Zenit U21 returns to its home court
After a longa series of matches, Zenit U21, coached by Roman Knyazev, will once again take the court at the Basketball Academy’s home arena (Severnaya Road, 12). The regular season games of the VTB United Youth League against Uralmash-2 from Yekaterinburg will take place on February 6 and 7. Both games tip off at 14:00, and admission is free for fans.
Ten — that’s exactly how many consecutive away games the Blue-White-Sky Blues have played over the past two months. Zenit U21 remains in second place in the standings with 28 wins in 32 games. Their opponent currently sits eighth and continues to battle for a playoff spot: Alexey Komarov’s team has an even record of 16 wins and 16 losses. Like Zenit, Uralmash-2 played three rounds in January — against PARMA-M, STC Khimki-2, and MINSK-M — finishing each with one win.
Looking at the statistics, the visitors rank second in the League in free-throw accuracy (70.3%) and in rebounds per game (44.0). In addition, the Ural team features the top scorer of the regular season — Vladislav Smagin. The 19-year-old forward averages 18.2 points in 31 minutes on the court.
Throughout their history in the VTB United Youth League, Zenit U21 and Uralmash-2 have met 10 times, with the opponent winning only once. The first-round games of the current regular season ended in victories for the Blue-White-Sky Blues — 83:65 and 89:62.
Zenit U21 guard Dmitry Filippov shared his expectations for the two-game matchup against the Ural side:
We expect a tough fight from Uralmash-2. During the games in Yekaterinburg, they showed real fighting spirit against us, proving they are ready to battle until the final buzzer regardless of the score. During the ten-day break, we prepared well for this opponent and are ready to show a strong level of play. We’re really looking forward to seeing our fans! The game promises to be exciting, and we’ve truly missed your support!
Live broadcasts of the games will be available on the VTB United Youth League website as well as on VK Video.
