory could fall back to fourth place, passing Lokomotiv Kuban ahead.
UNICS will retain a good chance to approach the Playoffs as the best team of the season.
Fact
Zenit is the only team in Group A without a single loss in the second stage of the regular season. Xavier Pascual team beat Lokomotiv Kuban (106:67), CSKA (81:71), PARMA (83:73) and Enisey (98:91).
Top Defensive teams rivalry
Zenit is the best defensive team in the season, letting opponents to score 73.5 points per game. UNICS is not far behind with 74.6 points.
It’s no surprise that the January game in Kazan had a defensive style – UNICS won – 64:61.
Point guard duel
Nenad Dimitrijevic is not only a key figure in Velimir Perasovic system, but also one of the best players of the United League. The guard ranks in the Top 5 in the League in scoring (18.1 points) and assists (6.1), and in the second stage of the regular season he has only improved his stats – 23.2 points on average.
Thomas Heurtel confirms his reputation as a skillful point guard, topping the assists (8.5 per game). The French guard is also second in the St. Petersburg team in scoring (13.9).
Dimitrijevic and Heurtel performance on Thursday in Kazan should certainly be a topic of discussion – both guards can deliver performances in such an important rival for their teams.
