Cedevita Olimpija faces Mega on Sunday at noon in Belgrade

Before the basketball players of Cedevita Olimpija lies a challenging away game in Belgrade as part of the 24th round of the regular season of the AdmiralBet ABA League. On Sunday at 12:00, the Dragons will face off against Mega Superbet in the Ranko Žeravica Sports Hall.

The senior team of Cedevita Olimpija is once again hitting the road, this time to Serbia, more precisely to Belgrade, where the Ljubljana basketball players will take on Mega Superbet on Sunday at 12:00 in the 24th round of the regular season of the AdmiralBet ABA League. The squad led by head coach Zvezdan Mitrović will aim for their third consecutive victory in the competition against a young and talented team that plays its home games at the Ranko Žeravica Sports Hall.

Cedevita Olimpija is currently in sixth place in the regional league standings ahead of the 24th round, still in contention for playoff spots. The Dragons have 14 wins and nine losses to their name, while Mega, with 11 wins and 12 losses, is tied with Zadar—who visited Tivoli last weekend—in terms of wins and losses. The Belgrade team is currently ninth in the standings, with Spartak and FMP ahead of them, each with one more victory.

TV BROADCAST:

The game will be available to watch on Arena Sport Slovenija 1 and Kanal A.

PRE-GAME STATEMENTS:

“Mega is a team that demonstrates exceptional talent and energy from game to game. This was felt firsthand by both Budućnost and Crvena Zvezda, where our opponents played an away game and showed fight for all 40 minutes. A team that brings together the most talented players in the region has been playing in the same system for years, while their coaching staff, with top-notch work, guides them excellently from the bench. The club’s organization is at the highest level, surpassing everyone in the region, Europe, and even the world in player development, as Mega has sent the most players to the NBA Draft of any club. Their pace is hard to keep up with—they play fast basketball; the players are young, quick, fresh, and everyone on the court can play multiple positions. The game’s timing is also unusual, which can catch opponents somewhat unprepared, and Mega takes advantage of this to deal significant damage to every team, as was evident in their last home game against Budućnost. We’ll need to adapt to their rhythm, fast play, and depth with team defense. They have some weaknesses we can exploit, as we did in our home game, and we’re counting on a win because of that. Still, the game will be tough, completely different from our last one against Zadar. We’ve had time to prepare and work. We need to avoid run-and-gun basketball, get the ball to the floor, execute an organized offense, control the rebounds, and handle their fast breaks, which they capitalize on throughout the entire game, no matter the situation, in the best way possible,” said Zvezdan Mitrović, head coach of Cedevita Olimpija’s senior team, ahead of Sunday’s game against Mega Superbet.

“We’re facing a very demanding and intense game against a home team that beat Budućnost VOLI in their last home test. Mega put on a very good performance in their last game against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet, so the players are surely confident. The last time we faced off, we had to give everything to secure the win. On Sunday, we’ll need to play with the same energy and intensity that we show in practice to come out on top,” said DeVante Jones, the senior team’s point guard, ahead of the trip to Belgrade.

GAME PREVIEW:

After being eliminated from the EuroCup playoffs, the Dragons have turned all their focus to the conclusion of the regular season in the AdmiralBet ABA League. The Ljubljana team has not yet secured a playoff spot, while also fighting for the best possible position heading into the final battles. Ahead of Cedevita Olimpija in the standings is Igokea m:tel, with one more win and a better record in head-to-head matchups, while Dubai, currently in fourth place, has four more victories than the Dragons.

In last Sunday’s game against Zadar in the Tivoli arena, the Dragons still showed signs of fatigue but demonstrated their quality in the fourth quarter and overtime. Against the Zadar team, who led practically the entire game, they turned the match in their favor only in the extra five minutes of play, led by interim senior team captain Aleksej Nikolić, who finished with 15 points and six assists, and Devin Robinson, who ended the game with 25 points and eight rebounds. DJ Stewart added 12 points to the stats, while Danilo Tasić contributed 11.

Mega boasts numerous young and talented players, including Slovenian basketball players Urban Kroflič and Sergej Macura, and the Belgrade club is always considered extremely dangerous for all opponents. Let’s recall that it was Mega who knocked Cedevita Olimpija out of contention for the top spots in the regional competition’s playoffs last season. This season, the Belgrade team has already beaten, among others, Dubai and Budućnost VOLI—two teams currently at the top of the standings.

After starting the first half of the regular season strongly with four consecutive wins, the Belgrade collective has lost five of their last eight games. Their most recent defeat came last Monday when they visited Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet, who came out on top 81:72. The round before that, they defeated Budućnost 93:79 on their home court.

Among the top six players in the regional league based on the efficiency index are two Mega players. Mihailo Petrović averages 13.6 points, 6.4 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game in 26.3 minutes, followed by Bogoljub Marković, who averages 13.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.9 rebounds per game in 29.2 minutes on the court.

The two teams first faced each other this season just before the November competitive break. On November 16 last year, the scoreboard in Tivoli showed 93:82 in favor of Cedevita Olimpija. After 20 minutes of play, the teams were tied at 46:46; Mega took the lead in the third quarter, but powered by an in-form DJ Stewart, the Ljubljana team turned the game in their favor in the closing stages. Devin Robinson collected 25 points and five rebounds, Stewart finished with 23 points, and Jaka Blažič recorded 21 points and eight rebounds. For Mega, Kosta Kondić scored 19 points, Filip Jović added 18, and Andrija Jelavić contributed 16.

ADMIRALBET ABA LEAGUE, 24TH ROUND OF THE REGULAR SEASON

Ranko Žeravica Sports Hall (Belgrade, Serbia), Sunday, March 23, at 12:00:
MEGA SUPERBET – CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA (TV broadcast on Arena Sport Slovenija 1 and Kanal A)

STANDINGS:

LOOKING AHEAD:

After the trip to Belgrade, the Ljubljana team will return to the Slovenian capital, where they will host Borac Mozzart from Čačak the following Sunday at 18:00. Tickets for the game, which will take place at Arena Stožice, are already available at vstopnice.olimpija.com.