In Wednesday’s final tipoff, the league's bottom two teams play for the prize of climbing away from last place as Virtus (2-10) hosts ALBA (2-10).
Game Notes: Virtus vs. ALBA



Virtus, which has lost four in a row, needs better backboard protection after averaging a league-low 31.6 rebounds – a big deficit to ALBA, which ranks third in rebounding with 36.3 per night in large part thanks to Trevion Williams grabbing 7.5 per game. ALBA’s struggling defense, which has allowed a league-high 91.6 points per game, will be tested by the back-in-form Will Clyburn, who scored 25 points on 5-of-8 three-point shooting in last week’s narrow loss at Paris. At the other end, ALBA will hope for another solid contribution from rising youngster Elias Rapieque, who scored a career-high 14 points last week.
Game Videos
- Virtus is 4-0 against ALBA this century. Virtus's 85-76 win over ALBA in Round 13 of the 2022-23 season was the first-ever meeting between these two cubs in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the first official meeting between the two teams in more than two decades.
- Last season in Bologna, Virtus beat ALBA 87-76 with Tornike Shengelia collecting 26 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, accumulating a PIR of 32 and earning MVP of the Round honors.
- ALBA's Gabriele Procida and Matteo Spagnolo were teammates of Virtus's Alessandro Pajola and Achille Polonara on the Italian national team at the 2023 Basketball World Cup.
- Virtus guard Daniel Hackett and ALBA's Olinde were also teammates at Brose Bamberg during the 2017-18 season.
- Virtus forward Achille Polonara scored a career-high 23 points playing for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz against ALBA in January 2021.