ABA League – Round 12

FMP – Zadar: A new beginning in Zeleznik, 15/12/23

After the defeat against Buducnost at road, FMP parted ways with head coach Nenad Stefanovic, who has achieved remarkable things with the club in the past two seasons. Simply put, the results haven't been good lately, and a shock therapy was necessary. FMP's defense is one of the weakest in the entire ABA League, and it doesn't seem like something that can be changed in a short period. Given the lack of time to prepare for the Friday match, the home team faces a truly difficult task.They will play against always challenging Zadar, who will be more motivated than usual after suffering a shocking home defeat to Borac Cacak last week. Despite having a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, there was a lapse in concentration, and the guests managed to catch up. Nevertheless, Zadar has shown in road games against Igokea and Cedevita Olimpija how dangerous they can be, while FMP is currently nowhere near the level of those two teams. ABA League MVP Luka Bozic displayed his weakest performance of the season last week, and he will undoubtedly be particularly inspired in Zeleznik. The guests will undoubtedly impose their tempo with a lot of running and transition, and in the current situation FMP finds itself in, it will be very, very challenging for them to overcome Zadar.

Cedevita Olimpija – Krka: Dragons will feast at home, 16/12/23

Because the difference in quality is enormous in favor of Cedevita Olimpija. Despite performing poorly in the EuroCup, they generally do well in the ABA League. They have won eight out of eleven games, including victories over Partizan and Buducnost. It is evident that their primary focus is on the regional competition, aiming to reach at least the semifinals. One of the problems is that they recently parted ways with their best player, Klemen Prepelic, who signed with Galatasaray. Cedevita Olimpija will try to find a replacement on the market. Now, much of the responsibility falls on the creativity of Jaka Blazic and Justin Cobbs.Players like Blazic and Cobbs are assets that Krka doesn't have in its roster. Cedevita Olimpija boasts a much more potent and diverse offense, and Karlo Matkovic will likely create numerous problems for Krka's centers under the basket. Krka lacks sufficient scoring ability to pose a threat here, and the only question is how big of a win the home team wants. There will undoubtedly be a double-digit lead for most of the game, and in the end, they will probably triumph by at least 13 or 14 points, possibly even more.

Igokea – Cibona: Impossible mission for the visitors, 16/12/23

Cibona continued to captivate basketball fans in Croatia and the region in the last round. What this team is achieving this season goes beyond all realistic expectations. They are facing significant financial problems, with players still unpaid, and due to these issues, head coach Jaksa Vulic resigned before the game against Split. Despite this, his assistant Barisa Krasic led the team to their fourth win in the ABA League. Just two months ago, many believed that Cibona wouldn't secure four wins for the entire season. However, the players are fighting for the club's emblem and jersey in an extraordinary way, deserving all the success they've achieved. The challenge for Cibona is that all their wins came against teams in the lower half of the ABA League. Krka, Mornar and Split will fight to avoid relegation until the end, and Cibona scored 20 three-pointers against Studentski Centar, a something that happens one in five years. In clashes with Zadar and Mega, it became evident how they struggle against stronger teams, and Igokea is few levels above these mentioned clubs. Moreover, Igokea will be highly motivated in this game. They experienced a real debacle on Tuesday in the FIBA Champions League against Tofas, leading to their elimination from that European competition. There's no doubt that head coach Vladimir Jovanovic is furious about his players' performance, and they will seek redemption against Cibona. Defensive intensity will undoubtedly be high from the start, resulting in another double-digit win for Igokea in the ABA League.

Borac Cacak – Mornar: A one-way game, 16/12/23

In favor of the home team. Borac Cacak is having its best season in the history of the ABA League. Not only are they achieving excellent results, but their on-court performance are very good. They are dominant in the paint and from mid-range, always finding good solutions. Moreover, they spare no seconds in defense. Borac Cacak signed several good foreign players under the radar during the summer. Ronaldo Segu, Tylan Birts and Ja'Von Franklin have already proven to be excellent choices. Anyone who thought this team would be fighting to avoid relegation was clearly mistaken. Borac Cacak has shown that it belongs among the top eight teams in the ABA League and will undoubtedly continue with excellent performances in the coming weeks. This is not a game they can afford to lose. Mornar is in a catastrophic situation. They've changed six players in the last 15 days, but it didn't yield any result against Cedevita Olimpija. Despite having many chances, apart from Antabia Waller, no one seems capable of hitting anything from beyond the arc. Uros Lukovic brought some security in the paint, but the overall level of the team is frighteningly low. In this game, Mornar will heavily rely on their three-point shooting. There are several players capable of going on big scoring runs, but Borac Cacak will be well aware of that. If they don't allow the guests a spectacular shooting night, they should secure another double-digit win. However, it won't be a surprise if Mornar manages to stay within one or two possessions sometime during the third quarter. Nevertheless, they won't have the strength to compete with Borac Cacak for the full 40 minutes.

