Basketball is back! Seven games tip off the 2017-18 VTB United League season, highlighted by UNICS vs. Zenit on Thursday. Get the rundown on each game in our mini preview.
Thursday, October 5
UNICS (Russia) – Zenit (Russia)
Time: 5:00 PM (5:00 MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Kazan, Russia
TV: Match TV, Match! Nash Sport, VTB-League.com
UNICS: Kazan hit reset during the offseason, signing a new coach, Dimitris Priftis, to go with 11 new players. UNICS will need to some time to get everyone on the same page and should improve in the months ahead. On Thursday, expect the home team to rely on a powerful frontcourt and individual talent.
Zenit: St. Petersburg’s preseason did not go as planned. Anton Pushkov is out for several months and several other players are banged up. Shayne Whittington, Nikita Barinov, Evgeny Voronov and Scottie Reynolds have all missed time and may or may not be available in Kazan.
Expect Zenit to rely heavily on 3-point shooting against UNICS. Karasev, Kuric, Harper and Laprovittola can all light up the perimeter and compensate for a weakened frontcourt.
Khimki (Russia) – Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus)
Time: 7:30 PM (7:30 MSK)
Place: BCMO, Khimki, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com, Belarus-5
Khimki: Khimki made major upgrades over the summer, plus hired Greek coach Georgios Bartzokas. Moscow Region has looked dangerous throughout the preseason, taking down Panathinaikos and CSKA in the Gomelsky Cup last week. Entering the season, Khimki is one of the leading candidates to bring home the title.
Tsmoki-Minsk: Minsk could surprise people this season. The club picked up several talented free agents (Adamovic, Czerapowicz, Kravish) to go with the experienced Kudrautsau and young guns in Semianiuk and Salash. Thursday’s matchup, however, could be a little too much to handle. Minsk’s season began in September with Champions League qualifying. After six games in two weeks, the Dragons could be worn out physically and mentally for the trip to Khimki.
Friday, October 6
Enisey (Russia) – CSKA (Russia)
Time: 7:30 PM (3:30 MSK)
Place: Arena.Sever, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
TV: Match! Nash Sport, VTB-League.com
Enisey: Last season’s playoff appearance has raised expectations in Krasnoyarsk, but the departure of Frank Elegar, Vlad Trushkin and Tony Taylor won’t be easy to replace. Octavius Ellis, Vitali Liutych, Denis Zakharov and Zabian Dowdell are contenders to lead the team in 2017-18, but everyone will need a little time to adjust to the changes. The opening weeks of the season won’t be easy. Reigning champs CSKA are coming to town on Friday, Champions League play begins next week and several games against other playoff contenders are looming on the calendar.
CSKA: Like last season, the Army Men open the season on an eastern road trip. The first stop is Krasnoyarsk. Unlike a year ago, however, CSKA shouldn’t expect an easy trip. Preseason was disrupted by EuroBasket with a League-high eight players on various national teams. Many of CSKA’s leaders are still recovering, while the new additions haven’t had many chances to click. The opposition will try to take advantage.
Sunday, October 8
Astana (Kazakhstan) – CSKA (Russia)
Time: 3:00 PM (12:00 MSK)
Place: SC Velotrek, Astana, Kazakhstan
TV: KAZ Sport, VTB-League.com
Astana: Astana decided not to sign any big stars last season, focusing on instead on high-value, ambitious foreign players. The strategy worked as Astana reached the postseason and the club is taking the same approach in 2017-18. So far, the outlook is promising. Astana took 3rd place in September’s Asia Champions Cup, getting big contributions from American newcomers Justin Carter and Anthony Clemmons as well as their homegrown talent. Even CSKA could run into trouble on Sunday in Kazakhstan if the home team gets hot.
CSKA: The Army Men fly direct from Krasnoyarsk to Astana. There won’t be much time for recovery with less than 48 hours between the two games. CSKA’s opening slate is tough, but between the EuroLeague and VTB League, CSKA will be running all season long. Expect Moscow to pick up a victory in this one, but an upset is not inconceivable. A rested and prepared Astana squad could give the visitors trouble.
Kalev (Estonia) – Lokomotiv-Kuban (Russia)
Time: 5:00 PM (5:00 MSK)
Place: Saku Suurhall, Tallinn, Estonia
TV: VTB-League.com
Kalev: The Estonians brought back most of last season’s key contributors, losing only Vitali Liutych. Kalev also added several intriguing players in the offseason. 23-year-old newcomer Janari Joesaar will be one of the youngest players on the team, but played well in exhibition games and Champions League qualifying. The League gets its first glimpse on Sunday as Joesaar tries to spark his club to an upset at home.
Lokomotiv-Kuban: Sasa Obradovic made sweeping roster changes over the summer, bringing in players that fit his style of play. Kuban will implement physical, aggressive defense and smart halfcourt offense this season. The preseason has shown Loko’s potential. The link between Brian Qvale and Joe Ragland is especially promising. Kalev will have a tough time slowing down the duo on Sunday.
Zenit (Russia) – Parma (Russia)
Time: 6:00 PM (6:00 MSK)
Place: SC Yubileyniy, St. Petersburg, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Zenit: Predicting the outcome of this game would have been a breeze last season. But times have changed. Zenit has been hit hard by injuries. Coupled with a trip to Kazan on Thursday and lack of frontcourt depth, St. Petersburg may be vulnerable in the opening weeks of the season.
Parma: Even on the road against a title contender, expect Parma to show some fight. Perm significantly upgraded the roster over the summer, stockpiling Russian and foreign talent. Ural’s biggest challenge early in the season will be getting everyone on the same page. Two key players, Yanick Moreira and Andrejs Grazulis missed the preseason because of national team competitions. Even without them, however, Parma has been dangerous, advancing in Europe Cup qualifying thanks to an up-tempo offense and 3-point shooting.
Monday, October 9
VEF (Latvia) – Khimki (Russia)
Time: 7:30 PM (7:30 MSK)
Place: Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia
TV: Match! Nash Sport, VTB-League.com
VEF: Riga lost most of last season’s stars in the offseason. It won’t be easy to replace them. But VEF has a reputation for making the most of limited resources. The Latvians will compensate for the lack of starpower with discipline, effort, aggressive defense and smart team-oriented offense.
Khimki: A year ago, Khimki unexpectedly lost to VEF at home. Now Khimki has a chance to repay the favor. Of course, it’s possible the visitors will underestimate VEF. Still, the volume of talent on Khimki’s roster, beginning with the Alexey Shved – Stefan Markovic backcourt, should carry the Russian club to victory.
