Virtus Bologna – Reggio Emilia
Italy - Final Eight, Quarterfinal
15/02/2024 18:00 CET
The Italian Basketball Cup kicks off on Thursday, February 15th. At 6:00 PM, Virtus Bologna and Reggio Emilia will clash on the court at the Inalpi Arena in Turin. Virtus Bologna, a team currently excelling in the EuroLeague and with clear aspirations to win the championship, is the clear favorite against a team aiming for the Italian championship playoffs. In their last match in Brescia, they faced a 23-point defeat, but that's understandable against the league leaders, especially without Harvey. The club has chosen to part ways with Harvey, not due to performance but behavior issues. Against his former team, Virtus Bologna, he played exceptionally well and led his team to victory. However, he also became an outsider within the team, mainly due to a personality not fitting well within the group dynamics. A significant addition to the team is Tarick Black, a distinguished player. Standing at 206 centimeters and born in 1991, Black has an extensive NBA career with over 200 appearances for the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers before moving to Europe. He has played in the EuroLeague for Maccabi Tel Aviv and Zenit Saint Petersburg and had a stint in Turkey with Bahcesehir, playing alongside Jamar Smith. They won the Fiba Europe Cup in the 2021-2022 season against Unahotels Reggio Emilia. Last season, Black returned to the EuroLeague with Olympiakos, reaching the Final Four and the championship game, which they lost to Real Madrid. He ended his time in Greece with an average of 9 points and 4.2 rebounds in 16 minutes per game. His arrival could shift the balance, but it's essential to note that he needs to be integrated into the team, and they are facing formidable opponents. His impact in the league will be significant, though it's uncertain how much it will affect the game on Thursday. Virtus Bologna, at full strength, is a scoring powerhouse in Italy, averaging 88.7 points per game while allowing only 75.6 to their opponents. Shengelia is nearing top form, averaging 15 points per game, Belinelli has maintained his performance at 13.4 points, and Mickey has performed well, even against Monaco in the Cup, scoring 11 points. Black will have a challenging matchup against Zizic, who, despite underperforming in Europe, contributes nearly 10 points and almost 6 rebounds per game in Italy. Virtus Bologna boasts a deep roster, allowing Coach Banchi to draw from a bench full of potential stars. On the other hand, Pfiftis faces more challenges, particularly needing strong performances from their top scorers, Galloway (16.2 points per game) and Weber (11.3 points per match), with Smith adding 10.7 and Vitali 7.2, the latter being a national team player who has come up through Virtus's youth system. Unahotels scores well, with 80.8 points per game, but they concede more, at 81.9 points per game. This tendency to allow high scores, especially away from home, could be a significant disadvantage against the formidable Virtus team.