Where:
Basket Hall (capacity 7,000), Kazan, Russia
When:
6:00 PM (6:00 MSK), March 12, 2017
First Encounter
The Situation
Two teams from the Big Five meet on Sunday in the Basket Hall. Both are dealing with challenging circumstances, though with little in common.
The Problem
Readers should exercise extreme caution with what they are about to read… Including the Euroleague, Kazan has lost 15 of its last 18 games. The most recent defeat in Barcelona eliminated UNICS from the postseason hunt. Kazan only has wins over Nizhny Novgorod and Kalev in the League, along with a victory against Bamberg on January 12. None of these opponents are exactly setting the world on fire. In fact, it’s been months since Evgeny Pashutin’s club was able to defeat a highly-regarded opponent.
Not surprisingly, UNICS is down to 5th in the League standings. Unless the club can turn things around, Kazan is in line for a tough first-round matchup without home-court advantage. Given the challenging circumstances, the front office could be forced to take radical measures.
Zenit, on the other hand, has won nine in a row in the League, including a statement win against reigning champs CSKA. Vasily Karasev’s club has been tied for 2nd place with Khimki for several weeks, trailing CSKA by a game. But plenty of work remains to be done. Lokomotiv is nipping at Zenit’s heels, while UNICS would love to make a late charge at a top-four seed.
Speaking of Loko, Zenit’s biggest disappointment of the season came in the recently Eurocup quarterfinals. Facing Lokomotiv-Kuban, St. Petersburg saw its title ambitions go up in flames with a comprehensive 2-0 series defeat.
Be There Tomorrow
There’s time to bounce back. With both UNICS and Zenit effectively eliminated from the European cup playoffs, the attention shifts to the VTB United League. A positive outcome in the League–reaching the Finals–could erase February and March’s bad memories and allow one of these teams to view the 2016-17 campaign as a success. The chase begins now. UNICS needs to bust its slump, while Zenit is searching for a favorable playoff seed. The stakes are high on Sunday.
Face to Face
Since Zenit’s debut in the League two seasons ago, the clubs have met four times in the regular season, splitting the series both times. Last year, Kazan and St. Petersburg took the competition to the next level, going the distance in a heated five-game semifinal series. UNICS ultimately emerged victorious, 3-2, advancing to the finals. Kazan also won the first meeting this season in St. Petersburg to pick up a 6-4 lead in the all-time standings.
Looking Back
Can’t Miss
UNICS star Keith Langford could become the League’s all-time scoring leader on Sunday. He needs to catch Vitaly Fridzon, who’s sitting on 1841 points. Langford has 1825. Of course, Fridzon isn’t going to give up his crown easily. CSKA faces VEF on Sunday, giving the Russian a chance to stay in front of Langford.
Langford will also be playing in his 100th game in the League on Sunday.
Elevated Playmaking
Quino Colom and Stefan Markovic are easily the League’s top two assist-men. Colom is distributing 8.2 assists per game, while Markovic is dishing out 8.1 dimes on average. The Zenit guard set a new season record in late February, recording 17 assists against Enisey. Last week, Colom responded with a 16-assist performance against Kalev. The rivalry goes to the next level on Sunday when they meet on the court.
Quotes
UNICS head coach Evgeny Pashutin:
– Zenit likes to run: Apply pressure on defense and attack on offense. We need to neutralize St. Petersburg’s leaders: Sergey Karasev, Ryan Toolson. Kyle Landry is dangerous under the basket. We need to be especially careful with the perimeter shooting. Zenit doesn’t forgive mistakes. We have to move the ball and be a united team.
Zenit head coach Vasily Karasev:
– The remaining games are very important to us. If we want to finish in the top-three, we have to win. We’re preparing and getting ready for the game: UNICS is a Euroleague team with a good roster. Yes, they’ve had some setbacks and bad luck. Overall, they are playing good basketball and only lost to CSKA by four points. The game will be challenging. We’re on the road and they are even better at home.
