Cedevita Olimpija’s senior team faces a new challenging test in the BKT EuroCup. On Tuesday at 18:30 Slovenian time, they will play in Ankara, where they will aim for their third win in the EuroCup by battling Turk Telekom, who, like the Dragons, remain undefeated after two games in the regular season.

Just like in Saturday’s game in Bar, the Ljubljana team will be without Brynton Lemar, who will be absent for an extended period due to a foot injury, as well as head coach Zvezdan Mitrović, who did not travel to Bar or Turkey with the team due to health issues.

STATEMENTS BEFORE THE GAME:

“Turk Telekom is a team built to achieve the highest goals in the EuroCup. Two seasons ago, they reached the final of the competition and have big ambitions this season as well, being considered favorites to win first place in our group. Tuesday’s game will be specific for both teams; after two games, both teams have two wins, and both have an important player injured in their rotation—Brynton Lemar for us and Vasilis Charalampopoulos for the Turkish team, who also got injured in the last round of the EuroCup. Turk Telekom is a good team with good players, especially in the guard positions. Our opponents are dangerous on both sides of the court, and our task is to take advantage of the opportunities that will present themselves during the game,” said Cedevita Olimpija coach Đorđe Adžić, who will again lead the Dragons from the bench in the absence of head coach Zvezdan Mitrović.

“Both teams started the new EuroCup season with wins in their first two games. We know that Tuesday’s away game will be difficult in a hall with loud fans. Turk Telekom plays extremely aggressively on both offense and defense. We have an evening training session in Ankara for thorough preparation, but I believe that with team play and the style of play we’ve shown in the opening games of the EuroCup season, we can hope for a good result. We started the EuroCup season excellently, just as we all quietly hoped. With two wins, we’ve already improved on last season’s result, but that doesn’t satisfy us. We need to maintain this rhythm and continue racking up more wins,” said Bine Prepelič before the third game of the EuroCup season. In Saturday’s game in Bar, Prepelič played just under 17 minutes without scoring, but he grabbed seven rebounds and recorded one block.

TV BROADCAST:

The live television broadcast of the match against Turk Telekom will be available on Šport TV 1. The studio coverage will begin at 17:45.

GAME PREVIEW:

While Cedevita Olimpija won its first two regular-season BKT EuroCup games against U-BT Cluj-Napoca and Umana Reyer, Turk Telekom defeated 7Bet-Lietkabelis 72-66 in the first round at home and last week won 68-63 against Aris on the road. Last weekend, Turk Telekom also successfully started their new season in the Turkish domestic league, winning 72-70 away against Galatasaray.

The most effective player for Turk Telekom in this EuroCup season is Kyle Alexander, who averages 11.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. Against Lietkabelis, he recorded 11 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in just under 28 minutes of play. Against Aris, he added 12 points, 14 rebounds, and one block. The top scorer for Turk Telekom in the EuroCup so far is Anthony Brown, who posted 11 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists in the season opener against Lietkabelis and followed that up with 17 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals against Aris. In Saturday’s game against Galatasaray, Alexander scored 18 points, with Oliver Hanlan also contributing 18 points, and Javon Bess added 11 points.

Turk Telekom will no longer be able to count on Vasilis Charalampopoulos, who sustained a serious knee injury in the game against Aris. In the first game against Lietkabelis, he scored seven points, and in the matchup with the Greek team, he added 15 points.

Turk Telekom reached the EuroCup final in the 2022/23 season. In the previous season, they faced the Dragons in the Round of 16, where the Ljubljana team eliminated the Turkish team from the competition in Stožice. In the 2023/24 season, Turk Telekom also made it to the Round of 16, but they were knocked out of the playoffs by the London Lions.

Cedevita Olimpija has started this EuroCup season with two wins, surpassing their total from last season after just two games in the regular season. The Dragons traveled to Turkey with a strong momentum from Bar, where they won 92-82 against Mornar-Barsko zlato on Saturday, marking their first win in the AdmiralBet ABA League. A decisive 17-point run turned a three-point deficit into a 14-point lead, which secured the victory. Derek Ogbeide scored 17 points for Cedevita Olimpija, captain Jaka Blažič added 16, Devin Robinson 14, and DJ Stewart 12. The team also recorded 30 assists in total, with DeVante Jones contributing 14, tying Klemen Prepelič’s record for most assists by a Cedevita Olimpija player in a single game.

BKT EUROCUP, REGULAR SEASON ROUND 3

Ankara Spor Salonu (Ankara, Turkey), Tuesday, October 8, at 19:30 (18:30 SLO):
TURK TELEKOM – CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA (TV broadcast on Šport TV 1 / live stream on Euroleague TV)

LOOKING AHEAD:

After the game in Ankara, the team will return home, not to Stožice, but to Tivoli, where the Dragons will host Split on Saturday, October 12, at 16:00. On Tuesday, October 15, they will play a home game in the fourth round of the BKT EuroCup regular season against 7Bet-Lietkabelis.

STANDINGS