Cantù second in the Green group, the fact is clear. But who will be Rosso’s seventh, i.e. S.Bernardo’s opponent in the quarter-finals? It’s really quite a puzzle. For the second consecutive week, the projection says Cividale, before that Piacenza had been Cantù’s possible opponent. But there are many scenarios, because Piacenza, Rimini and even Trieste are also still viable opponents. At this moment in the Gold draw the quarterfinal pairings would be Forlì-Vigevano, Turin-Trieste, Udine-Cremona and Cantù-Cividale. In the Silver draw, the quarterfinal matches would be Trapani-Piacenza, Verona-Milan, Rieti-Rimini and Bologna-Treviglio.
The situation in the Green group is “magmatic”. There are teams like Cividale (unbeaten in the scheduled phase), Rimini and Piacenza who have recovered and are in form. Cantù knows something about it: it was overwhelmed in Cividale, it beat Piacenza but without walking.
It will be a quarter-final against Cividale if the Friulians beat Vigevano away and if Piacenza also wins in Cremona, or if both lose. Then there are other hypotheses for seventh place. If Trieste, Rimini and Cividale reached 34, Rimini would be seventh – in separate rankings – with Cividale fifth and Trieste sixth. Rimini would be seventh and would therefore challenge Cantù even in the event of a two-man finish with Cividale at 34. But there are also possibilities of a quarter-final against Piacenza (in case of closing with 32 with Cividale) and with Trieste (if closing with 32 with Cividale).
In short, a puzzle that will be solved at the end of the 40 minutes of the last day of the clock phase. Which, there’s no point in hiding it, is providing twists and turns. Some even argue that they are “strategic” to avoid Trapani on the scoreboard, with calculations that the mechanism of the clock phase allows you to make, like it or not.
Note Rieti’s lead in the Green group to the detriment of Torino in the Green group standings: if it ended like this, the Piedmontese would be fourth, included in the Gold draw, the one with Cantù. Udine has lost the last two matches against Monferrato and Rieti, but plays practically only with two wingers.
We close with the few certainties: the two draws will begin on May 4th (Silver) and May 5th (Gold). For the picture of the pairings, just wait until Sunday around 8pm, when the regular season will have come to an end.
2024-04-16 04:13:47
#Cantù #hunt #playoff #rival #puzzle
