BM FROM EUROLEAGUE/ VIRTUS, THE DAY AFTER HIS DEPARTURE: PLAYOFFS FURNISHED, BUT THE GLASS REMAINS HALF FULL

And it is with an 89-77 that every EuroLeague playoff dream of Virtus Bologna ends. With this result, Segafredo was defeated at the Fernando Buesa Arena in Vitoria, Baskonia’s home field.
The Iberians won in front of over 10 thousand spectators who were able to celebrate their arrival in the playoffs where from Tuesday they will have to face Real Madrid in a derby entirely in Spanish style.
The one against Virtus for Baskonia was a deserved success, the result of an excellent third quarter (31-16 partial) which broke the balance of the first half (41 draws) and more. In fact, just think that if we remove the third period of the match, the score would be 61-58 in favor of Segafredo. Given that it demonstrates once again (what has happened in recent months) how decisive and conditioning the return from the long break was.
Yet the conditions were very good. Baskonia was missing Chima Moneke, one of the Basques’ biggest bogeymen and came from the clear defeat in Belgrade against Maccabi.
Virtus, on the contrary, had just returned from the feat in Istanbul, full of energy and with the mentality of those who knew they were regaining the luster of the first months of the season. However, coach Luca Banchi’s men were unable to secure a second scalp. The European season of Virtus Bologna stops here, it stops on the parquet of the Buesa Arena and stops under the blows of the usually unleashed Marcus Howard as well as the inspired Tadas Sedekerskis and Matt Costello.
Virtus returns to Bologna where from Monday – with the match against Reggio Emilia – they will focus totally on LBA.

But there will be time and opportunity to make assessments regarding the championship and the long-awaited playoffs will begin shortly.
But now is the right time to draw a line and take stock of the European Black V season.
The first judgment that must be given is purely numerical: 18 wins and 18 losses, with play-in games attached. It means having had a positive trend and having closed the year with 50% of victories. A comforting figure and a clear improvement on last year’s 14-20. A trend that had cost Scariolo’s then Virtus a 14th place in the standings, well below this year’s ninth.
Then it is right to divide the season into two blocks. An exciting first round with 12 wins and 5 defeats, and a return more than complicated by a 5-12 “palindrome”. With the successes of the first half of the year, Banchi’s team had managed to create credit for the return so much so that they were able to reach the playin despite the defeats being much more than the victories.
At the beginning of the season we saw the best version of Virtus in recent years. A cohesive, combative team with sky-high ambitions and many certainties. Veterans Daniel Hackett, Marco Belinelli and Tornike Shengelia pulled (perhaps too much?) the cart for the first three months. Without forgetting the solver par excellence: Iffe Lundberg, with his “Iffe Time” which drove the people of Virtussino crazy with joy several times. Then in January something went wrong. Meanwhile, in the closing match of the first round, Devontae Cacok was injured (not overflowing, but he was starting to get into Banchi’s mechanisms and was starting to make himself useful). Ante Zizic arrived in his place, with many expectations and perhaps not fully respected ones for a move to the Juventus team after a first part of the season full of injuries.
Other stops, a decline in physical form (of Isaia Cordinier and Jordan Mickey above all) and some small accidents along the way undermined those certainties and the end of the season was more than complicated for Banchi and his team.
But in the end can we say that the glass is half full? Absolutely yes. Probably the express basketball (with related results) from September to December had made everyone happy. However, it is necessary to deal with initial expectations, objectives and above all with opponents who are cannibalistic and ruthless in a competition that leaves no margin for error.
Virtus Bologna only returned to the top European competition last year and – as mentioned – there have been many improvements. Now the Juventus club – through the solid club it has behind it – must consolidate itself even further in this wonderful panorama of which it has become an important part.
This year Virtus made us dream, hope and experience great basketball moments. The continuous soldouts at the Segafredo Arena are a concrete demonstration that this team has entered the hearts of its fans. It’s a shame to have ended the year with last Friday’s defeat (again against Baskonia), but now there will be some LBA playoffs to play and try to lift the championship that has been missing for two years.