A game against Virtus Bologna, even if it’s the fifth of the season, will always be special. It’s written in the DNA of both clubs. As happened just a few days ago, Olimpia faces Virtus at a disadvantage, having played in Monaco yesterday while the opponent rested due to the postponement of its game against Paris Basketball. But these are details that shouldn’t affect the team. Regardless of what the standings say, Olimpia intends to play every game of this EuroLeague to the end, also to best prepare itself for the end of the season. The last two road losses, in Istanbul and Monaco, have proved that—when it plays its game—Olimpia is capable of building significant leads against any top-tier opponent. Having the cynicism to stem negative moments, slow down comebacks, and remain effective at least on one end of the court, when it’s not possible to be effective everywhere, are the areas in which olimpia has to improve. Starting with this game at the Unipol Forum against Virtus Bologna. Olimpia is dealing with the usual absences of Bryant Dunston and Diego Flaccadori. The other 13 players on the roster are all available.
NOTES – Olimpia Milano-Virtus Bologna will be played n Thursday, March 26, at Unipol Forum, at 20:30.
THE REFEREES – Miguel Angel Perez (Spain), Milan Nedovic (Serbia), Amit Balak (Israel).
COACH PEPPE POETA – “It’s a game where we want to show the best version of ourselves. We know where we need to improve and in which areas we need to grow: cynicism and the ability to be consistent throughout the entire 40 minutes, which is what we’ve paid dearly for in recent EuroLeague games. Virtus is a team we know well, given that this is our fifth head-to-head game of the season, so the key will be to defend well in transition, given their ability to run in the open court, and in one-on-one situations.”
VIRTUS BOLOGNA OUTLOOK – With Alessandro Pajola injured and sidelined, and Brandon Taylor traded during the season, Virtus’ point guard lineup includes highly experienced Argentine international Luca Vildoza, also returning from and injury, who is averaging 7.5 points and 4.3 assists per game in 21 minutes on the court, and Daniel Hackett (3.0 points per game, 38.5 percent three-point shooting), a player with immense experience, defense, and personality. Guard Carsen Edwards is the go-to scorer, an offensive player who previously thrived at Bayern Munich and currently averages 18.0 points per game (he is also grabbing 2.2 rebounds and dishing 2.1 assists a game). He doesn’t shoot with great accuracy (46.0 percent from two, 33.9 percent from three), but he’s a high-volume scorer, capable of impacting any game with his explosive scoring output. Another top-level scorer is Matt Morgan, in his second year at Virtus, a shooter but also a quick dribbler who usually comes off the bench. This year, he’s averaging 13.1 points per game, shooting 58.7 percent from two and 36.3 percent from three (he’s also a 91 percent free-throw shooter). The wings are interchangeable: Karim Jallow is a physical forward, averaging 6.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game (56.7 percent from two); Derrick Alston is a shooting specialist both from three (47.1 percent) and from closer range (52.9 percent from two) who is averaging 9.5 points per game; Nicola Akele is a versatile player who can play multiple positions (he is averaging 3.0 points and 2.2 rebounds per game, 73.0 percent on twos); Saliou Niang is one of the breakout player of the season, a second-round pick in last season NBA draft, athletically exceptional, who is averaging 6.4 points per game on 64.5 percent shooting on twos. Capable to play multiple positions, he is a fearsome offensive rebounder (2.0 per game of his 4.2 total rebounds). The fifth wing is Francesco Ferrari. Alen Smailagic can play both as a power forward and center. An excellent mid- and long-range shooter, he averages 8.2 points per game on 59.2 percent two-point shooting. The centers are Momo Diouf (7.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game), who is shooting 59.9 percent from two, proving his skills finishing at the rim, and Aliou Diarra, who averages 4.2 points per game on 70.2 percent shooting.
THE BOLOGNA CONNECTION – Giampaolo Ricci played for Virtus Bologna for two seasons, winning the 2021 Italian league championship as team’s Captain. Daniel Hackett played for Milan for two years, winning the 2014 Italian league championship. Coach Peppe Poeta played for Virtus Bologna for three seasons.
