Zenit will face Uralmash in the Quarterfinal series.
Games schedule
Game # 1. April 22, 19:30 (Moscow time), St. Petersburg, KSC Arena
Game # 2. April 24, 18:30 (Moscow time), St. Petersburg, KSC Arena
Game # 3. April 27, 17:00 (Moscow time), Yekaterinburg, SAUSO DIVS
Game # 4. April 29, 15:00 (Moscow time), Yekaterinburg, SAUSO DIVS*
Game # 5. May 2, 19:30 (Moscow time), St. Petersburg, KSC Arena*
* – if necessary.
Regular Season
Zenit: 2nd place (26 wins and 10 losses)
Uralmash: 7th place (26 wins and 14 losses).
Rivalry
Uralmash made their VTB United League debut in St. Petersburg. Zenit was the absolute favorite – in the off-season the team signed Kyle Kuric and Bojan Dubljevic. By that time, the renewed team had already won the League SuperCup, so the newcomer prospects in this game were questionable.
But all predictions were overturned in the first half. Uralmash did not let the opponent to score only 38 points in 2 quarters. Then the St. Petersburg team seemed to catch the rhythm and took the lead. But the Yekaterinburg team pulled Zenit back in the end, where Josh Perkins made a contested shot, guaranteeing the team its first win of the season.
2 months later, Uralmash played at home. Then, Zenit again could not create a comfortable lead. The teams combined for only 120 points. The Yekaterinburg team was behind for 39 minutes, and only after a long-range shot by Anton Glazunov were they able to tie. However, Kyle Kuric free throw allowed Zenit to avoid loss.
Why Zenit can win
Xavier Pascual team game against Uralmash can not be called confident. But there were reasons for this – in the first game the new squad lacked chemistry, and the second missed more than 5 players.
Now Zenit is in top shape – the St. Petersburg team has passed the second stage with 9 wins and 1 loss, beat Uralmash in the Russian Cup and strengthened the squad before the Playoffs. Adrien Moerman and Bojan Dubljevic were replaced by Juwan Morgan and Josh Carlton. The newcomers will strengthen the team and help to cope with Octavius Ellis in the paint.
The St. Petersburg team is slightly ahead of their future opponent in terms of offensive quality. But the team is ahead in defense as it allowed opponents to score less this season. Defensive chemistry with one of the best defenders in the League (Georgy Zhbanov) may become an obstacle for Uralmash.
Another important factor is the depth of the rotation. Zenit has at least 10 players who were leaders on their teams at different stages of their pro careers, so the coaching staff has a lot of options in offense. The Yekaterinburg team has less offensive voptions, and in the play-in played with 7 players rotation.
Why Uralmash can win
Since their last VTB League game with Zenit, there have been significant changes: Stanley Whittaker replaced Josh Perkins and Rostislav Vergun became head coach.
The Belarusian specialist has made Uralmash’s offense more systematic – the team is in the Top 2 in average assists (19.8). Uralmash is strong not only in combination play – each player in the starting five is capable of scoring 20 or more points in a single game with individual skills.
Zenit defense is strong, but not perfect. Over the season, the St. Petersburg team has struggled problems with Jeremiah Martin, Nenad Dimitrijevic and Casper Ware. Stanley Whittaker and Garrett Nevels, who have been playing consistently all season, could be considered the same type of players.
The Yekaterinburg team approach the Playoffs as underdog, but with a 9-game winning streak. A successful stretch can also give the team confidence.
X-factor
Stanley Whittaker
The American guard moved to Uralmash from the Italian championship and in a month and a half went from a role player to the team starting point guard and leading scorer.
His contribution to the game is great, as Zenit played both games against the Yekaterinburg team before Stanley appeared. Whittaker looks preferable to the St. Petersburg team defenders in individual matchups, as he is more experienced than Trent Frazier and more athletic than Tomas Heurtel.
