Disposition
Zenit spends the second round powerfully, trying to compensate the earlier misfires. The St. Petersburg team approaches the today’s game with a score of 7-1. The only defeat of Xavier Pascual’s team happened against UNICS. Then, in a tense clutch luck smiled on the Kazan team. Though, Zenit had already taken revenge.
In the same period, Loko has a win-loss ratio of 4 to 3. Still, a successful winter allows Alexander Sekulić’s team to pretend on the 3rd place in the regular season, which would only be possible in case of today’s success.
Their leaders
Zenit is a well balanced team and the accidental absence of players is more often compensated by the redistribution of roles within the team.
Their leaders in the back court are the duo of Thomas Heurtel, the championship leader in assists (8.2), and Trent Frazier, who averages 14.7 points per game. Add to this Kyle Kuric, who was awarded the MVP title of the VTB United League Super Cup, and you get quite a Euroleague-ish roster capable of the high-profile feats.
Zenit’s front court is a fusion of experience and high ambitions. Vince Hunter, who switched from champion UNICS to the St. Petersburg club in the off-season, is one of the most effective players in the league on both sides of the court. Together with power forward Adrien Moerman is a headache for any opponent in the fight for rebounds. Today’s opponent Loko has enough snipers who can stretch the defense, which opens up room for maneuver for their big men and creativity in organizing attacks for their point guards.
Where to watch
On “Krasnodar”, “Match! Igra” and “Start” TV channels. Also the game will be broadcasted online on lokobasket.com and the VTB United league official site.