A European derby to kick off the new year, from Bologna. Olimpia faces Virtus for the third time this season, buoyed by two previous wins, but all of those came in Milan and in league play, with a maximum of six foreign players usable. One of those wins came after overtime, while the other was an uncharacteristic defensive battle won by Olimpia, scoring a rare 74 points. This time the game is in Bologna, where Virtus is 6-2 in the EuroLeague, beaten only by Hapoel Tel Aviv and Olympiacos by eight points combined. Olimpia has won four road games, a good pace, but has lost its last two road games, in Baskonia and Dubai. The Bologna game closes out the first half of the regular season. Afterward, the race for the postseason will effectively begin. Olimpia is one win away from a postseason berth and is preceded in the standings by four teams that it has beaten. Although the current schedule is brutal, with two tough away games coming up—after Bologna, Panathinaikos Athens will play in OAKA—Olimpia will then play five of its next six games at home (the exception being Madrid), against Efes, Red Star Belgrade, Zalgiris, Partizan, and Baskonia. Indeed, January will be crucial in determining Olimpia’s season. In Bologna, the injury situation remains unchanged compared to recent outings, as Leandro Bolmaro (10.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game this season) is not yet ready to return to Coach Poeta’s rotation. The opponent, howwver, has its share of problems, as Carsen Edwards—the player who attempts more three-pointers than any other player, averaging 7.8—missed the Trieste game due to injury. In any case, Virtus is a team that ranks 15th in points scored (82.3) but second in assists (20.3), a sign that it can be effective when moving the ball and when its playmakers create opportunities for their teammates. Olimpia itself needs ball movement to trigger its shooters: currently, at 39.2 percent from the arc, it leads in three-point shooting, with seven players over 40 percent, including Pippo Ricci and Zach LeDay, the two power forwards.
NOTES – Virtus Bologna-Olimpia Milano is scheduled to be played on Friday, January, 2nd in Virtus Arena, Bologna, at 20:30.
THE REFEREES – Miguel Angel Perez (Spain), Carlos Cortes (Spain), Sergio Silva (Portugal).
COACH PEPPE POETA – “Bologna’s pace at home is a pace worthy of the top of the standings: with home court advantage and a strong defensive identity, they have built their EuroLeague record. For us, it will be crucial to keep our balance offensively to make sure they won’t be able to run much and go off with the crowd. It will be important also to work well defensively and limit their second chances off offensive rebounds because they are very effective at taking advantage of them. Generally, we know we need a solid and consistent game for 40 minutes, as always when we play in such a tough building.”
The bombers battle
| Player | Ppg | 2pt | 3pt | FT |
| Matt Morgan | 12.9 | 62.5 | 38.6 | 86.2 |
| Armoni Brooks | 12.8 | 50.0 | 45.4 | 83.3 |
VIRTUS BOLOGNA OUTLOOK – Compared to the team that won the last Italian league championship, Bologna have lost some key players such as Tornike Shengelia, Will Clyburn, Marco Belinelli (who retired), and Isaia Cordinier. The point guard now is Argentine Luca Vildoza, a highly experienced player who played in the EuroLeague with Baskonia, Red Star Belgrade, Panathinaikos, and Olympiacos. He is currently averaging 6.7 points and 4.8 assists per game, shooting 38.1 percent from three. Guard Carsen Edwards, who was the EuroLeague leading scorer last year at Bayern Munich, previously played at Fenerbahce. This year, he is averaging 17.7 points per game. Matt Morgan, in his second season in Bologna, is averaging 12.9 points per game on 62.5 percent shooting from two and 38.6 percent from three. Brandon Taylor, a small but lightning-fast point guard, has played sparingly so far, only 6.3 minutes per game. Alessandro Pajola, one of Europe’s most respected defenders, is averaging 3.7 points and 4.3 assists per game. Finally, Daniel Hackett provides his usual energy, defense, and experience (averaging 1.8 points and 2.1 rebounds). Among the forwards, Saliou Niang – making his EuroLeague debut – is averaging 6.4 points per game on 72.3 percent two-point shooting thanks to his extraordinary physicality. He also pulls down 4.1 rebounds per game. Karim Jallow averages 7.1 points in 24.1 minutes on the court, but with great accuracy, shooting 64.9 percent from two and 45.5 percent from three. Derrick Alston is a power forward who can really stretch the floor because of his lethal outside shot. As of now, he is shooting 57.5 percent on his threes for 7.5 points per game on average. Nicola Akele, averaging 2.7 points and 2.4 rebounds, can round out the forwards rotation. The centers are Momo Diouf, an Italian international, Aliou Diarra, a Malian international, and Alen Smailagic, a Serbian with extensive EuroLeague experience. Diouf averages 7.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, shooting 58.2 percent from two. Smailagic, who also plays at the power forward spot, contributes 8.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, but is also a dangerous outside shooter (42.0 percent from three). Diarra averages 2.9 points and 1.8 rebounds per game but is 18-of-23 from two overall.
The Men in the Middle
| Player | Ppg | 2pt | Rpg | PIR |
| Momo Diouf | 7.5 | 58.2 | 4.3 | 9.4 |
| Josh Nebo | 9.0 | 64.1 | 4.4 | 12.2 |
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.
Creators duel
| Player | Ppg | 3pt | Apg | PIR |
| Luca Vildoza | 6.7 | 38.1 | 4.8 | 9.3 |
| Quinn Ellis | 7.9 | 45.2 | 4.3 | 10.2 |