Partizan – Buducnost: A potentially tricky game for the hosts, 16/12/23

This game definitely comes at an unfavorable time for Partizan. On Thursday evening, they play away in Kaunas against Zalgiris, and on Saturday, they have to face Buducnost. Additionally, Aleksa Avramovic, Uros Trifunovic and Frank Kaminsky have missed several recent games, and it is quite possible that none of them will be able to contribute now. Partizan has shown dominant performances in the previous three ABA League games, but Buducnost will be by far the toughest opponent they will encounter. Since changing their head coach, Buducnost has been achieving better results, and with each game, they look more serious. Yogi Ferrell will have a special motivation. He was close to signing with Partizan a few weeks ago, but the black and whites were unwilling to offer him a contract until the end of the season, only for two months. Buducnost seized the opportunity, and Ferell ended up in Podgorica instead of Belgrade. In the past, wearing the Cedevita Olimpija jersey, he had impressive games in the "Stark Arena," and this could easily be another one. Considering their three losses in the ABA League so far, Partizan has no room for any failure in this game. However, Buducnost will come without any pressure, fully capable of complicating things. Coach Zakelj has caused serious problems for Partizan with Studentski Centar in the last six months and knows how to prepare for them. Partizan will likely find a way to triumph, but realistically, Buducnost could stay within a single-digit deficit.

Studentski Centar – Crvena Zvezda: Another dominant performance from red and whites, 17/12/23

Crvena Zvezda is performing excellently in the ABA League this season. They have only lost to Partizan but firmly hold the top spot, determined to maintain it after 26 rounds. While they may not be achieving the desired results in the EuroLeague, where they have lost several games in close finishes, their quality in the ABA League is immense compared to almost all other clubs. Even when head coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos reduces the playing time for their star players, the red and whites has depth in the roster to secure wins with a double-digit margin in such matches. This is likely to be the case once again. Crvena Zvezda had moments of relaxation against Mega, yet they still managed to win the game by a double-digit margin. They have captured positive momentum and do not want to let it slip away. Another dominant performance would be the best prelude to the upcoming games against Real Madrid and Maccabi Tel Aviv, which could turn the season in favor of this team in the EuroLeague. While Studentski Centar has its qualities, anything less than a double-digit win for the visitors would be a surprise.

Split – Mega: A tough game to predict , 18/12/23

Because both teams have their strengths and weaknesses. Split aimed to reach the ABA League playoffs this season but made many poor decisions during the summer, which they had to rectify recently. Bringing back their two best players from the previous season, Shannon Shorter and Lewis Sullivan, resulted in automatic wins against Mornar and Krka. However, when everyone thought things were clicking, they suffered a shock defeat to a struggling Cibona. There's an impression that head coach Slaven Rimac might not be doing the best job, and the club could part ways with him if they lose this game. This is a "must-win" situation for him. On the other hand, Mega is always a tricky team to predict. They defeated Partizan and played a very good game against Crvena Zvezda, but they also lost at home to Krka and Borac Cacak. They experience a lot of oscillations, making it impossible to foresee their performance on the court. They have the youngest team in the league, led by Nikola Topic, projected to be a top 5 pick in the upcoming NBA draft. When Topic plays his best basketball, Mega can defeat anyone in the ABA League. When he doesn't, they can literally lose to anyone. Moreover, Mega's focus has never been solely on results. It is a club controlled by the most well-known basketball agent in Europe, Misko Raznatovic. Their purpose is to develop young players who will later make significant careers, similar to Nikola Jokic and Vasilije Micic, who also went through this program. The result is secondary. On the other hand, this game means everything for Split, making them more motivated to win. However, if they don't drastically improve their game, that motivation won't be of much use because Mega has shown more than them so far. Considering Split's offensive struggles, this could also be a game with fewer than 160 points as well.