High-flying Virtus (10-4) will attempt to at least maintain its share of second place with a visit from faltering Olympiacos (7-7), which has slipped down the standings with three losses in four games.
Luca Banchi, Virtus: 'These are special evenings'
Seasons
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 15 of 34
Regular Season
Virtus Segafredo BolognaVIR
6967
Olympiacos PiraeusOLY
Overview
w
w
w
w
l
l
l
w
l
l
Offensive production is becoming a major issue for the Reds, who average just 76.4 points per game (third worst in the league) and were held to just 56 points in last week's home loss to Valencia. Isaiah Canaan does remain a constant deep threat with at least one triple every game this season, but he could be outgunned by the likes of Isaia Cordinier, who has made 6 of his last 8 attempts from long-range for a Virtus team which ranks second in the league in assists (20.2).
Luca Banchi, Virtus head coach
"The game against Olympiacos is certainly one of the most fascinating and challenging one of the entire EuroLeague season. Winners of last year's regular season and finalists, the Greek team represents one of the most serious candidates for the title and will arrive in Bologna strong with an extremely deep roster further enriched by the recent arrival of Filip Petrusev, who goes to add further consistency to an already dominant frontcourt. We will try to build on previous performances, where we have shown that we are capable of going beyond apparent physical or technical limitations and get the game on tracks that will allow us to return to expressing our best basketball, with a collective effort that embraces team, staff and public. These are special evenings to be lived with emphasis and enthusiasm, enjoying the atmosphere that Virtus Segafredo Arena and the teams, I am sure, will be able to offer."
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos head coach
"They are third at the moment, not because they had a favorable schedule, but because they deserve it. It is a team whose quality and the way it plays are reflected in its ranking position. I remember that it is the team that was perhaps in a crowd last year towards the end of the standings, and the same team this year – with a different motivation from the players, with a different understanding, with a different way of playing, perhaps – they have reached the point of being very fairly at the top. Their home court is difficult and last year we won a very tough game there. It’s a team in which [Jordan] Mickey is missing at the moment, but [Bryant] Dunston and [Tornike] Shengelia – you don’t know who’s 'five', who’s 'four' – they rotate. But in general they have a flow in the way they attack that has a lot of speed; they all play together. Of course, there is also great quality. There are also players like [Isaia] Cordinier who have improved their game tremendously since last year. In general, it’s a team that plays very well."
Bryant Dunston, Virtus player
"Olympiacos is a tough team. It's going to be a difficult game, very physical. They got a very well balanced team, very good coach. Obviously, I played with that coach, so I understand his philosophy a little bit. But as far as the game goes tomorrow we have to come in, set the tone early, play physical, play strong defensively. We have to really take away their easy baskets because they get a lot of easy points off of back cuts and offensive rebounds and things like this. And play together on offensive end. Make sure everybody's touching the ball and move their defense from side to side and take advantage of the opportunities."
Giannoulis Larentzakis, Olympiacos player
"We want to bounce back after the loss to Valencia in our home court. We played very bad, but it is a new week, a tough week, with two games on the road. Bologna is a tough team, but I believe that we have the foundation and the quality to get the win."