AEK Betsson BC secures first place and direct qualification to the “16” against Sassari!

“Locks” first place and direct qualification n AEK Betsson BC!

The “Union” welcomes tonight Dynamo Sassari (19:30, CosmoteSports 4, News Bulletin 247, sport-fm.gr) at Klisto of Ano Liosion for the 5th matchday of the group stage of Basketball Champions Leaguewith the sole aim at the end of the night to celebrate first place in the group and securing a place in the “16” of the organization!

The entirety of it Joan Platha is making its best European run in the institution so far, counting four wins in as many first matches of the 4th group. With a win tonight, it also mathematically secures first place, while it can do the same from this match even in the event of a loss, if of course Ludwigsburg is defeated in the other game of the group (hosted by Szczecin in Poland on Wednesday).

In the previous matchday of the BCL, the “yellow and black” won 86-64 against Szczecin in Liosia, having an excellent night from Justin Tillman, who was named in the most valuable player of the competition for the month of November! On Saturday, they were defeated 100-95 by Prometheus in Patras, and while they had come back from -25 midway through the third period.

“It’s nice to be one win away from first place (in the group) and a big qualification. We know that we have achieved this through hard work. In reality, however, we have accomplished nothing. Until… the final whistle, we must be focused on our goal. Many in the organization may think we are already qualified, however, I am making sure to keep the team grounded. I have unlimited respect for Dinamo Sassari, their coach, who has a roster with experienced players, and I ask the same from my players. For example, they may not have started well in the league and are in the bottom places of the standings, but they beat one of the strongest teams in Italy, Armani Milano

The team is built in such a way that they don’t need to get 30 and 40 points from one player. It is built to perform at the same level regardless of the conditions that may arise. I’m also happy because the Greek players are constantly taking upward steps and gaining playing minutes with their value. This is my philosophy. My teams are not unit based. I hope this philosophy will reach us as far as possible, both in Europe and in Greece”said the Spanish coach of AEK Betsson BC.

The Italians, on the other hand, are coming off a huge 89-83 Serie A win over Armani Milano, getting a big psychological boost ahead of tonight’s game for them “final”. In the Italian league they are in 11th place with a 5-5 record, while in the BCL they are in last place in the group with 1-3 record. So, tonight’s match becomes crucial for them, since they may be out of contention for the first places from today.