Whatever happens, never in the evening. The dates and times of the event have been official since yesterday Final Eight of the Italian Cupscheduled at Inalpi Arena in Turin and Wednesday 18th to Sunday 22nd February.
The German will challenge Udine at 6pm on Wednesday in the quarter-finals. The possible semi-final (against the winner of Olimpia Milano-Trieste) will be on Saturday 21st, again at 6pm. The final will instead be played on Sunday 22nd at 5pm.
The other quarter-finals? Milan-Trieste is scheduled for 8.45pm on Wednesday 18th. On Thursday 19th there will be space, in order, for Reyer Venice-Tortona (on paper one of the most balanced matches, at 6pm) e Virtus Bologna-Napoli (at 8.45pm). Friday will be off. Saturday will be a day for the semi-finals (in the Pallacanestro Brescia section of the draw it is at 6pm, in the other at 8.45pm). The final is on Sunday, at 5pm.
«The first match with Udine? With my staff we always said that any opponent would not make a difference – says Matteo Cotelli, Germani coach -. My belief is that indeed the quarterfinal is the most difficult match of the Final Eight. He calls you to break the ice in an arena in which you are not used to playing, in a competition in which, historically, anything happens.”
Udine, beaten 81-72 on the roadin the third leg, will be opponents in the championship on Sunday 25 January. «It will be a very difficult match, in any case», underlines the Pallacanestro Brescia coach. And the possible semi-final against Olimpia Milano Peppe Poet (as well as a photocopy challenge from last year)? «We will only think about Udine, just as Milan will only think about Trieste».
Worth a look
