May 25, 2012
HOW DID THEY GET HERE? Lottomatica Roma
Virtus Roma
Sometimes it just takes winning the right games at the right time to advance to the Top 16 - and this is what Lottomatica managed to do in Turkish Airlines regular season Group B. Lottomatica managed to knock off direct opponents Spirou Basket and Brose Baskets twice - no other team in the group had a 4-0 record against the Belgian and German champions - to clear its path to the next round. Lottomatica added a quality home win against Unicaja to round a 5-5 record in Group B. Darius Washington (14.1 ppg.) has been its floor general and leader but got plenty of help from many wing players like Charles Smith (7.7 ppg.), Nihad Djedovic (9.3 ppg.) or Luigi Datome (8.7 ppg.). Andrea Crosariol (7.2 ppg., 4.8 rpg.) and Ali Traore (8.7 ppg., 4.5 rpg.) has been Lottomatica's main pillars under the baskets. Expect Lottomatica to keep making noise in the competition.
Nihad Djedovic - Lottomatica Roma
Nihad Djedovic

More Top 16 Teams:
REGULAR SEASON KEY FACTS
  • Key win: 95-83 at home against Spirou. It was a make-or-break battle for both teams - in fact, Roma went up to 4-3 and sealed its Top 16 ticket even before playing in Week 9. Washington shined with 27 points and earned Week 7 MVP honors.
  • Key stat: Roma is the least rebounding team in the Top 16 - but Angelo Gigli is back to help under the boards. Washington has averaged 19 points in his team's wins, but just 9.2 in losses.
  • Key play: Undeniably, Smith's buzzer-beating turnaround three-pointer to beat Brose Baskets on the road, 67-68. Brian Roberts had hit a shot from downtown with 1.3 seconds left but Smith had the final word to win the game.
  • Key contributor: It took Djedovic some weeks to adjust to a bigger role in the Euroleague but managed to find his rhythm late in the regular season, scoring more than 15 points in 3 of the last 4 games. He will be ready for more in the Top 16.
  • Key intangible: Unpredictability is key for Lottomatica. Only Washington has a double-digit scoring average and no player averages better than 27 minutes per game. Lottomatica has plenty of options to choose from, a deep team in which everybody has found a comfortable role to contribute and feel important. All that adjustment could pay off in the Top 16.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Euroleague.net
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