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The eight strongest teams in the Citadele King Mindaugas Cup (KMT) tournament and their fans are looking forward to the second match of the quarterfinals.
It will soon be clear which four clubs will be part of this year’s KMT Final Four and will battle for the main trophy, but there is no shortage of intrigue in the quarterfinals either.
The showdown between Vilnius “Rytas” and Utena “Juventus”, which takes place at this stage for the fifth consecutive year, probably attracted the most attention from the audience. Juventus basketball players won the first duel in Utena 89:87.
So far, Rytas has entered the final four for four years after a persistent fight, but this time it’s even harder to single out the favorites. The second team match in Vilnius is scheduled for January 16, and the capital’s team will enter the next stage only if they win by more than two points.
“Frankly, the result here was what I expected. Everyone understands that there is a persistent fight between these teams, and so it was. And in the second duel, the winner will decide in the last minutes, this couple, as delighted, is always unsure how it will happen. I think Utena’s team has a good chance of going further, considering that “Rytas” is not playing very well at the moment, “the basketball specialist who saw the game told LKL.lt. Mindaugas Brazys.
It is true that the two points against the counter-match are more symbolic than real advantages. Jydrentus coach Žydrūnas Urbonas also spoke about this immediately after the match in Utena, saying that work is far from over. M.Brazys also seconded the coach, claiming that it will not be easy for anyone in the second match.
“It doesn’t mean anything. Maybe even if” Morning “had won by those two points, it could have been worse for them – psychologically you would feel like you won. Actually, two points mean absolutely nothing. Let’s imagine this is a match that takes place in 80 minutes, so now, after 40 minutes, Juventus has a two-point lead. The second half is waiting in Vilnius, it won’t be easy for anyone, “taught M.Brazys.
Reigning KMT champion Kaunas “Žalgiris” will soon meet in the second quarter-final match, hosting Pasvalys “Pienovaigždės” at home. True, Martin Schiller’s troop seems to have managed to do most of the work at Pasvalys, from where he took a 16-point lead.
The duel in Pasvalys ended with the victory of Žalgiris 98:82, so the Gediminas Petrauskas team has an extraordinary and difficult mission ahead: to go further, Kaunas will have to win by at least 17 points.
“Žalgiris” was a clear favorite; maybe the end result was too great, he hoped Pasvalys would hold out a little longer at home. But it is obvious that “Žalgiris” is already in the next stage and it is obvious that “Žalgiris” looked at this duel as a Euroleague match – he applied the appropriate rotation, combinations, did not give the players rest. I think that in the course of the second game we can also see young people, maybe they will warm up the young talents of that level ”, said M.Brazys.
In the next pair, the basketball players from Panevėžys “Lietkabelis” and Prienai “Cbet” will meet face to face for the second time. It is true that Lietkabelis won the first duel in Prienai in a more than convincing way and gained a 19 point lead.
The duel in Prienai ended with the victory of Lietkabelis 87:68 and it will be very difficult to reestablish a more serious intrigue for the Cbet basketball players here.
However, immediately after this duel in the KMT tournament, the people of Prieniai met again with the students of Nenad Chanak at home and scored 93:78 in the LKL match. This, according to M.Brazis, should become an additional motivation for the Panevėžys and Prienai teams.
“Immediately after that, Lietkabelis lost in Prienai. I think that to this, Panevėžys’ team should react and bring a different attitude to the counterattack. I think Nenad Chanak will definitely not see the point difference and just want to beat the opponent again, without no matter what force it takes. In any case, I am almost certain that Lietkabelis already has a place in the next stage, “shared the basketball specialist.
The last team of the four KMT finalists will be announced in Klaipeda. For the second time, the basketball players of Neptūnas and Šiauliai will meet face to face.
The Antanas Sireika students, who caused a sensation and reached the quarter-finals by 27 points after the victory, seem to be able to repeat the sensational scenario, since the first duel between Šiauliai and Neptūnas was won by the residents of Klaipėda with a difference of 15 points . If the people of Šiauliai fail to eliminate this deficit in Klaipėda, the troops of Tomas Gaidamavičius will pass to the four finalists.
Šiauliai is a strike team. If they fall, they are very dangerous. One hundred percent guaranteed and calm when playing against them can never be – if players feel a pitch, it can be everything. It is a good attack team but wavy, difficult to predict. However, the 15-point deficit may be too big at this point, “summarized M. Brays.
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