BK Ventspils will finish its Eurocup season on Tuesday when it hosts Last 16 hopeful CEZ Baskets Nymburk in Group H. Ventspils will say goodbye to what started a such a promising campaign back in September when it beat Benetton Basket in the first leg of the Euroleague Qualifying Rounds. However Ventspils did not advance and has had a rough time in the Eurocup, losing all its games so far by double-digit margins – the last one being the worst, a 100-51 drubbing at brose Baskets Bamberg. Now with a new head coach on the sidelines, Silvano Poropat, the Latvian champs will look to finish in style and play spoiler for Nymburk. Meanwhile the Czech champs are facing a must-win game at a time that they are going through a small crisis back home. Nymburk has now dropped three straight games in the Czech League after starting the season 19-0. Head coach Muli Katzurin’s men must block that out this week at Ventspils knowing a win will send them to the Last 16. Nymburk can also advance if it loses as long as Lauretana Biella also loses against Bamberg. Nymburk can win the group if it wins and Biella beats Bamberg by 40 points or fewer. Nymburk routed Ventspils 79-57 in the Czech Republic in December behind 23 points from Ron Lewis. Point guard and top scorer Arthur Lee will team with Lewis to lead a 10-man rotation against Ventpils. Lee will also be involved in an interesting matchup against Ventspils promising playmaker, Janis Strelnieks. It will be interesting to see Poropat uses his lineup in what will be his only Eurocup game with the side. Ventspils other top player in the Eurocup has been big man Aaron Pettway, who could match up against Phil Ricci. Nymburk has a deeper and more experienced club with more to play for making it the clear favorite, but at home and under a new coach, expect to see Ventspils fight to go out on top.
REFEREES: Dragan Neskovic, Sergey Chebyshev, Lahdo Sharro