Cedevita Olimpija faces Besiktas in battle for quarterfinals

The senior team of Cedevita Olimpija will face off against the Turkish Beşiktaş on Wednesday at 19:30 in the round of 16 of the BKT EuroCup at Stožice Arena. The quarterfinal berth will be decided by a single match, and tickets for Wednesday’s basketball spectacle are still available at vstopnice.olimpija.com.

The senior team of Cedevita Olimpija is approaching what is, so far, their most important game in the BKT EuroCup. In a matchup that will determine the team advancing to the quarterfinals, the players under head coach Zvezdan Mitrović will take on Turkish Beşiktaş on Wednesday at 19:30 in Stožice Arena. The EuroCup playoffs are thus returning to the Stožice beauty after 2022, with the Dragons aiming to secure a spot among the top eight teams in the competition against their Istanbul rivals.

Cedevita Olimpija earned their place among the top 12 teams in the competition after finishing the regular season with a record of 10 wins and eight losses in Group B, matching the record of Beşiktaş in Group A. The winner of Wednesday’s game will face Bahcesehir in Turkey in the quarterfinals next week.

After two seasons, the Ljubljana Dragons are thus returning to knockout battles, while Beşiktaş reached the semifinals of the competition last season, only to be eliminated from the playoffs by JL Bourg.

Rok Radović, who has been training on an adjusted program in recent weeks, joined team practice on Monday. Brynton Lemar missed Monday’s team practice due to neck pain but resumed normal training on Tuesday.

We recommend that all fans head to the game on time, at least 60 minutes earlier than usual, and use public transportation to reach Stožice. If you plan to attend the game with a personal vehicle, we suggest using the parking lots around the arena.

TICKET PURCHASE:

Tickets for the game are available at vstopnice.olimpija.com, Eventim Slovenia, and the Petrol Ticket online platform. They can also be purchased at all Petrol gas stations across Slovenia.

The box office and arena gates will open at 18:00. The NLB ‘Fast Entry’ will once again be available, allowing visitors who present an NLB bank card before entering the arena to access the Stožice hall more quickly. Given the expected high number of visitors at Stožice, both entrances to Stand A will be open this time.

In line with the Green Five project, we urge all fans to travel to the game on foot, by bike, scooter, or public transport. Anyone with a ticket can ride Ljubljana Passenger Transport buses for free three hours before and three hours after the game.

TV BROADCAST:

The game will be broadcast live on Šport TV 1, with the studio portion of the broadcast starting at 18:45.

FAN ZONE:

Spar Slovenia has prepared donuts for the first 700 fans arriving at Stožice. A DJ will entertain all visitors in the fan zone, with face painting and coloring books available for the youngest fans. Those attending a Cedevita Olimpija home game for the first time can claim a special diploma.

The club’s basketball corner will once again be active, where fans can win special prizes. Telekom Slovenia will also have its own corner with various prize games, while Spar Slovenia has prepared a wheel of fortune and Spar pong, where participants can win smaller prizes. Pivovarna Union will host a special promotion with drink purchases. The Woop! Slovenia corner will also be open, featuring exciting prize games.

Let’s not forget the 6th Dragon corner, where engaging prize games offering even more attractive rewards take place every time.

During breaks in the game, there will be a Heka Supplements prize game for 1,000 EUR, Spar speed free throws, and the “Three in a Row” game by Zavarovalnica Triglav. The Naturavit Fan Cam will also be active, offering chances to win exciting prizes.

Before the game begins, we’re preparing a special choreography, so be sure to join us in the arena early enough and head out at least 60 minutes earlier than usual to give wings to our Dragons in their hunt for the EuroCup quarterfinals. To make the journey to the game more enjoyable, every fan can have fun and listen to a special playlist we’ve prepared on the Spotify app. Due to limited parking spaces in the garage, we recommend fans use public transport to get to the game.

STATEMENTS BEFORE THE GAME:

“This is undoubtedly a very important game ahead of us. We’ve shown ourselves in a decent light in the EuroCup so far. Beşiktaş is coming to us; although they finished fifth in their group in the regular season, this is a team that played in the EuroCup semifinals last season and reached the Turkish Cup final just a few weeks ago. They’re truly an ambitious team with an ambitious head coach. Stožice is our advantage, everything else is on a different level, but paper doesn’t play. The guys on the court do. Our energy will be the most important thing, and we need to be tough and aggressive. Tactics, technique, and so on come next, but the key is having the right energy. We need to be strong in rebounding and the basics of defensive play. Most of our players are playing at this level for the first time, so this will be their first time in such an important game. The arena will be nicely filled, with lots of fans, so I believe the support from the stands will be great. The coaching staff’s task is to prepare the team for the game,” said Zvezdan Mitrović, head coach of Cedevita Olimpija’s senior team, ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Beşiktaş in the Stožice arena.

