Will Virtus continue the winning streak at Fenerbahce?
Fenerbahce Istanbul will welcome Virtus Bologna on Friday evening in the Ulker Sports Arena in a game that counts for Round 26 of the EuroLeague.
Fenerbahce’s season was a rollercoaster so far. The Turkish team had an amazing start, winning 9 games in the first 10 rounds, but then from mid-December to early January Fener really struggled and had a 5 game-losing streak. Dimitris Itoudis’s men still alternated some great games with really bad ones (big margin losses against Asvel and Olympiacos), but it seems that Fener is in a good shape now and securing the home court advantage for the EuroLeague playoffs is very plausible.
Last week the Turkish team won in Belgrade against Partizan in a very tough environment and such wins can further boost the morale of the team. Marko Guduric led the yellow-navy blue team to victory, scoring 25 points, dishing 7 assists and finishing with a PIR of 35. For this performance, the Serbian player won the MVP of the Round award for the first time in his career.
Another news related to Fenerbahce is the possible addition of Tyler Dorsey to the roster. It was reported that the two sides are very close to reaching an agreement until the transfer window expires tomorrow. Dorsey was coached by Itoudis last year when the guard represented the Greek national team at the EuroBasket and his scoring capabilities could strengthen Fener even more.
Just like Fenerbahce, Virtus Bologna alternated good games with very poor ones. At the beginning of the season, the Italian team had big issues scoring, averaging under 65 points per game in the first 4 rounds. But Sergio Scariolo managed to fix this problem and in the past few weeks, Virtus really seems to be much better compared to the start of the season. The Bianconeri won 3 of their last 4 games in the EuroLeague and are still in the race for a playoff spot. A big plus is Marco Belinelli, who really struggled in the first few games, scoring just 11 points in total in the first 6 games. But now the veteran player found his rhythm and he averages 16 points per game in the last 3 games, becoming the leader that Virtus needs him to be.
Imre Halasz
Image credit: EuroLeague
