Bertram's adventure in the BCL Top 16 begins: the hunt for the quarterfinals begins in Würzburg. Squarcina's words
Bertram Derthona's European journey begins for the third time this season. After the first group stage and the winning series of Play-In, the time has come for the historic debut in the Round of 16 of the Basketball Champions League. Tomorrow at 18:30 in Germany there is the first commitment in Group I of the second phase of the black and white team, opposed to the home team of FIT/One Würzburg at the Tectake Arena of the Bavarian city located halfway between Frankfurt and Nuremberg. For Walter De Raffaele's team it is the first of two consecutive away games that the calendar of this four-team group, also composed of the Greeks AEK Betsson Athens and Promitheas Patrasso Vikos Cola, offers: at the end of the six rounds of round-trip matches, the first two classified will punch the pass for the playoff series of the quarterfinals.
FORM Bertram arrives in Bavaria after a stinging home defeat against Reggio Emilia, which ended their streak of four victories in the league and cup. Things are worse for the Germans, coached by Slovenian Sasa Filipovski (who spent half a season at Virtus Roma in 2011), who suffered their third consecutive Bundesliga defeat (68-66) at Towers Hamburg on Sunday, dropping them to seventh place in the standings with 9 wins and 7 losses. This is the same record as Chemnitz, an opponent Derthona faced and defeated twice in the opening round of the Champions League. The German club, known worldwide for developing Dirk Nowitzki, who was also born in Würzburg, has played its last four games without American small forward Zac Seljaas, the team's leader, who hasn't played in 2025 due to injury and is the Bavarians' top scorer in the BCL this season with 20.5 points per game. However, Würzburg will still be able to count on a top scorer, Jhivvan Jackson, a Puerto Rican-Panamanian point guard who leads the entire Bundesliga with 19.2 points per game, to which he adds 17.0 in the European Cup.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RECORDS Tortona has a nearly immaculate season record in the BCL, with seven wins in eight games, including a recent 2-0 victory in the play-in against Peristeri. Würzburg, however, did not have to endure any additional strain, qualifying directly for the Top 16 after winning their group with a 4-2 record ahead of Nanterre, Hapoel Holon, and Igokea Aleksandrovac.
WHERE TO WATCH IT ON TV The race will be streamed live on DAZN.
STATEMENTS “Würzburg is a team that has had some problems lately, the main one being the injury to Zac Seljaas, their best scorer but also their symbol, both for his characteristics as a charismatic character but also in terms of his play ”, analyses assistant coach Iacopo Squarcina . This injury will change their balance and turn them into a front-wheel drive team, with the ability of their young players, Jhivvan Jackson, Mike Lewis, Bazou Kone, and one of the latest arrivals, Tyrese Williams, to create mostly for themselves. We'll have to be very good at trying to stop their runs, being aggressive on their flanks, without leaving the paint open so as not to give the opponents too many second chances in attack. Coach Filipovski's game is very controlled, a game that wants to be managed a lot from the bench, but at the same time, having Americans with shooting ability in the middle, it becomes a mix of control and creativity, with Jackson and Lewis each shooting seven three-pointers per game. Watching the games – he continues, speaking of the opposing environment – and knowing Würzburg as a club that historically has a great past and already a great presence and name at the European level, if only because of its connection to Nowitzki, his is a real, always-on-the-court support, so he will have an impact. It will be It's crucial, as it was in our last league away game in Brescia, to be able to play our game without being influenced by external factors like the opposing fans. We face two consecutive away games to start the group stage, and getting an early win would give us a great boost for the rest of the season. Our greatest hope is to further cement our place among the Champions League elite, and to fight tooth and nail to advance to the next round."
