Clash of the Titans: a blockbuster matchup between Valencia and Virtus / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Dubljevic: ACB Photos Shengelia: Zumapress.com/Scanpix Credit Dubljevic: ACB Photos Shengelia: Zumapress.com/Scanpix

Buckle your seatbelts and make the popcorns ready: The biggest remaining favorites of 7DAYS EuroCup will meet in a blockbuster semi-final matchup: Valencia and Virtus Bologna, in Pabellon Fluente de San Luis or shortly, La Fonteta.

Valencia Basket / Schedule

Valencia Basket Metropolitans 92 Paris98-85 Valencia Basket Virtus BolognaWed18:30

It goes without saying that the host, Valencia is a household name in the EuroCup.

After the rebranding of the competition under the banner of ULEB in 2002, no team won the competition more times than Valencia.

In addition to the four trophies (2003, 2010, 2014, and 2019), the Spanish club also played in two more finals (2012, 2017).

During the regular season, Valencia expressed their desire to return to the EuroLeague through the competition, where they earned overwhelming success over the years.

They finished Group B in second place, only trailing Gran Canaria by head-to-head record. Unlike the other heavy favorites, they did not have much trouble knocking down Hamburg Towers and Metropolitans ’92 in the Round of 16 and Quarter Finals.

Valencia's home, 'La Fonteta' is literally a castle as they did not lose to anyone at home since 21 December 2021 in any competition. Besides, Valencia is currently on a five-game winning streak in all competitions.

Through the knockout rounds, the leading scorer in the EuroCup history is on duty when his teammates need him the most. Bojan Dubjlevic stepped up with two double-doubles (15 points & 10 rebounds vs Hamburg and 16 points & 12 rebounds vs Metropolitans).

But he is not the only member of the "old guard".

Sam Van Rossom and Victor Claver, who had triumphed in the Eurocup before, are ready to bring an intense level of experience to lead the younger teammates like Xavi Lopez Arestegui and Jaime Pradilla.

Free throws this season

70%13,0Points made:13,0Accuracy:70,5%Place in standings:12Record max:26Record min:2Most made FTs:Milos TeodosicTeamEuroCupStatisticsSchedule

On the other hand, the Cuban center Jasiel Rivero won two Basketball Champions League trophies with Burgos alongside coach Penarroya in the previous two seasons and will seek to extend his trophy collection with Eurocup.

Valencia is at the top with Frutti Extra Bursaspor regarding EuroCup offensive efficiency ratings as they are good at sharing the ball and 2nd best-assisting team in the competition.

Also, they are also dangerous with the offensive rebounds (11.3 per game, 2nd place Partizan)

On the other corner, there is another club with a rich tradition of glory and hegemony in European basketball history: Virtus Segafredo Bologna.

The big aspirations of the Bolognese about reinstating themselves among the European elite fell short last season at the hands of UNICS. And they probably are more ambitious than ever to get back to the Euroleague.

During the regular-season series, Valencia won against Virtus in both games, and besides, the Spaniards managed to pull off a big comeback from 18 points back in Italy.

Their Euroleague-calibre star-studded roster led by the likes of Milos Teodosic and Marko Belinelli was hampered by many devastating injuries. But nevertheless, the Italians never ceased to make flashy additions.

"We played against a rival that was already a very important roster during the regular season, and with the addition of (Daniel) Hackett and (Toko) Shengelia, they have a top-level roster in any competition outside of the NBA," said Joan Peñarroya, the head coach of Valencia.

"It is a very difficult game, but I think we arrived well, with clear ideas, physically better than on other occasions, but still far from perfect in that sense," added the Spanish coach.

For Valencia, Klemen Prepelic finished the season early with a nasty injury, while his replacement Oliver Hanlan is not ineligible to play in Eurocup.

Martin Hermannson and Puerto will play despite not being 100% regarding their conditions.

As for the Virtus Bologna, the most recent savior is Kyle Weems, who is having a great season. Not only the veteran US guard is leading their points per game table (12.9 points, 2.3 assists, and 1.6 steals with 40% 3 FG shooting), but he also kept his team's head above the water against and upset against Ratiopharm Ulm in the quarters.

"It's going to be a fascinating challenge but at the same time a very complicated one," Sergio Scariolo described the upcoming blockbuster. "Valencia is a club with great tradition."

Scariolo, who has an NBA title in the bag as an assistant coach, also had his own taste of the EuroCup final back in 2009 as a head coach.

Despite leading a formidable roster of Khimki, including players like Carlos Delfino, Jorge Garbajose, Maciej Lampe, and Kelly Mccarthy, they could not stop Rimas Kurtinaitis' Rytas triumphing in the final with Chuck Eidson's heroics.

"In the last 10 years, Valencia either won the EuroCup, reached the final, or played in EuroLeague with good results. They have several high-level players, who have a lot of experience, and they'll have the advantage of playing at home with their fans in the stands," added Scariolo.

"We have prepared very seriously for this game. We lost both games against them in the regular season, but we weren't so distant from them. We want to compete, and when we'll be able to compete at a very high level, we'll have a chance to bring the game to our side," he concluded.

Unsurprisingly, Virtus Bologna leads the assists per game standings in EuroCup, thanks to Milos Teodosic who's averaging 8.9 assists per game.

But they are also good at disrupting opponent offenses by making steals and converting those into transition scoring (Top 5 in both categories).

The Italian outfit is currently on a very hot streak, winning 13 straight games and losing only 2 out of their last 20.

They are also glory thirsty, as their latest success in a continental competition came back in 2018-19, with the title of Basketball Champions League.

In addition to the long-term injuries of Awadu Abass and Ekpe Udoh, Virtus will play against Valencia without Amar Alibegovic. Meanwhile, Allesandro Pajola traveled with the team despite not being 100% fit.

With a matchup with such a high caliber, it's not easy to say which side has the upper hand.

A big game with a big story is about to unfold where the stakes on the table are very high. Remember: Only the champion of the EuroCup gets direct access to the EuroLeague. The clash of the titans will be huge.

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