Week Eight Preview

Lokomotiv-Kuban vs. Nizhny Novgorod and CSKA vs. UNICS highlight Week Eight action.

Saturday, November 14

Astana (Kazakhstan) - Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus)
Time: 3:30 PM (12:30 PM MSK)
Place: SC Velotrek, Astana, Kazakhstan
TV: KAZ Sport (Kazakhstan), Belarus 2 (Belarus), VTB-League.com
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Astana: 0-3 on the road, Astana will be thrilled to return home for Saturday's matchup with Tsmoki-Minsk. Last week, Ramunas Butautas's men nearly overcame a 21-point deficit in Riga but fell just short. A win at home over Tsmoki-Minsk could be huge for the team's confidence.

Tsmoki-Minsk: After a 3-1 start, Minsk has lost two in a row to Krasny Oktyabr and Nymburk. Saturday's game presents an opportunity get back above .500 and maintain a perfect 3-0 record on the road. 3-1 against Astana all time, Tsmoki's biggest concern heading into this game is that center Garrett Stutz is unavailable due to injury.

Bisons (Finland) - Zenit (Russia)
Time: 4:00 PM (5:00 PM MSK)
Place: Loimaa Sports Hall, Loimaa, Finland
TV: Elisa Viihde (Finland), VTB-League.com
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Bisons: Greg Gibson's men lost to Zenit twice last season and trail St. Petersburg by five games in the standings. Still, Bisons have already notched a win against Lokomotiv-Kuban and gave Nizhny Novgorod a scare. Playing at home, the Finns are a tough out for any opponent.

Zenit: Vasily Karasev's men will be heavily favored in a matchup between the league's northernmost teams. Even an injury to October MVP Ryan Toolson hasn't slowed Zenit's momentum. Janis Timma stepped up big against Avtodor and the Russians intend to remain undefeated in Finland.

Avtodor (Russia) - VEF (Latvia)
Time: 5:00 PM (5:00 PM MSK)
Place: Kristall Sports Palace, Saratov, Russia
TV: Riga TV (Latvia), NTV+ (Russia), VTB-League.com
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Avtodor: Saratov's only defeat at home came against Lokomotiv-Kuban and the team will be favored against VEF. Avtodor's biggest challenge will be recovering from a mid-week road trip to Hungary for the Eurocup.

VEF: Like many young teams, Riga has struggled with consistency. Against Astana, VEF led by as much as 21 points in the second half, but barely escaped with a one-point win. Riga did beat Avtodor twice last season, but with a revamped roster, it's up to new leaders Guillermo Rubio and Francisco Cruz to deliver a much-needed win.

Krasny Oktyabr (Russia) - Nymburk (Czech Republic)
Time: 5:00 PM (5:00 PM MSK)
Place: Alianz-Basket, Volgograd, Russia
TV: NTV+ (Russia), TV Nova Sport (Czech Republic), VTB-League.com
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Krasny Oktyabr: Memories of the disappointing 1-4 start are fading after back-to-back road wins over Tsmoki-Minsk and Nizhny Novgorod. Now the Steelmen have a home game and a chance to get back to .500 in front of the Volgograd fans.

Nymburk: The Czechs have been the league's biggest surprise. 2nd in the standings, Ronen Ginzburg's men head to Volgograd in search of a 7th win. The game will be an interesting study in contrasts: Krasny Oktyabr is top-5 in offense, while Nymburk ranks 3rd in defense. Expect a hard-fought battle at the cozy Alianz-Basket arena.

Sunday, November 15

Lokomotiv-Kuban (Russia) - Nizhny Novgorod (Russia)
Time: 5:00 PM (5:00 PM MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Krasnodar, Russia
TV: NTV+ (Russia), VTB-League.com
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Lokomotiv-Kuban: The Railwaymen have struggled to pick up any momentum in league competition, losing two of their last three games. Earlier this week, Loko also suffered its first defeat in the Euroleague, dropping a close decision on the road to Barcelona. Despite some disappointing results, Kuban has the league's top defense (70.3 points per game allowed) and should be favored against Nizhny Novgorod.

Nizhny Novgorod: After back-to-back wins against last year's playoff finalists, Nizhny Novgorod suffered a surprising defeat to Krasny Oktyabr. Injuries have been a problem for head coach Ainars Bagatskis. After losing Eric Maynor in the first game of the season, top scorer Maxim Grigoryev suffered a serious knee injury two weeks ago. Victor Rudd and co. will need to step up big-time against a talented Lokomotiv club.

Enisey (Russia) - Vita (Georgia)
Time: 7:10 PM (3:10 PM MSK)
Place: Sports Palace, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
TV: NTV+ (Russia), VTB-League.com
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Enisey: Krasnoyarsk can move to 3-4 with a win over Vita. Oleg Okulov's men have won two in a row, first beating Bisons, then knocking off Kalev in the Eurocup. Enisey hopes to ride their surging confidence to a third straight victory.

Vita: The Georgians continue to gain experience. Vita has played well in stretches, but has yet to do enough to get in the win column. Two players left the team earlier this week, Oleksandr Lypovyy and Darius Carter, but they will be replaced quickly. Enisey scores a lot, but also gives up a lot of points, which means fans could be in for a shootout on Sunday.

Monday, November 16

CSKA (Russia) - UNICS (Russia)
Time: 7:00 PM (7:00 PM MSK)
Place: USH CSKA, Moscow, Russia
TV: NTV+ (Russia), VTB-League.com
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

CSKA: The Army Men will be favored in the Game of the Week. Last week, CSKA knocked off Lokomotiv-Kuban and Milos Teodosic earned MVP honors for his performance. Dimitris Itoudis noted after the game that CSKA has been playing with true Army grit this season. Undefeated at home, CSKA will try to deal Kazan its first loss on the road.

UNICS: Evgeny Pashutin's men suffered a shocking loss to Tsmoki-Minsk in the first game of the season, but haven't lost since. Keith Langford is playing like an MVP, leading the league in points scored and efficiency rating. His duel with Nando De Colo will be fun to watch. The French guard is also among the league's top offensive threats and has yet to miss a free throw.