A spectacle with Virtus for the 7DAYS EuroCup quarterfinals

The players of Cedevita Olimpija will face the main favorites to win the title of European Cup champion, the players of Virtus Segafredo Bologna, on Tuesday at 20.30 in the fifth round of the second part of the 7DAYS EuroCup in Arena Stožice. With the victory, the Ljubljana Dragons can already secure their place in the quarterfinals of the competition.

After Saturday’s clash of the 19th round of the ABA League with FMP on the home stage, players of Cedevita Olimpija turned all their thoughts and efforts to Tuesday’s clash of the fifth round of the second part of the 7DAYS EuroCup with Italian Virtus from Bologna. In front of the Ljubljana Dragons is a duel, which, in the event of a victory over the Italians, can already bring them a place in the quarterfinals of the European Cup.

A real basketball spectacle promises to take place in Stožice on Tuesday. The memory of the Dragons’ defeat in Bologna is still alive, as it was the last and at the same time the only defeat that the Cedevita Olimpija basketball players suffered in the 7DAYS EuroCup in the second part of the competition. In Italy, it was 90:76 for home team Virtus on 13 January, while Marco Belinelli shone for the home team, adding 25 points and five rebounds. Jaka Blažič scored 25 points in the green-orange jersey, while Kendrick Perry added 22 points, five assists and four rebounds.

According to the valuation index, Blažič and Perry are currently the most efficient basketball players in the 7DAYS EuroCup, and the captain of Cedevita Olimpija is also the best scorer of the competition with an average of 18.5 points per game. In the black-and-white jersey, the most effective basketball player is the Serbian organizer of the game, Miloš Teodosić, who averages 15.4 points and 6.5 assists per game.

While Virtus Bologna is still undefeated in the entire season of the European Cup, Cedevita Olimpija has scored three victories after the defeat in Bologna in the 7DAYS EuroCup. The Dragons last played on the European floor on February 2 and defeated home side JL Bourg 77:64 in the French city of Bourg-en-Bresse.

As already mentioned, the basketball players of Cedevita Olimpija, who are still undefeated on the home court this European season, can secure a place in the quarterfinals by winning against Virtus. If the Dragons are unsuccessful on Tuesday, their thoughts will swirl to France on Wednesday, where JL Bourg and Budućnost VOLI will clash, and the defeat of the Podgorica team will also put Ljubljana among the top eight teams in the 7DAYS EuroCup.

STATEMENTS AHEAD OF THE GAME:

Jurica Golemac, head coach of Cedevita Olimpija:
“Ahead of us is a match of great importance. Virtus is an extremely good team, a big favorite before the showdown. The teams have a long tradition of fighting each other at the highest level. Our players will definitely be very motivated. We don’t have much time to prepare for the match, but Virtus also last stepped on the floor in the Italian national championship on Saturday, so both teams are on the same page. We are counting on being better than in the last two games, especially in the game in defense and in the rebounding game. We coaches are very worried that we were a bit worse in these two elements, as we were already bad in these segments in a previous period this season.”

Edo Murić, player of Cedevita Olimpija:
“The match with Virtus is our first opportunity to secure our place among the top eight teams of the 7DAYS EuroCup. We know that we are playing against a team that is not only the main favorite for the European Cup title, but also built with one purpose, and that is to qualify for the Euroleague. The Italians have shown that they can play good basketball, as they have not lost a game in the 7DAYS EuroCup so far. I myself don’t remember a team playing so well throughout the season. We enter the match with a series of nine consecutive victories. There is no fear of the match, the absolute favorite to win is Virtus. We will try our best to be a thorn in the side and to surprise the Italian team. We will all be motivated, but I can’t wait to go into the fight and I hope we will be good enough to surprise Virtus as well.”

7DAYS EUROCUP, TOP 16 ROUND 5

Stožice Arena (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Tuesday, March 2, at 20.30:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – VIRTUS SEGAFREDO BOLOGNA

STANDINGS: