Qualifying Round B, Game 1 preview: BC FMP - Ural Great
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Two-time ULEB Cup semifinalist FMP has its eyes on reaching the Eurocup regular season, but Ural Great stands in its way. FMP will host the first leg of the second qualifying round against Ural Great on Tuesday. Head coach Slobodan Klipa's Serbian side fought past MyGuide Amsterdam in the first qualifying round but struggled in doing so. Power forward Dragan Labovic is the leader of Klipa's extremely young team, which averaged 19.5 turnovers in the two games against Amsterdam. Labovic poured in 21.5 points and grabbed 6.5 rebounds, while his low post partner center Miroslav Raduljica chipped in 10.5 points and 8.5 rebounds. Guard Nemanja Protic accompanied the big man duo with 11 points per contest. Klipa's team has struggled at times with playmaking as FMP averaged just 6.5 assists per game against Amsterdam. Guards Filip Covic and Mladen Jeremic must improve if FMP want to advance. Another help would be if 18-year-old shooting guard Andreja Milutinovic gains some more confidence. Ural Great returns to the competition for the first time in more than five years. And head coach Roman Dvinyaninov has high goals for a team that has reached the semifinals of the Russian league the past two seasons, but lost to Khimki on both occasions. Dvinyaninov's team has started out 1-2 in Russia, but its losses have come against powerhouses CSKA Moscow and Dynamo Moscow. And do not be mistaken, the 33-year-old coach has a talented team. Power forward Vanja Plisnic has averaged 17.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists thus far. Guard Aleksei Surovtsev has added 14 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists. And center Fedor Likholitov has chipped in 11.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in just 19 minutes of action as the big man struggles with foul trouble. Playmaker Christian Dalmau has done an excellent job running the show for Dvinyaninov, averaging 10.7 points and 4.7 assists per game. A big help for Ural Great would be if forward Ralph Biggs can finally step up his game as he has struggled shooting the ball in scoring 9 points while adding 4.7 rebounds and 3 assists a game. Another big assist should come from newly-signed guard Darius Washingotn. Ural Great would love to steal a good result - if not a victory - on the road in the first game.
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Monday, November 03, 2008
Eurocupbasketball.com
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