Week Sixteen Preview

 UNICS vs. Zenit and Nymburk vs. Nizhny Novgorod highlight the action in Week Sixteen of the VTB United League.

Saturday, January 9

Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus) - Kalev (Estonia)
Time: 4:00 PM (4:00 PM MSK)
Place: Sports Palace, Minsk, Belarus
TV: Belarus-5 (Belarus), SA Tallinna Televisioon (Estonia), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Tsmoki-Minsk: The Dragons are looking to snap a five-game losing streak. Despite struggling at home this season (Minsk is 1-5 at the Sports Palace), the Belarusians should be favored against Kalev.

Kalev: The Estonians, meanwhile, have had little success on the road, posting a 1-6 record away from home. Last season, these two teams split during the regular season and will be fairly evenly matched on Saturday in Minsk.

Sunday, January 10

Nymburk (Czech Republic) - Nizhny Novgorod (Russia)
Time: 4:00 PM (6:00 PM MSK)
Place: SA Nymburk, Nymburk, Czech Republic
TV: TV Nova Sport (Czech Republic), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Nymburk: The Czechs suffered a setback last week, giving up 123 points in Moscow Region to drop to 7th in the standings. Nymburk needs to bounce back quickly and secure a win against 8th-place Nizhny if it wants to avoid dropping further. Playing at home should help. Ronen Ginzburg's club is 6-1 in the Czech Republic this season.

Nizhny Novgorod: The Volga club has begun to right the ship, winning two straight after a five-game skid dropped the team below .500. Center Rasid Mahalbasic has been a revelation, picking up MVP honors in Week Fifteen for his terrific performance against Tsmoki-Minsk. But despite enjoying considerable success against Nymburk in recent years, the Russian club has its work cut out for it on the road Sunday.

Avtodor (Russia) - CSKA (Russia)
Time: 4:00 PM (4:00 PM MSK)
Place: Kristall Sports Palace, Saratov, Russia
TV: NTV+ (Russia), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Avtodor: The league's top club travels to Saratov on Sunday. You can bet that Avtodor will be extremely motivated for the showdown with CSKA. There's precedent for an upset, too. Avtodor shocked the league last season by winning in Moscow thanks to a 38-point outburst in the final quarter.

CSKA: The Red-Blues are on a roll, boasting an 11-game winning streak in the league to go along with a victory over Real Madrid in the Euroleague. Nando De Colo and Milos Teodosic shone against Madrid, combining for 51 points and 14 assists. Expect Avtodor's defense to be stretched to the max with De Colo and Teodosic attacking the basket every chance they get.

UNICS (Russia) - Zenit (Russia)
Time: 6:00 PM (6:00 PM MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Kazan, Russia
TV: NTV+ (Russia), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

UNICS: Two of the league's top teams meet in one of the biggest games of the weekend. Kazan is firing on all cylinders, bringing a six-game winning streak into Sunday's contest. Quino Colom has been on fire, earning MVP honors in the Eurocup last week. Kazan's depth could be key, especially with Zenit forced to play without Kyle Landry, who's out for the season.

Zenit: St. Petersburg opened 2016 with a loss, falling to the Railwaymen in Krasnodar. Even worse, injuries continue to haunt the club as young center Andrei Desyatnikov will be unavailable on Sunday.  Nevertheless, Zenit's roster is deep enough to challenge UNICS, even without Desyatnikov and Landry.

Enisey (Russia) - Krasny Oktyabr (Russia)
Time: 7:10 PM (3:10 PM MSK)
Place: Sports Palace, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
TV: United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Enisey: Krasnoyarsk continues to battle for a spot in the playoff zone and has an excellent opportunity this weekend to pick up a 6th win against slumping Krasny Oktyabr. Unfortunately for head coach Oleg Okulov, star forward D.J. Kennedy parted ways with Enisey earlier this week, leaving a big gap in the frontcourt.

Krasny Oktyabr: The Steelmen have lost five straight and now sit 15th in the league standings. At the same time, Oktyabr trails 9th-place Enisey by only half a game and could pass Krasnoyarsk in the standings with a win. It's never easy to win on the road, but Volgograd has enjoyed considerable success, winning half its games away from home this season.

Monday, January 11

Bisons (Finland) - Vita (Georgia)
Time: 6:30 PM (7:30 PM MSK)
Place: Loimaa Sports Hall, Loimaa, Finland
TV: Elisa Viihde (Finland), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Bisons: While the Finns have failed to score any major upsets this season, the club has picked up several wins against the bottom half of the standings, including a road win in Volgograd last week. Bisons could move to 6-10 with a win against last-place Vita. After winning nine games total last season, Greg Gibson's men hope to do significantly better in 2015-16.

Vita: The VTB United League newcomers have yet to win. Significant roster turnover and a new coach have made it difficult for the Georgians to make progress. Expectations will be low against the Finns on Monday, especially after giving up 110 points or more in the team's last three outings.

VEF (Latvia) - Lokomotiv-Kuban (Russia)
Time: 7:30 PM (8:30 PM MSK)
Place: Olympic Sport Center, Riga, Latvia
TV: Riga TV (Latvia), NTV+ (Russia), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

VEF: Riga has seen some improvement in recent weeks, picking up its 4th win of the season against Kalev on Sunday. Now VEF prepares to host Kuban. Despite a four-game gap in the standings, Riga has traditionally made life difficult for Lokomotiv, splitting the all-time series, 2-2. That said, VEF has not played well at home this season, while the Railwaymen have already picked up four wins on the road.

Lokomotiv-Kuban: After a sluggish start, Lokomotiv has finally begun to assert itself in the VTB United League. The Railwaymen made it three straight with a win over Zenit. Despite losing center Kyrylo Fesenko earlier this week, Kuban scored an impressive victory against Anadolu Efes in the Euroleague and plans to sign a perimeter player to fill its open roster spot.

Astana (Kazakhstan) - Khimki (Russia)
Time: 8:00 PM (3:00 PM MSK)
Place: SC Velotrek, Astana, Kazakhstan
TV: KAZ Sport (Kazakhstan), NTV+ (Russia), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Astana: The Kazakh club last defeated Moscow Region three years ago, in January 2013. That win came at home, where Astana traditionally plays its best. Ramunas Butautas's men will be sorely tested on Monday, facing a Khimki squad only a few days removed from a loss to Barcelona in the Euroleague.

Khimki: Despite losing to Barcelona, Moscow Region retains its six-game winning streak in the VTB United League and looks to improve to 12-3 by knocking off Astana on the road. Don't be surprised if this game turns into a shootout. Khimki boasts the league's most productive offense, while Astana's defense is second-to-worst.