The VTB United League opens the New Year with seven games this weekend. Get the scoop n each match-up in our mini-preview.
Thursday, January 5
VEF (Latvia) – Kalev (Estonia)
Time: 7:30 PM (8:30 MSK)
Place: Olimpic Sport Center, Riga, Latvia
TV: VTB-League.com
VEF: The Baltic derby counts eight games, with Riga enjoying a 5-3 advantage. VEF will be favored again on Thursday night, and not only because of the home-court advantage. Kalev is in 2nd-last place, while VEF is in position for a playoff spot. A win against the Estonians would put Riga in even better shape. With one-time leader Mareks Mejeris rejoining the team, VEF has to like its chances against Kalev.
Kalev: Given the mess at the bottom of the standings, Kalev could leapfrog several teams with a win in Riga. Kalev closed 2016 with a narrow defeat to Khimki, whereas VEF got blown out by CSKA, which is reason enough for the Latvians to take Alar Varrak’s club very seriously.
Saturday, January 7
Parma (Russia) – Avtodor (Russia)
Time: 5:30 PM (3:30 MSK)
Place: Molot Sports Hall, Perm, Russia
TV: Match! Nash sport, VTB-League.com
Parma: Ural-based Parma remains winless, despite several narrow defeats. In its final VTB United League game of 2016, Perm came within a Danilo Andjusic free throw of beating UNICS. Though Kazan ultimately won in overtime, Parma certainly gained confidence from its performance. The team went on to beat Ural in the Russian Cup quarterfinals and advance to the Final Four, where Parma will look to repeat as champions.
Avtodor: Though favorites, no one expects Saratov to have it easy in Perm. Vladimir Antsiferov’s recent appointment as head coach hasn’t produced results yet, with Saratov falling to Turkey’s Karsiyaka in the Champions League. Avtodor has struggled on the road this season, posting an 0-4 record and getting outscored by nearly 14 points per game (76.8 – 90.3). Antsiferov’s biggest challenge on Saturday will be figuring out how to improve the defense.
Sunday, January 8
Astana (Kazakhstan) – Nizhny Novgorod (Russia)
Time: 4:00 PM (1:00 MSK)
Place: SC Velotrek, Astana, Kazakhstan
TV: VTB-League.com
Astana: Astana may be in the middle of the standings, but doesn’t have a big margin of error. A few losses could see the team drop out of the top-eight. On the other hand, a mini-winning streak and the Kazakhs might be able to catch Zenit in 5th place. After two big defeats to Zenit and Lokomotiv-Kuban, Astana can’t afford to drop a game to a team below it in the standings. The home team’s goal will be to take advantage of Nizhny’s imbalance. Despite a dangerous offense, Nizhny is last in points allowed, giving up 95.8 per game on average.
Nizhny Novgorod: That said, Nizhny could prove a tough nut to crack. The team has played better in recent weeks, smashing Parma, 115-94 (a new club record for points) and surprising Zenit in the Eurocup Top 16. Nizhny dropped 113 points on St. Petersburg, and head coach Arturs Stalbergs has even compared his team to the Warriors.
Lokomotiv-Kuban (Russia) – UNICS (Russia)
Time: 4:30 PM (4:30 MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Krasnodar, Russia
TV: Match! Nash sport, VTB-League.com
Lokomotiv-Kuban: There are two big showdowns this weekend in the League, including Loko vs. UNICS. Both teams are determined to win: Kuban hopes to crack the top-three, while Kazan could even move into 1st place with a win. Prior to Sunday’s match-up, Lokomotiv crushed Gran Canaria in the Eurocup Top 16, 86-71. Head coach Sasa Obradovic was worried his team might be rusty after a two-week break, but Krasnodar doesn’t appear to show any sign of slowing down.
UNICS: Sunday’s game will also feature a contrast in playing styles. The League’s second-best offense (92.9 per game, trailing CSKA by only 0.2 points) goes up against the stingiest defense. Loko remains the only team in the League conceding less than 70 per game and Evgeny Pashutin’s simple, efficient approach could hit some roadblocks in Krasnodar. Keith Langford is easily Kazan’s biggest weapon, winning another Euroleague MVP award last week and getting named of the Euroleague’s top five players in the first half of the season. UNICS fans are also eagerly waiting Coty Clarke’s return, but whether Kazan’s “Draymond Green” will be able to play in Krasnodar is unclear.
VEF (Latvia) – Enisey (Russia)
Time: 4:00 PM (5:00 MSK)
Place: Olimpic Sport Center, Latvia, Riga
TV: VTB-League.com
VEF: Enisey and VEF are neighbors in the standings, and a VEF win over Kalev on Thursday would put significant pressure on the Siberians. VEF hasn’t lost yet at home, but only played twice in Riga. Krasnoyarsk usually takes a conservative approach on the road, looking to slow down its opponent. Riga’s challenge is to outgun the opposition (the strategy has worked in the team’s first two home games).
Enisey: Oleg Okulov’s men cruised to a 30-point win over Benfica in the FIBA Europe Cup on January 4. There’s another reason for optimism: League veteran Anthony Hilliard (ex-Bisons and Minsk) joined the team over the New Year and is likely to improve Enisey’s attacking potential, with his debut coming against VEF in Riga.
Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus) – CSKA (Russia)
Time: 5:30 PM (5:30 MSK)
Place: Minsk Arena, Minsk, Belarus
TV: VTB-League.com
Tsmoki-Minsk: Minsk’s position is steadily worsening. The team is 1-4 over the last five–the only win coming against Parma. The Dragons competed hard with Khimki, but weren’t nearly as competitive in the other games. Tsmoki’s chances are not good against CSKA. Minsk has never beat the Army Men in 12 tries. The only positive news for Tsmoki is that CSKA faces a brutal road trip to Madrid on January 6 and may not be at full strength on Sunday.
CSKA: Dimitris Itoudis’s club needs a win over the Dragons to keep a firm grip on 1st place. A loss, coupled with a UNICS win, would drop the Army Men to 2nd. It’s likely Itoudis won’t bring one of the team’s stars to Minsk. Even so, the League’s top offense (93.1 per game) will make life very difficult for the Belarusians. After all, Minsk is last in points scored, averaging 20 fewer points per game than CSKA!
Zenit (Russia) – Khimki (Russia)
Time: 7:00 PM (7:00 MSK)
Place: SC Yubileyniy, St. Petersburg, Russia
TV: Match TV, VTB-League.com
Zenit: The other big showdown this weekend features the League’s 3rd and 5th-placed teams. Only one win separates the two teams. On Wednesday, both Zenit and Khimki played in the Eurocup, with Khimki enjoying a win over Lietkabelis and Zenit falling to Nizhny Novgorod, giving up 113 points in the process. After the game, Vasily Karasev criticized his team’s performance, noting that a team that likes to run and shoot and has everyone healthy should never let an opponent outrun and outshoot them. On Sunday, Zenit will need to outgun and outscore an even more dangerous team in Khimki, who only give up 74 points per game in the League.
Khimki: Moscow Region, as noted above, opened 2017 with a win, with the defense getting most of the credit in Dusko Ivanovic’s estimation. While Khimki’s offense struggles at times, on defense Khimki is at full strength (only Krasnodar concedes less in the League). Khimki needs to slow Zenit down from the opening tip, play physical defense and attack the paint (Khimki is tops in offensive rebounding at 12.9 per game). Together with the club’s excellent three-point shooting, Moscow Region could enjoy a lot of second-chance points and limit Zenit’s fast-break opportunities.
