Week 22 Preview

Lokomotiv battles Krasny Oktyabr, Khimki and Zenit clash in St. Petersburg and more in VTB-League.com's Week 22 preview.

Wednesday, February 17

Vita (Georgia) - Bisons (Finland)
Time: 9:00 PM (8:00 PM MSK)
Place: Tbilisi Sports Palace, Tbilisi, Georgia
TV: Silk TV Sport 3 (Georgia), Elisa Viihde (Finland), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Vita: Tbilisi barely missed out on its first-ever VTB United League win, losing to Kalev by one point over the weekend. On Wednesday, Nikolai Mazur's club will try to finally end its losing streak against visiting 7-14 Bisons.

Bisons: Greg Gibson's men are in 11th place, one of only two teams to already play 21 times. With the season entering the home stretch, Bisons need to string together a few wins to get back in playoff contention. The Finns had no trouble against Vita earlier this season and will look to complete the season sweep on Wednesday.

Thursday, February 18

Krasny Oktyabr (Russia) - Lokomotiv-Kuban (Russia)
Time: 6:00 PM (6:00 PM MSK)
Place: Dynamo Sports Palace in Krylatskoe, Moscow, Russia
TV: Match! Nash sport (Russia), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Krasny Oktyabr: Volgograd has moved into 9th place, two games back of Avtodor and Nizhny Novgorod for a postseason berth. Though Oktyabr has yet to beat Lokomotiv in the league, the home team desperately needs a win to improves its playoff hopes.

Lokomotiv-Kuban: The Railwaymen have been on a roll, winning eight straight in the league. Loko also plays well on the road, which could mean trouble for Oktyabr, which has only won three times at home.

Astana (Kazakhstan) - CSKA (Russia)
Time: 7:00 PM (4:00 PM MSK)
Place: SC Velotrek, Astana, Kazakhstan
TV: KAZ Sport (Kazakhstan), Match! Nash sport (Russia), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Astana: After getting demolished over the weekend by Egor Vyaltsev and Khimki, Astana faces a visit from the reigning champs. The Army Men are undefeated against Astana, including a 35-point win in Moscow earlier this season.

CSKA: The league's second-best offense has been getting the job done, leading CSKA to wins over Nizhny Novgorod in the VTB United League and Olympiacos in the Euroleague. Expect Astana to have  a tough time. Ramunas Butautas's men are 2nd-worst in points allowed per game.

Zenit (Russia) - Khimki (Russia)
Time: 7:00 PM (7:00 PM MSK)
Place: SIBUR Arena, St. Petersburg, Russia
TV: Match TV (Russia), Match! Nash sport (Russia), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Zenit: The league's 3rd and 4th-best teams meet on Thursday. There's not much history between these two teams, but each game has been competitive. It should be noted that Zenit has yet to lose at SIBUR Arena this season, though this will be the first test against a top-3 club.

Khimki: Coming off a huge win vs. Astana, Moscow Region should be in a terrific mood. Egor Vyaltsev will be especially motivated after winning the league's MVP of the Week award for his 40-point outburst. Expect another up-tempo, high-scoring game as the league's top offense battles one of the quickest teams in the competition.

Friday, February 19

VEF (Latvia) - Kalev (Estonia)
Time: 7:30 PM (8:30 PM MSK)
Place: Arena Riga, Latvia, Riga
TV: Riga TV (Latvia), SA Tallinna Televisioon (Estonia), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

VEF: The Baltic derby features two teams near the bottom of the standings: VEF is looking to escape 15th place, while Kalev hopes to avoid dropping into 2nd-last. Riga will likely be favored at home. The Latvians are 5-2 all-time vs. VEF, including a recent win in January.

Kalev: The Estonians are currently in 14th. Despite a win in Tbilisi on Sunday, Kalev has lost 8 of 10. Tallinn also suffered a defeat to Riga in January and has since lost big man Josh Boone to Khimki.

Saturday, February 20

UNICS (Russia) - Bisons (Finland)
Time: 7:00 PM (7:00 PM MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Kazan, Russia
TV: Match! Nash sport (Russia), Elisa Viihde (Finland), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

UNICS: Kazan will be heavily favored. Evgeny Pashutin's men almost never lose at home (while Bisons have only won once away from home) and will be looking to extend a 12-game winning streak. Kazan also won the first meeting between these two teams by 19 in Finland.

Bisons: It's been a busy week for Bisons. After getting blown out in Krasnodar, the Finns visit Tbilisi on Wednesday before traveling to Kazan on Saturday. This would be a huge upset for Greg Gibson's club, but it's not likely to happen, especially not at the Basket Hall.

Sunday, February 21

Lokomotiv-Kuban (Russia) - Vita (Georgia)
Time: 4:00 PM (4:00 PM MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Krasnodar, Russia
TV: Silk TV Sport 3 (Georgia), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Lokomotiv-Kuban: After the game vs. Bisons, Georgios Bartzokas noted that he finally had an opportunity to give his starters some rest. Matt Janning took advantage, demonstrating in the win why he's expected to be an excellent addition to the team. Some of the starters may get some rest vs. Vita, giving the fans a chance to see even more of Janning.

Vita: Despite the solid performance vs. Kalev, Vita faces a much more difficult task on Sunday. Tbilisi won't roll over for Lokomotiv, but the odds of an upset are very slim.

Krasny Oktyabr (Russia) - Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus)
Time: 5:00 PM (5:00 PM MSK)
Place: Dynamo Sports Palace in Krylatskoe, Moscow, Russia
TV: Belarus-5 (Belarus), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Krasny Oktyabr: After facing Loko on Thursday, Volgograd hosts Tsmoki-Minsk, a fellow playoff contender. Minsk will be extremely motivated, but the head-to-head series favors Oktyabr, 4-1.

Tsmoki-Minsk: The Dragons have played well on the road, winning four games away from home. With a win on Sunday, Minsk could pass Oktyabr in the standings and keep its playoff hopes alive.

Khimki (Russia) - Nizhny Novgorod (Russia)
Time: 5:00 PM (5:00 PM MSK)
Place: BCMO Sports Complex, Khimki, Russia
TV: Match TV (Russia), Match! Nash sport (Russia), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Khimki: A win over Nizhny Novgorod keeps Rimas Kurtinaitis's men within striking distance of UNICS for 2nd place. Moscow Region has played well in recent weeks, while Ainars Bagatskis's club has struggled to find traction.

Nizhny Novgorod: The Volga club has always been a tough opponent for Khimki. Earlier this season, Kaspars Berzins hit a shot in the final seconds to give Nizhny a thrilling win over Moscow Region and even the all-time series at 4-4. But injuries and roster turnover have weakened Nizhny, swinging the odds heavily in Khimki's favor for this game.

Enisey (Russia) - Avtodor (Russia)
Time: 7:10 PM (3:10 PM MSK)
Place: Sports Palace, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
TV: Match! Nash sport (Russia), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Enisey: Oleg Okulov's men are 2-8 over the last 10 games and trail Nizhny Novgorod and Avtodor by four games for a playoff spot. A win over Avtodor, however, would reduce the gap and give Krasnoyarsk a glimmer of hope in the postseason chase.

Avtodor: Saratov has struggled, dropping out of the top-5 into a tie for 7th with Nizhny Novgorod. Given that 6th-place Nymburk is favored to win on Monday, Avtodor needs a win in Krasnoyarsk to keep pace.

Monday, February 22

Kalev (Estonia) - CSKA (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: The Estonians will take little comfort from the home-court advantage. CSKA has been been terrific at home as well as on the road. When these two teams met in November, the Army Men enjoyed a comfortable 33-point win. CSKA hasn't lost since in the league, while Kalev has only won three games in the interim.

CSKA: It's entirely possible that the Army Men won't send their full roster to Tallinn in order to let some of the starters rest prior to Euroleague competition. But CSKA has already proved that it can win with anyone thanks to its impressive depth at each position. Several players have also returned recently from injury, such as Viktor Khryapa, and are ready to compete at a high level.

VEF (Latvia) - Nymburk (Czech Republic)
Time: 7:30 PM (8:30 PM MSK)
Place: Arena Riga, Latvia, Riga
TV: Riga TV (Latvia), SA Tallinna Televisioon (Estonia), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

VEF: Riga has little hope of reaching the playoffs, but the young Latvian club can still have an impact on the final standings. For example, with a win over Nymburk, VEF could help Avtodor move back into 6th. It's not out of the question. VEF has had success against Nymburk in the past and only lost by two points in the Czech Republic when these two teams met earlier this season.

Nymburk: The Lions has struggled against the league's elite clubs, but continues to pick up wins against weaker competition. The Czechs are also respectable on the road, whereas VEF is a shocking 1-6 at home. Nymburk will have a good chance of winning in Riga.