With two games left until the end of the regular season our team thanks to own brilliant playing and couple of Unicaja losses went up to the first spot in the group. Theoretically the leading position may be taken in the next game if some simple conditions are met.
First, Malaga side should lose in Sassari. Then CSKA have to win in Moscow. If any of this two conditions does not play out, the leading teams will fight for the first place face-to-face next week.
“Darussafaka is a very ambitious team that shows good basketball in its first Euroleague season,” CSKA head coach Dimitris Itoudis said. “They signed two new players, Wilbekin and Aldemir to prove their ambitions. The players on the team has a lot of experience under their belt, the team is talented and well-organized. In this game Darussafaka will try hard to seal its spot in Top 16 so I expect it to be difficult. Our team showed good reactions in recent away games in Bamberg and Riga and I hope we will continue like this. We played good game in Istanbul despite missing some key players. And it is our motivation to play well again, to satisfy ourselves and our fans who will come to support the team.”
Important numbers
CSKA is the Euroleague’s top scoring team through Round 8 this season with an average of 91.1 points per game.
Milos Teodosic needs 3 more points to reach the 2,000-point milestone for his Euroleague career. He will become the 17th player to achieve that feat.
Teodosic needs 1 more three-pointer to tie retired CSKA great Trajan Langdon for sixth place on the all-time Euroleague charts with 339 threes.
Teodosic has made at least 1 three-pointer in 32 consecutive Euroleague games, Nando De Colo – in 14, Andrey Vorontsevich – in 10.
De Colo has made 20 consecutive free throws in Euroleague action, Vitaly Fridzon – 13, Teodosic – 9.
De Colo has scored in double figures in each of his last 13 Euroleague appearances.
De Colo is the Euroleague’s career leader in free throw accuracy. He’s shooting 93.1 %, having made 203 free throws out of 218 attempts over 55 games for Valencia Basket and CSKA.
Past matchup
Wins-losses: 1-0.
2015-16 – Euroleague. Regular season. Darussafaka – CSKA: 75-80 (+5)
Short dossier
Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul, Turkey
Founded: 1914
Colors: black, green
Home court: Volkswagen Arena (4,500)
Chief of the Board: Erman Yerdelen
Head coach: Oktay Mahmuti
Website: www.darussafakadogusbasketbol.com
Trophy case: 2-time Turkish champion (1961, 62), Turkish League runner-up (1960), Turkish Cup finalist (2002)
