Mid-Week Preview

Three games are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tuesday, March 15

Kalev (Estonia) - Krasny Oktyabr (Russia)
Time: 6:30 PM (7:30 PM MSK)
Place: Saku Suurhall, Tallinn, Estonia
TV: SA Tallinna Televisioon (Estonia), Match! Nash sport (Russia), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Kalev: Both teams are coming off games vs. Nizhny Novgorod. Oktyabr got a win vs. Ainars Bagatskis's club, but Kalev was not as lucky, dropping two in a row to Nizhny last week. The Estonians have now lost three straight, but boast a perfect record vs. Krasny Oktyabr in VTB United League competition and hope to continue that streak on Tuesday.

Krasny Oktyabr: Volgograd is looking to get revenge for a loss at home earlier this season and keep its playoff hopes alive. Games against Loko, Khimki and UNICS are looming on the schedule, making this a must-win for Krasny Oktyabr.

Wednesday, March 16

Astana (Kazakhstan) - Zenit (Russia)
Time: 7:00 PM (4:00 PM MSK)
Place: SC Zhastar, Karagandy, Kazakhstan
TV: United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Astana: The Kazakhs have lost seven straight and dropped to 15th in the standings. There's nowhere to go but up, starting with a win at home vs. Zenit. This will be the first meeting between the two clubs, with the return game in St. Petersburg scheduled for March 23.

Zenit: Playing on the road, Zenit will try to improve on an unconvincing win over 16th-place Vita in Tbilisi over the weekend. St. Petersburg has yet to lose to a team from the bottom half of the standings this season and the team will be favored once again in Kazakhstan. A win would help Zenit stay ahead of Lokomotiv-Kuban in the chase for 3rd place.

VEF (Latvia) - Bisons (Finland)
Time: 7:30 PM (8:30 PM MSK)
Place: Arena Riga, Latvia, Riga
TV: Riga TV (Latvia), Elisa Viihde (Finland), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

VEF: Riga is below Bisons in the standings, but that could change in the coming week. VEF has won two of three, including a big victory over Nymburk. Janis Berzins is one player to watch. The Latvian was named the League's Young Player of the Month in February and scored 17 points in a hard-fought loss to UNICS last week.

Bisons: The Bisons pulled out a thrilling win in the first meeting between these teams, erasing a 21-point deficit to win at the buzzer. Much has changed since November, however, and the Finnish roster has undergone major alterations. But the star of that November comeback, Tuukka Kotti, is still with the team and probably wouldn't mind leading Bisons to victory in Riga on Wednesday.