UNICS vs Zenit. Will the reigning champion be defeated?
On April 18, Kazan will host the second semi-final meeting of the VTB United League 2022/23 between the local UNICS and Zenit from St. Petersburg. She will be hosted by the Basket Hall arena. The score in the series up to four victories is 1:0 in favor of the team from Tatarstan.
The club finished second in both the regular season of the 2022/23 season and the Winners' Stage. In the quarter-finals, Kazan cleared PARMA out of their way in three matches. For a long time now, UNICS has been wooed to the final against CSKA. So far, such conversations can be called quite realistic.
In the first game against Zenit, the club was good. 94:67. This is a real rout. Kazan took all the playing segments in the match. Jalen Reynolds topped UNICS with 16 points and five rebounds, Louis Labery had 15 points, Marcos Knight and Vyacheslav Zaitsev had 12 each, and Daryl Macon had seven points and added as many assists to his opponent. The percentage of Kazan players in the match exceeded 62%.
Zenit
Last season of the VTB United League the club took its first trophy in history. In the current game year, objectively, St. Petersburg are not the same. The club has changed a lot and there is a feeling that it used to be much better. In the current regular season, Zenit finished third. In the Winners' Stage, the team did not move anywhere in the table. In the first round of the playoffs, the Blue-White-Blues passed the MBA not without problems (3:1).
The first semi-final meeting against Kazan lost. The best defense of the tournament failed, and a serious one at that. The opponent's attack was simply swaggering. After this, the blue-white-blue line of defense may need psychological help.
It's hard to find bright personalities among the losers, but Caleb Homesley (25 points) and Adrien Moerman (ten points into the opponent's ring) certainly deserve praise. Note that both athletes joined the match from the bench. Thomas Ertel was supposed to be a key figure on the floor in the meeting against Kazan, but the Frenchman did not show himself.
In a post-match interview, Pascual scolded his team. He said that his wards simply failed and were weak-willed. Worse than the matches in his career, the Spanish mentor cannot immediately recall. This is a bold statement.
Our Expert Predictions & Analysis on UNICS vs Zenit
UNICSThe club finished second in both the regular season of the 2022/23 season and the Winners' Stage. In the quarter-finals, Kazan cleared PARMA out of their way in three matches. For a long time now, UNICS has been wooed to the final against CSKA. So far, such conversations can be called quite realistic.
In the first game against Zenit, the club was good. 94:67. This is a real rout. Kazan took all the playing segments in the match. Jalen Reynolds topped UNICS with 16 points and five rebounds, Louis Labery had 15 points, Marcos Knight and Vyacheslav Zaitsev had 12 each, and Daryl Macon had seven points and added as many assists to his opponent. The percentage of Kazan players in the match exceeded 62%.
Zenit
Last season of the VTB United League the club took its first trophy in history. In the current game year, objectively, St. Petersburg are not the same. The club has changed a lot and there is a feeling that it used to be much better. In the current regular season, Zenit finished third. In the Winners' Stage, the team did not move anywhere in the table. In the first round of the playoffs, the Blue-White-Blues passed the MBA not without problems (3:1).
The first semi-final meeting against Kazan lost. The best defense of the tournament failed, and a serious one at that. The opponent's attack was simply swaggering. After this, the blue-white-blue line of defense may need psychological help.
It's hard to find bright personalities among the losers, but Caleb Homesley (25 points) and Adrien Moerman (ten points into the opponent's ring) certainly deserve praise. Note that both athletes joined the match from the bench. Thomas Ertel was supposed to be a key figure on the floor in the meeting against Kazan, but the Frenchman did not show himself.
In a post-match interview, Pascual scolded his team. He said that his wards simply failed and were weak-willed. Worse than the matches in his career, the Spanish mentor cannot immediately recall. This is a bold statement.
Comments 0