Avtodor debuts against Enisey, Nizhny takes on VEF, Parma faces Khimki.
Saturday, October 14
Avtodor Russia – Enisey Russia
Time: 5:00 PM (4:00 MSK)
Place: Kristall Sports Palace, Saratov, Russia
TV: Match! Nash Sport, VTB-League.com
Avtodor: Even though this is Avtodor’s first VTB United League game, the club has already competed in Champions League qualifying, where it was eliminated in the final round. New head coach Andrea Mazzon noted that a ridiculous calendar was largely to blame for his team’s loss: Avtodor played six games in 14 days, hopping on cross-continental flights every couple days. Krasnoyarsk faces an encounter with a team that has already been tested to the max.
Enisey: The Siberians opened the season with an unsurprising defeat to CSKA. Krasnoyarsk showed flashes of potential in the loss, winning the second half by a 47-34 margin, for example. Enisey also enjoyed a terrific start to the Champions League, defeating Germany’s Oldenburg on the road. A three-day break between games should give the players time to recover. It’ll be fascinating to see which team will be in better shape on Saturday.
Sunday, October 15
Zenit Russia – Astana Kazakhstan
Time: 3:30 PM (3:30 MSK)
Place: Yubileyniy Sports Complex, St. Petersburg, Russia
Zenit: Zenit has been favored in most meetings between these two teams. Astana’s lone victory in six attempts came in April 2015. But St. Petersburg won’t necessarily be favored on Sunday. The team has been on a rollercoaster to start the season: sandwiching a win at home against Parma with blowout defeats to UNICS and Gran Canaria. Zenit’s lack of depth proved huge against Gran Canaria. With his players tiring in the second half, Vasily Karasev didn’t have any fresh bodies on the bench to turn to.
Astana: Staying fresh could be a big factor for Astana, who enjoyed a full week to prepare for St. Petersburg. The Kazakh club faced the Army Men in the first game of the season. Despite losing big, Kostas Flevarakis’s men were more competitive in the second half and have plenty of room to improve. Given Zenit’s injuries and fatigue, an Astana win in the northern capital is not completely out of the question.
Nizhny Novgorod Russia – VEF Latvia
Time: 4:00 PM (4:00 MSK)
Place: Sports Palace, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Nizhny Novgorod: Like Avtodor, Nizhny Novgorod failed to make the Champions League and will play in the FIBA Europe Cup. That may be to their benefit. Zoran Lukic had to assemble a brand-new roster and it’s going to take time for everyone to gel. The club does have a relatively easy opening slate with only one game (vs. Lokomotiv-Kuban) against one of the Big Five. Nizhny will have a great opportunity to score a few early wins and move up in the standings.
VEF: Riga has no interest in helping Nizhny out. The club got a dose of reality last week, losing to Khimki by 40 at home. VEF may not be on the same level as Moscow Region, but Janis Galaitis’s men look much more competitive against Nizhny. VEF’s biggest advantage could be boasting a second-year coach, one who led the club to the top spot last season among non-Russian clubs and knows his roster like the back of his hand.
CSKA Russia – Tsmoki-Minsk Belarus
Time: 5:00 PM (5:00 MSK)
Place: USH CSKA, Moscow, Russia
CSKA: The reigning champs are always at the center of attention. In less than a week, the Army Men managed to win games in Krasnoyarsk and Astana, as well as pick up a season-opening win in the EuroLeague. Despite some fatigue, CSKA will be heavily favored to make it four in a row against Tsmoki-Minsk. In fact, the Belarusians have never defeated Moscow in 14 tries.
Tsmoki-Minsk: Minsk’s best hope may be for Dimitris Itoudis to rest several of his stars. The Army Men definitely need a break. Against Milan on Thursday, CSKA often went small with Will Clyburn playing almost 40 minutes. Even so, the visitors will be favored. Minsk will need to give 200% to have any chance of an upset. The Belarusians kept it close against Khimki for 20 minutes last week and will need a similar effort for 40 minutes on Sunday.
Time: 6:00 PM (6:00 MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Kazan, Russia
UNICS: New Kazan boss Dimitrios Priftis started strong with wins over Zenit and Andorra (in the Eurocup). Kazan had to work for the win against the scrappy Spaniards, but cruised to victory over Zenit, posting the biggest margin of victory ever for a season opener in the VTB League (+34). Kazan struggled with consistency in both games, but it’s clear Priftis has given his team an identity: high-IQ offense that isn’t dependent on a single scorer. Veteran Stephane Lasme has been a revelation and could do plenty of damage against Kalev.
Kalev: The Estonians play Loko, UNICS and Zenit as well as Parma and Avtodor to open the season. Kalev lost the season opener, failing to give Kuban much of a fight. The trip to Kazan won’t be any easier. Kalev won only twice on the road last season and will not be favored in this one.
Monday, October 16
Time: 7:30 PM (5:30 MSK)
Place: Molot Universal Sports Palace, Perm, Russia
Parma: Perm entered this season with different ambitions. Parma beefed up the roster and hopes to improve dramatically on its 1-23 record in 2016-17. But the club will need time to gel after bringing in a new head coach and plenty of fresh talent. Parma got a taste of how much work remains to be done following a comprehensive defeat to Zenit last week. This week’s opponent is even more dangerous.
Khimki: Last season’s playoff runners-up are looking to challenge CSKA once again. An impressive free-agent haul and a red-hot Alexey Shved have resulted in two easy victories (combined margin of victory +68). Khimki’s biggest concern against Perm will be moving on mentally and physically from Friday’s victory in the EuroLeague. Coming off an impressive win, how will Georgios Bartzokas’s men prepare for humble Parma?
