Week Fifteen Preview

Lokomotiv-Kuban vs. Zenit and Khimki vs. Nymburk highlight the action in Week Fifteen.

Saturday, January 2

Krasny Oktyabr (Russia) - Bisons (Finland)
Time: 5:00 PM (5:00 PM MSK)
Place: Alianz-Basket, Volgograd, Russia
TV: Elisa Viihde (Finland), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Krasny Oktyabr: Volgograd hit a rough patch in December, losing four of five to drop to 4-8 overall. A home game against Bisons offers an excellent opportunity to start the New Year right. Volgograd will also get a boost from new signing Davon Jefferson, who has prior experience at Triumph and Enisey.

Bisons: Despite playing on the road, Bisons will not be heavy underdogs. These two teams are evenly matched and split the season series in 2014-15, each winning on the road.

Sunday, January 3

CSKA (Russia) - Astana (Kazakhstan)
Time: 2:00 PM (2:00 PM MSK)
Place: USH CSKA, Moscow, Russia
TV: NTV+ (Russia), KAZ Sport (Kazakhstan), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

CSKA: The Army Men have a great opportunity to push their winning streak to 10 games. Playing at home against Astana, yet to score a win on the road, CSKA will be heavily favored. The Army Men will also be extremely motivated to bounce back from the mid-week loss to Khimki in the Euroleague.

Astana: The Kazakhs have played CSKA eight times in the VTB United League, but have yet to win once. Unable to compete with CSKA's depth or talent, Astana will need to outhustle and outwork the home team to keep this game competitive.

UNICS (Russia) - Enisey (Russia)
Time: 4:00 PM (4:00 PM MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Kazan, Russia
TV: United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

UNICS: After an unexpected loss to Tsmoki-Minsk in October, Kazan has won six straight at home. UNICS guard Quino Colom in a recent interview explained that the team had finally gelled and that the squad's new additions had successfully mastered Evgeny Pashutin's playbook. Taking on Enisey at home, Kazan will be a heavy favorite.

Enisey: Oleg Okulov's team did not have the best December. The Siberians have lost three straight, including a disappointing defeat to Kalev. A game and a half back of Nizhny Novgorod for 8th place, Enisey needs a win over UNICS to regain its momentum. That's a tall order for Krasnoyarsk, which has never won in Kazan.

Lokomotiv-Kuban (Russia) - Zenit (Russia)
Time: 4:30 PM (4:30 PM MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Krasnodar, Russia
TV: Match TV (Russia), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Lokomotiv-Kuban: It's been an up-and-down season for Krasnodar in the VTB United League. Despite two straight wins to finish the year, Lokomotiv remains 7th in the standings, five games back of 1st-place CSKA. But the Railwaymen have generally impressed at home and may even be favored against high-flying Zenit. Loko will be led by Malcolm Delaney, who recently picked up MVP honors for Week 1 of the Euroleague Top 16.

Zenit: The game in Krasnodar will feature two very different playing styles. The league's third highest-scoring offense (Zenit, 89.4 ppg scored) takes on one of the best defensive squads (Loko, 70.3 ppg allowed). Last season, Zenit lost twice to the Railwaymen, but after an 8-1 start to 2015-16, St. Petersburg will be extremely confident about its chances in Krasnodar.

Kalev (Estonia) - VEF (Latvia)
Time: 5:00 PM (6:00 PM MSK)
Place: Saku Suurhall, Tallinn, Estonia
TV: SA Tallinna Televisioon (Estonia), Riga TV (Latvia), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Kalev: Though Kalev trails VEF in the all-time series (2-4), the Estonians hold a one-game lead on Riga in the standings. A win at home would be huge for Kalev's playoff aspirations and give the team some separation from the bottom of the league.

VEF: Riga's last win in Tallinn was back in December 2012. Last season, Kalev won both meetings against VEF and the Latvians will be underdogs in the Estonian capital. Pushing the tempo is likely the best strategy for VEF. The visitors average seven points more per game than Kalev.

Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) - Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus)
Time: 5:30 PM (5:30 PM MSK)
Place: FOK Meshchersky, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
TV: Belarus-5 (Belarus), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Nizhny Novgorod: Ainars Bagatskis lost several key contributors in October and the team has struggled ever since, clinging to 8th place in the standings. Fortunately for the Nizhny Novgorod fans, there are some signs of hope. The team snapped an extended losing streak last week and boasts a perfect 4-0 record all-time against Tsmoki-Minsk.

Tsmoki-Minsk: After a sizzling start, Minsk has hit a rough patch and dropped to 10th in the standings. In Tsmoki's defense, the team has had to deal with injuries and a challenging schedule. On Sunday, the Belarusians face another tough task: knocking off Nizhny on the road. If the visitors want to come out on top, they will need to have a good game on offense. Currently, Tsmoki averages less than 80 points per game, 11th in the league.

Vita (Georgia) - Avtodor (Russia)
Time: 6:30 PM (5:30 PM MSK)
Place: Tbilisi Sports Palace, Tbilisi, Georgia
TV: United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Vita: The Georgian club has yet to win this season, in addition to losing several key contributors. But head coach Mikhail Kobeshavidze promises the team will "reset" in 2016 and present a very different Vita during the second half of the season.

Avtodor: Saratov has won seven of 10, including five straight victories. The team's exciting, up-tempo offense has helped the team improve to 5th in the standings, while young center Artem Klimenko was named the league's December Young Player of the Month.

Khimki (Russia) - Nymburk (Czech Republic)
Time: 6:30 PM (6:30 PM MSK)
Place: BCMO Sports Complex, Khimki, Russia
TV: NTV+ (Russia), TV Nova Sport (Czech Republic), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Khimki: Rimas Kurtinaitis's men finished 2015 on a high note, winning five straight in the VTB United League and knocking off CSKA in Week 1 of the Euroleague Top 16. Moscow Region is flying high and hopes to continue climbing the league standings.

Nymburk: The Czechs face a difficult task: slowing the league's top offense on the road (94.3 ppg). Ronen Ginzburg's men have only one win against the league's top 8 this season (Lokomotiv-Kuban) and have yet to defeat Khimki.