Round of 16 preview: Enisey Krasnoyarsk v Buyukcekmece

KRASNOYARSK (FIBA Europe Cup) – Enisey Krasnoyarsk and Demir Insaat will get the FIBA Europe Cup Round of 16 action underway with an early tip-off game in Russia on Wednesday that will feature two former Regular Season foes meeting again in the Play-Offs.

The teams split one win apiece in Group H action, with Enisey taking a 90-81 victory in Krasnoyarsk and Demir Insaat triumphing 93-77 in Istanbul. As both sides finished with identical 4-2 records, it was the Turkish side that secured the group crown due to their superior head-to-head point differential.

The 16-point loss on the road in Turkey still stands as the biggest loss for coach Oleg Okulov in the FIBA Europe Cup this season, but it has to be mentioned that Enisey were without their one-to-punch of Frank Elegar and Tony Taylor in that game.

Although Elegar hasn't been able to replicate his outstanding pre-injury play in the Second Round, averages of 15.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.6 blocks still circle him out as the number one threat on the talented Russian roster.

Taylor averages 14.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists, while Suleiman Braimoh is the only other player in double figures for the Siberian side with 10.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.

Since the Regular Season, there has also been a point guard change in Demir Insaat, with Jerry Johnson coming in to replace Clevin Hannah, who left the club midway through the season for an opportunity in Lithuania.

Averaging 11.7 points and 4.2 assists, Johnson immediately became one of the top contributors at the club, joining the likes of Kenneth Hayes, Osiris Eldridge, Angelo Caloiaro and Andrija Stipanovic.

Hayes is Demir Insaat's top scorer with 13.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists, but it has been the play of Stipanovic that has stolen the headlines recently, with the big man coming close to triple-doubles on multiple occasions in the Second Round.

Having overcome moderate challenges en route to the Play-Offs, Demir Insaat and Enisey topped the standings of their respective groups with the same 5-1 records, proving inseparable once again. This storyline, however, will not continue beyond the Round of 16, with a place for only only one team in the next stage of the Play-Off bracket.

With the first game in Krasnoyarsk, the pressure will be on Enisey to get a positive result at home before the return fixture in Turkey, where Demir Insaat are yet to lose this season.

FIBA