ULEB Cup draw profile: Khimki
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Khimki returns to the Final 32 for the second straight season after finishing second place in Group D with an 8-2 record. Head coach Kestutis Kemzura's Russian club long stood atop the group before allowing Pamesa Valencia to snatch first place in Week 10 due to a lower cumulative scoring difference for the entire regular season. Khimki started the season on a roll, winning its first six games. It beat SLUC Nancy by 9 points at home before grabbing a 2-point road win against Azovmash Mariupol. A blowout at home of Deutsche Bank Skyliners followed and then Kemzura's team again won a tight road game against Anwil Wloclawek in overtime. Khimki proved lucky in the end as it beat Pamesa Valencia on a three-pointer at the buzzer by Anton Ponkrashov in a battle of undefeated teams. And Kemzura's men improved to 6-0 by winning at Nancy by three points - Khimki's fourth victory by three points or less and third on the road. But the Russian club's luck in close games ran out as it dropped its first game of the season by two points in overtime at home against Azovmash. Khimki rebounded with a hard-fought home  victory over Skyliners and then easily handled Anwil by 27 points, setting up the first place showdown at Pamesa in Week 10. Khimki started the game excellently with a 19-4 lead on the road but managed just 6 points in the third quarter in allowing Valencia to come back and win by three points. Kemzura's team was led all season by former ULEB Cup MVP Kelly McCarty, who averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. Playmaker Dan Ewing had 12.5 points, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals while point guard Ponkrashov chipped in 10.1 points and 4.4 assists per contest. Small forward Teemu Rannikko averaged 11.3 points, and center Maciej Lampe came on strong averaging 13.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.0 block in the final three games. The emergence of Lampe in the post along with Ponkrashov's strong play and the leadership of McCarty definitely make Khimki one of the favorites for championship.
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POST-DRAW REACTIONS | Khimki director general Victor Bychkov: "It always is desirable to obtain a weaker rival, and you think after any draw that it could have been better. But if we are aiming for the top, we must nevertheless be able to beat strong opponents… In the case of success and going into the Last 16, we will most likely meet with Joventut." | BC Khimki International Department Chief, Elena Nazarova:"It was not a good draw for us, as some other Seed 2 teams got a better bracket on the way to the Final Eight. We will have the chance to play tough teams in front of our fans such as DKV Joventut, our potential opponent in the Last 16. We have faced each other in the recent past and it looked as if it was our destiny to go against them sooner or later. We survived the toughest regular season group and we are now in the same bracket as Joventut in the way to the Final Eight. We cannot expect easy games now and we are going to fight. Right now we tie atop the Russian League standings with CSKA, the team we face this week. This game will show how strong we can be in the upcoming ULEB Cup elimination rounds." |
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