“I expect a tough and emotional game against a team built this season to aim for the top spots in the EuroCup and the Turkish championship, so Beşiktaş is certainly not coming to Ljubljana with a white flag. We’ve worked hard in Europe all season to be in a position to play a game that decides the quarterfinal berth on our home court. We’re all looking forward to this game. Matchups where a single game decides the season’s continuation are special, and you remember them after your career ends. We faced Beşiktaş last season too, and they mostly have the same players in the backcourt as they did then. The players know each other well and have good chemistry. They play very aggressively on defense, and we need to respond with the same intensity. There’s a lot at stake, we need to follow the instructions we get from the coaching staff, and I hope we’ll react the way we know how,” said Jaka Blažič, captain of Cedevita Olimpija’s senior team, ahead of Wednesday’s game in Stožice. “I invite all fans to join us in Stožice, to be loud, and to give us encouragement and lift us up even in moments when things might not be going our way, especially when we need it most.”

TOP INDIVIDUAL PERFORMERS OF BOTH TEAMS IN THE BKT EUROCUP:

CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA (82.0 points / 35.7 rebounds / 16.3 assists / 7.7 steals / 2.7 blocks)

Points: Devin Robinson – 14.8 per game
Rebounds: Joan Beringer – 5.5 per game
Assists: DeVante Jones – 3.9 per game
Steals: DJ Stewart – 1.6 per game
Blocks: Joan Beringer – 1.2 per game

BEŞIKTAŞ FIBABANKA ISTANBUL (85.2 points / 32.7 rebounds / 17.4 assists / 8.1 steals / 1.7 blocks)

Points: Jonah Mathews – 15.2 per game
Rebounds: Emanuel Terry – 4.7 per game
Assists: Berk Ugurlu – 3.3 per game
Steals: Dustin Sleva – 1.8 per game
Blocks: Emanuel Terry – 0.5 per game

GAME PREVIEW:

Cedevita Olimpija enters the matchup with Beşiktaş motivated to bounce back from Saturday’s game against the leading team of the regional league, Budućnost VOLI, in Podgorica, and to extend their EuroCup season. The quarterfinal berth will indeed be decided solely by the game in Stožice. The Dragons concluded the EuroCup regular season with three consecutive losses but had previously won six out of seven games. They secured their playoff spot a round before the regular season ended, though they unfortunately let slip an excellent opportunity to enter the knockout stage from second place and start the playoffs directly in the quarterfinals. Before the competitive break, head coach Zvezdan Mitrović’s squad performed admirably in the Spar Cup, winning their 24th cup title in independent Slovenia.

All of that is now in the past and somewhat forgotten, as at least 40 minutes of battle with Beşiktaş will now determine their quarterfinal spot. Cedevita Olimpija faced the Turkish team twice last season, with victory going to the Istanbul side both times.

Beşiktaş last took to the court on Friday, playing in the Turkish championship against Karşıyaka and defeating them 93:79, after trailing by two points at halftime. Five Beşiktaş players scored in double digits – Yigit Arslan with 20, Jonah Mathews with 18, Berk Ugurlu with 13, and Derek Needham and Dustin Sleva each with 12 points.

BEŞIKTAŞ FIBABANKA ISTANBUL

The basketball section of the Beşiktaş sports collective was established in 1967 and has competed in the top tier of the Turkish championship every season except 1988/89. Beşiktaş has so far won two Turkish championship titles (1975, 2012) and one Turkish cup title (2012). The club’s greatest success is undoubtedly winning the FIBA EuroChallenge in 2012, led to victory by Ergin Ataman, now head coach of Panathinaikos.

In the 2012/13 season, Beşiktaş competed in the elite Euroleague, securing a spot among the top 16 teams, then spent three consecutive seasons in the EuroCup, followed by participation in the Basketball Champions League and FIBA Europe Cup between 2016 and 2023. In the 2023/24 season, Beşiktaş returned to the EuroCup and advanced to the semifinals.

BKT EUROCUP, PLAYOFFS, ROUND OF 16

Stožice Arena (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Wednesday, March 5, at 19:30:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – BEŞIKTAŞ FIBABANKA (TV broadcast on Šport TV 1)

LOOKING AHEAD:

After the game with Beşiktaş, Cedevita Olimpija remains in Ljubljana, where they will face Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet in a Round 22 AdmiralBet ABA League derby on Sunday at 17:00. Tickets for the game are available at vstopnice.olimpija.com. The winner of Wednesday’s game in Stožice will take on Bahcesehir in Istanbul in the EuroCup quarterfinals next week. In the regional league, the Dragons will host Zadar in the Slovenian Basketball Temple the following Sunday at 18:00.