Hemofarm will have its eyes on a ticket to the elimination rounds when it hosts AEK Athens on Tuesday in Vrsac, Serbia. Hemofarm (4-3) can clinch a spot in the next round with a victory if group leader Lietuvis Rytas also beats Brose Baskets. However, AEK (2-5) will not go down without a fight, since it can get within one game of fourth place – the final spot in the group that leads to the next round – if it wins. Hemofarm was a big 73-93 winner when these teams met earlier in the season as veteran Milenko Topic came off the bench to lead five Hemofarm scorers in double figures with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Nikos Vetoulas scored a season-high 15 for AEK. Hemofarm saw its four-game winning streak snapped last week in an 82-73 loss at Gran Canaria. The club is the top three-point shooting side in the ULEB Cup at 49.2%, with Topic, who at age 37 is 8 years older than the next oldest player on the squad, leading the way with an incredible 60.7%. Topic (12.9 ppg., 5.6 rpg., 2.1 spg.), guard Nebojsa Joksimovic (14.9 ppg., 3.1 apg.), forward Predrag Suput (13.8 ppg.) and center Velimir Radinovic (10.7 ppg., 1 bpg.) represent Hemofarm's main offensive weapons. AEK has lost four of its last five games and is winless on the road this season. Former Euroleague champ Nestoras Kommatos (12.2 ppg.) is the team's only player averaging more than 10 points per game, but there are five guys posting between 8 and 10 per game. Veterans Brent Scott (9.6 ppg., 5.4 rpg.) and Vetoulas (9.3 ppg., 2.9 apg.) play key roles inside and outside, respectively. The game could be a sloppy one as the teams – both in the top five in the league in turnovers committed –play a crucial game that will determine what will be left to play for the rest of the way.
Monday, December 18, 2006