Serie A
The freshman Apu Udine looking at the window since Saturday evening, when they won the advance match in Trento, on Monday evening they find themselves ninth in the standings at the end of thirteenth and third from last in the first leg of Serie A 2 points behind Pallacanestro Trieste and Napoli who occupy the last two places needed to qualify for the Final eight of the Italian Cup. Cup area who lives a macaronic paradox entirely internal to the organization of the top division. The much talked about one Trapani Sharkjust this evening thanks to the comfortable success ofOlimpia Milano on Vanoli Cremonait is the sixth squad qualified mathematically per la Final eight from 18 to 22 February in Turin.
Today itselfhowever, its corporate story had a field day. Fearful on Sunday evening, after the home defeat against Varese, of not showing up on the pitch in protest in Bologna for the penultimate first leg, Fip and the league took their hats off. The extraordinary federal council has given a broad mandate, including legal, to President Gianni Petrucci to protect the basketball movement. President Maurizio Gherardini’s Lba has aligned itself, shaking up the Licensing Manual and relying on the independent Commission for verifying the economic and financial balance of professional sports clubs. Which in the evening provoked a reaction via social media from the president, Valerio Antonini, who, showing documentation from the Revenue Agency, ordered Fip and Ueb to return everything to his Trapani Shark, 5 penalty points and unblocking of memberships, under penalty of the team’s withdrawal from the championship.
In short, it is also thanks to this pochade that one would gladly do without – fortunately, President Petrucci saw possible margins of civil coexistence when the Antonini of the veni, vedi, vici in A2 two seasons ago put the LNP of president Francesco Maiorana to sword and fire – that APU’s ninth place could be important with a view to qualifying for the Cup. If Trapani Shark skips between now and February 18thas seems increasingly imminent, it will be worth the pass to the Final eight.
On the field, Apu has earned the now enviable position thanks to 4 victories in the last 5 matches which, beware of the forgetful enthusiast who writes it, are not all the work of the newcomer Seed Christon. He has indeed achieved a remarkable 75% of victories since he wore the black and white (3 out of 4 matches against Napoli and Treviso and in Trento and the only defeat in Trapani), but not the 80% repeated by those who do not like to correct themselves by doing a wrong, sic transit Gloria Mundi, for example Anthony Hickey who was still Udine’s beloved point guard when he won in Varese, opening this virtuous cycle.
If Trapani skipswith two rounds to go all’Apuexpected on Sunday in Milan and which then awaits Vanoli at Carnera to close the group, it will be enough to defend the current ninth place. It is strengthened by the fact that he has won the head-to-head matches so far with three of the four tied at 10 points in Sassari and Varese (thanks Tony for both successes) and Trento (also thanks to Semaj), three external successes. It might even be enough for them to win just the face-to-face match against Cremona, even at 10, to keep their place.
If he doesn’t skip Trapani, Udine will have to recover 2 points from Pallacanestro Triestebeaten at home tonight by Virtus Bologna and who lost Colbey Ross after Mady Sissoko due to injury, and in Naples. Having lost the derby at the PalaRubini, Apu needs 4 points to overtake their cousins in the standings in the last two first rounds. Conversely, having beaten the Neapolitans at Carnera on the day of Christon’s debut, 2 were enough for them to match and overtake the Neapolitans. In the event of a three-tier finish, PallTS having achieved their first success in the championship in Campania, the separate classification would reward the Giulians with 4 points in the direct clashes and the Friulians with 2, with Naples left with zero.
Meanwhile, Saturday 3 January Naples in Varese and Sunday 4 PallTS in Trento with Apu in Milan to close on Sunday 11 with Cantù at the PalaRubini, Vanoli at Carnera and Napoli receiving Milan. Recovering 2 points from the Neapolitans is not impossible and go in Italian cup would be a great achievement for the freshman Apueven against pre-season predictions. Not so much, however, that he should take his hat off in front of coach Adriano Vertemati because he gets results by playing the bare minimum of DJ Brewton and Aubrey Dawkins. According to market news, he chose them himself. With the lantern of experiences in Germany as assistant to coach Andrea Trinchieri for the second of the two and in Lithuania where he always trained his head coach for the first.
Chance also got involved in making the squad. Shakur Juistonfrom Greece with thrilling percentages, was taken out of action by an injury to Big3 and replaced already in the summer by Christian Mekowulu old acquaintance of sporting director Andrea Gracis in Treviso. The National Anti-Doping Tribunal he then made the choice on play by suspending Hickey as a precaution, until further notice. The fact that a freshman already with a change in progress and still in doubt, it seems, as to who to celebrate between the coach’s two summer protégés is in contention for the Cup makes us reflect on the average, not to say mediocre, level in Serie A. Even if the Gracis – Vertemati pairing, who have always redone the starting lineups for three years, have the ability to manage the group entrusted to them.
calendarclassification
| home team | result | visiting team | date and time | referees | save your | extra |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolomiti Energia Trentino | Apu Old Wild West Udine | | ||||
| Germani Brescia | Umana Reyer Venice | |||||
| NutriBullet Treviso Basket | Banco di Sardegna Sassari |  | ||||
| Bertram Derthona Tortona | Una Hotels Reggio Emilia | Baldini Paglialunga Dionysis | | |||
| Warriors Naples | S.Bernardo Cantù water | | ||||
| Trapani Shark | Openjobmetis Varese | Perciavalle Fourth Catani | | |||
| EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | Vanoli Basketball Cremona | Lanzarini Good morning Cassina | ||||
| Trieste Basketball | The virtue of Olidata Bologna | Lo Guzzo Galasso Valleriani | |
calendarclassification
| ps | squad | points | w/l |
|---|---|---|---|
 The virtue of Olidata Bologna | 22 | 11 / 2 | |
 Germani Brescia | 22 | 11 / 2 | |
 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | 18 | 9 / 4 | |
 Umana Reyer Venice | 18 | 9 / 4 | |
 Bertram Derthona Tortona | 18 | 9 / 4 | |
 Trapani Shark | 15 | 10 / 3 | |
 Trieste Basketball | 12 | 6 / 7 | |
 Warriors Naples | 12 | 6 / 7 |
* Penalty of 5 points (4 points from the Federal Council Resolution of 05/21/2025; 1 point from the Federal Council Resolution of 11/24/2025)
| ps | squad | points | w/l |
|---|---|---|---|
 Apu Old Wild West Udine | 10 | 5 / 8 | |
 Vanoli Basketball Cremona | 10 | 5 / 8 | |
 Openjobmetis Varese | 10 | 5 / 8 | |
 Banco di Sardegna Sassari | 10 | 5 / 8 | |
 Dolomiti Energia Trentino | 10 | 5 / 8 | |
 S.Bernardo Cantù water | 6 | 3 / 10 | |
 Una Hotels Reggio Emilia | 6 | 3 / 10 | |
 NutriBullet Treviso Basket | 4 | 2 / 11 |
calendarclassification
| home team | result | visiting team | date and time | referees | save your | extra |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Openjobmetis Varese | Warriors Naples | | ||||
| Banco di Sardegna Sassari | Germani Brescia | | ||||
| Dolomiti Energia Trentino | Trieste Basketball | | ||||
| Vanoli Basketball Cremona | Una Hotels Reggio Emilia | | ||||
| EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | Apu Old Wild West Udine | | ||||
| S.Bernardo Cantù water | Bertram Derthona Tortona | | ||||
| The virtue of Olidata Bologna | Trapani Shark | Rossi Pepponi Paglialunga |  | |||
| Umana Reyer Venice | NutriBullet Treviso Basket | |
