Back after the break, facing Budućnost in Podgorica

After a competitive break due to national team activities, the senior squad of Cedevita Olimpija’s basketball players returns to the court on Saturday. They will travel to Podgorica, where, in the 21st round of the regular season of the AdmiralBet ABA League, they will face Budućnost VOLI at 7:00 PM. Budućnost VOLI currently shares the top spot on the regional league standings alongside Partizan Mozzart Bet.

Cedevita Olimpija’s senior squad is entering the decisive part of the 2024/25 competitive season. While they will have to wait a little longer for the start of the European Cup playoff battles, as their Round of 16 clash with Beşiktaş is scheduled for Wednesday at 7:30 PM in Stožice, a tough test awaits them immediately after the competitive break in the AdmiralBet ABA League. As part of the 21st round of the regular season, they will travel to Podgorica’s Morača on Saturday at 7:00 PM to take on Budućnost VOLI.

The latter enters the matchup with Ljubljana’s team on the back of an excellent performance in their last regional league test, having defeated Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet (96:89) in overtime in Belgrade in the 20th round. Meanwhile, Cedevita Olimpija will aim to return to winning ways in the competition, where they lost to Igokea m:tel (85:90) before the cup week. However, prior to the competitive break, the Dragons excelled in all their Spar Cup challenges, celebrating their fourth consecutive Slovenian cup title at Kodeljevo.

Rok Radović will not travel to Podgorica with the team, as he has been sidelined by calf muscle pain and did not play in the Spar Cup final tournament at Kodeljevo, also missing the national team action. Recently, Radović has been training on an adjusted program and is expected to rejoin team training at the beginning of next week. DJ Stewart has also had minor health issues with a cold in recent days, skipping training on Wednesday and training on an adjusted program on Thursday, but he is expected to be ready to play on Saturday.

TV BROADCAST:

The game will be available to watch on Arena Sport Slovenija 2 and Kanal A.

PRE-GAME STATEMENTS:

“We used the period behind us for rest and training. The break lasted five or six days, after which we resumed work, unfortunately not with the full squad, as some players were absent due to national team duties and others due to health issues. We worked as well as we could to get the team back into rhythm, as we were truly exhausted before the break after that series of games and travel in a relatively short time frame. I hope we’ve refreshed and gathered enough energy for the upcoming rhythm of games, which will be very demanding. The matches ahead of us will be tough, with very strong opponents standing in our way. First, Budućnost, who are at the top of the standings, then the game with Beşiktaş, which we all know what it brings, followed by a clash with Crvena Zvezda. Unlike the return to the court after the break in November, the rhythm this time is noticeably more demanding, and the opponents are such that there’s little time to adjust, as we’re facing strong teams in both competitions. First, we have a game in Podgorica against Budućnost, who are in great form. We also recall the first matchup in Stožice, where our opponents beat us by a wide margin. We’re heading to this away game without pressure. After the break, we’ll see how the players react and what energy they bring to the court. After a longer break, it’s always a question of how the team will look. We’ll certainly face a very quality opponent who carries the favorite’s role, so we’re heading to Podgorica without pressure, but we want to play a good game and see if that brings us a good result,” said Zvezdan Mitrović, head coach of Cedevita Olimpija’s senior squad, ahead of the game against Budućnost VOLI.

“We used the short competitive break for mental and physical rest, and when we returned to the gym, we trained well, and I think we’ve regained our competitive form. The period before the break was really tough, so the break was welcome. I hope we come back fresh and continue the season in good rhythm. On Saturday in Podgorica, we’re definitely facing a very good team that has shown high ambitions in the regional league. The fact that our opponents are currently at the top of the standings says it all. We have our strengths too, we’ll need to fight, we want to play as well as possible and try to secure a win,” said Andrija Stipanović ahead of the trip to Montenegro.

GAME PREVIEW:

The current Montenegrin national and cup champions, after 20 games played, boast a record of 18 wins and just two losses, placing them at the top of the competition standings alongside Partizan Mozzart Bet. The Podgorica squad suffered their last defeat in the regional league on November 17, when Spartak visited Morača. Since then, the team, led from the bench by Slovenian coach Andrej Žakelj, has recorded 11 consecutive wins, the latest against the reigning league champions, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet, while also securing a spot in the European Cup playoffs during this period. In the Round of 16, Budućnost will face Turk Telekom in Ankara on Wednesday at 5:30 PM. They concluded the EuroCup regular season with a record of nine wins and nine losses.

Since December 15 of last year, Budućnost VOLI has played 16 games in the ABA League and EuroCup, suffering only two losses. During this period, the Podgorica team notably defeated Partizan Mozzart Bet, Dubai, Hapoel Tel Aviv, and most recently Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet. One of their losses came against the top-ranked team in EuroCup Group A, Bahcesehir from Istanbul, and the other against Wolves Vilnius in the final round of the regular season.

In Budućnost’s roster, aside from head coach Žakelj, who spent many years with the Ljubljana club, there are two familiar faces for Ljubljana fans: Yogi Ferrell and Alen Omić. The latter joined Budućnost last October and has been averaging 4.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in just over 15 minutes of play in the regional league this season. Playmaker Ferrell is one of three Budućnost players averaging double-digit points, scoring 10.3 points per game in the ABA League, along with 3.5 assists. Budućnost’s leading scorer in the ABA League is Rasheed Sulaimon, averaging 12.8 points per game. Sulaimon is also Budućnost’s top scorer in the EuroCup, averaging 13.6 points across 18 games so far.

Cedevita Olimpija will aim to secure a win in Podgorica on Saturday, hoping to get back on the winning track in the regional league. In their last test in the competition, the Dragons suffered a home loss to Igokea m:tel. They led for most of the game in Tivoli but faltered in the closing stages, allowing the victory to slip away to Laktaši. The squad, under head coach Zvezdan Mitrović, then handled their cup duties in a slightly altered lineup with distinction, claiming their 24th Slovenian cup title at Kodeljevo on Friday, February 14.

The two teams faced off in the regular season on October 27 last year, with the scoreboard in Stožice showing 91:71 in favor of Budućnost. The Dragons started the game strongly, quickly building a ten-point lead, but a drop in performance followed, which the visitors capitalized on, pulling away in the second and third quarters to secure a convincing victory. For the green-and-orange squad, DeVante Jones scored 18 points, DJ Stewart added 13, while captain Jaka Blažič and Devin Robinson each contributed 10. For Budućnost, Nikola Tanasković led with 19 points.

ADMIRALBET ABA LEAGUE, 21ST ROUND OF THE REGULAR SEASON

Morača Sports Center (Podgorica, Montenegro), Saturday, March 1, at 7:00 PM:
BUDUĆNOST VOLI – CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA (TV broadcast on Arena Sport Slovenija 2 and Kanal A)

LOOKING AHEAD:

After their trip to Podgorica, Cedevita Olimpija’s senior squad will return to Ljubljana on Sunday, where they will face a Round of 16 European Cup test against Beşiktaş in Stožice on Wednesday at 7:30 PM. The game will be crucial for the Dragons, as only one match will decide who advances to the quarterfinals. The following Sunday at 5:00 PM, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet will visit the Stožice arena. Tickets for both games are already available at vstopnice.olimpija.com.