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Head-to-head: Andrea De Nicolao, Reyer vs. Pau Ribas, Joventut

Head-to-head: Andrea De Nicolao, Reyer vs. Pau Ribas, Joventut

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22 March 20233 Mins read

Head-to-head: Andrea De Nicolao, Reyer vs. Pau Ribas, Joventut

Two veteran guards with a combined 15 seasons of experience and nearly 200 games between them in the 7DAYS EuroCup come face to face on Wednesday night, as Andrea De Nicolao's Umana Reyer Venice (9-7) and Pau Ribas's Joventut Badalona (11-5) meet at Palasport Taliercio.

The 31-year-old De Nicolao is an eight-year veteran in the competition, having played 98 games with four different clubs: Benetton Treviso, Pallacanestro Varese, Reggio Emilia and Reyer. Meanwhile, Ribas is a 2014 champion with Valencia Basket and has one fewer season under his belt, as well as two fewer EuroCup appearances.

Ribas, who recently turned 36 years of age, has career averages of 9.1 points and 3.3 assists. The Joventut veteran has made more than double the amount of two-point and three-point shots scored by De Nicolao, who has averages of 4.2 points and 2.3 assists for his career.

Ribas has also enjoyed more success in the games between himself and De Nicolao, including in their meeting earlier this season, a thrilling 90-87 win for Joventut. While Ribas had 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, De Nicolao finished with 3 points on 1-for-5 three-point shooting in just 10 minutes on the floor, but he also made 2 steals.

That was the third time that they had come head-to-head on the hardwood. Actually, the first time Ribas and De Nicolao were on opposite sides of the floor came back in December 2013, when De Nicolao was with Varese and Ribas with Valencia. However, the Italian did not enter the game, with Ribas and Valencia winning by 32 points.

The other two games in which they faced off both took place in the 2020-21 regular season. Joventut registered two 14-point wins, with the first coming in Badalona, where both players scored 13 points. Ribas also had 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 23 minutes, while De Nicolao was Reyer's bright spot in the game, shooting 3-for-5 from long range and dishing 3 assists, with a respectable -2 in the plus-minus column in a big loss.

Yet, in the second game that season, De Nicolao was held to just 2 points, going 0-for-3 from the field, and 2 assists, whereas Ribas posted 11 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, as he made it three wins from three against his Reyer counterpart.

Now, as Reyer looks for its first-ever win over Joventut, De Nicolao will be hoping for his first victory with Ribas on the opposite side of the court. What's more, a victory in this contest would be a big step forward for Reyer in its attempt to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs.