ULEB Cup Draw profile: Unics Kazan
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Unics Kazan completed an incredible climb from the bottom of the Group I table to advance to the Last 32 at the very last second by crushing at home in their last match, EiffelTowers Den Bosch, 68-50. They finished tied with Hapoel Jerusalem at 5-5 but the point differential in the head-to-head was on their side. It was a season of ups and downs for Kazan, seen by many before the season as a challenger for the title, but then undergoing a series of stunning and even humiliating defeats before rebounding to win three of its last four and to advance to the Last 32. Kazan’s third ULEB Cup season started well with a 90-87 home win over KK Zadar as Jerry McCullough amassed a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds, but continued with a three straight losses as the team struggled to find its way. First came a 78-66 defeat at Strasbourg 78-66, followed by a 107-68 capitulation in Jerusalem against Hapoel 107-68 and the last at home against PGE Turow Zgorzelec, 75-80, despite a slim lead early in the last quarter. A 79-108 thrashing of EiffelTowers Den Bosch in Week 5, as Tariq Kirksay  had 26 points and 12 rebounds, gave the team hope, but a Week 6 defeat in Zadar, 76-64, to open the second part of the regular season, reduced their hopes again. When all looked doomed, Unics used two consecutive games at home to stay focused. It downed Strasbourg 94-57 behind 19 points from Sergey Chikalkin to start the climb back, and with another incredible defensive performance allowed just 45 points to Hapoel Jerusalem, to beat them 98-45 led by 21 points from Darjus Lavrinovic and 19 bagged by Marko Tusek. The penultimate regular season night was again dark for Unics, as it lost away against Turow Zgorzelec 73-68 at the end of a poor shooting night. The last and crucial match was at home against EiffelTowers DenBosch and the defense was again the key to getting the win and advancing as the third-placed team from Group I. Now the team has a chance to start fresh and let its talent shine as it challenges for a spot in the Final 8.
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POST-DRAW REACTIONS | Unics Kazan head coach Aco Petrovic: “I know Turk Telekom well. In the past year we beat them in Rostov, but then lost in Ankara. This year it became still stronger than it was in the past. The head coach, Ercument Sunter, works for Turk Telekom already 10 years. That is an important factor. He has made good selections and each position has a strong player. It is very important to play successfully in Kazan, since in Ankara, with the complete hall and powerful support of the fans, Turk Telekom plays very strongly.” |
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