Unicaja and Montepaschi Siena are expected to serve up an entertaining clash in Group F of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague when they meet up on Thursday.
Two teams with contrasting momentum in Group F are set to meet in Siena, Italy on Thursday, as Unicaja host Montepaschi. Montepaschi (2-0) comes off a big road win in Madrid and would get much closer to the play-offs with another win here.
Unicaja (0-2) needs to bounce back and rejoin the Top 16 race in Group F. Montepaschi leads the Top 16 in three-point percentage (40.5%) and Unicaja is last (14.3%).
Unicaja, however, ranks first in offensive (12.8 orpg.) and total (37.1 rpg.) rebounds in this Euroleague season. Both teams have not met since the 2005-06 season. In their last matchup in Siena, Unicaja cruised to a 70-82 road win.
Unicaja has no major injury problems for the first time in many weeks – Tremmell Darden, Joel Freeland and Kristaps Valters returned to action, so they finally have a full squad this week.
Montepaschi has also good news, as Ksistof Lavrinovic is already back to the team's line-up. Rimantas Kaukenas, however, remains sidelined.
Above all, Unicaja needs to find a way to stop playmaker Bo McCalebb, who has been virtually un-guardable in the last two games, leading the Top 16 in performance index rating (29.5) and scoring (21.5 ppg.). McCalebb and Nikos Zisis will try to speed up the game tempo against E.J. Rowland and Kristaps Valters, a great three-point shooter ready to make the difference.
Unicaja has more options at both wings but Gerald Fitch will be its main scoring reference in the perimeter. Darden, Mark Payne, Berni Rodriguez and Hrvoje Peric give coach Chus Mateo various possibilities. Fitch has the chance to test his one-on-one skills against Igor Rakocevic, who is coming off the bench lately.
Darden and Peric will share minutes at small forward against Bootsy Thornton and David Moss in what promises to be one of the keys to this game. If Thornton and Moss play together, however, Rodriguez may see extended playing time to guard either of them.
Coach Simone Pianigiani also relies on combo guard Marco Carrareto to provide intensity, defence and the occasional three-pointer. Montepaschi needs to slow Joel Freeland, as Unicaja runs its offence through him.
Luka Zoric and Augusto Cesar Lima are good offensive re-bounders while Jorge Garbajosa can be deadly from three-point range or change the game with his basketball smarts. Freeland and Zoric will not have it easy against blue-collar big men David Andersen, Shaun Stonerook and Andrea Michelori.
Garbajosa will probably guard a similar player like Lavrinovic. Unicaja needs to prevent the hosts' ball circulation and slow McCalebb, while Montepaschi has to stop Freeland and control the defensive board.
Euroleague Live Streaming Schedule:
- 16:15 - CSKA Moscow vs Galatasaray
- 18:30 - Fenerbahce vs Panathinaikos
- 19:45 - Barcelona vs Zalgiris
- 19:45 - Cantu vs Maccabi Electra
- 19:45 - Unicaja vs Montepaschi Siena
