UCAM Murcia-Bertram Derthona: a great challenge at the top certified by the numbers
Bertram Derthona will play tomorrow evening away to UCAM Murcia in the match for first place in Group H. A win in the match scheduled for 8:30 p.m. would secure first place—and therefore mathematically qualify for the 2023/24 BCL round of 16—with one match remaining. This is a prestigious achievement, one that Ramondino's team will strive to achieve on one of the most challenging pitches in the entire competition.
In fact, UCAM has an open streak of twelve consecutive victories in the BCL regular season in front of its own fans: a truly remarkable fact that explains the complexity of the challenge that awaits the Bianconeri, who in turn have the second best streak of consecutive victories ( 4) for an Italian team debuting in the competition. The record in this statistical item belongs to Virtus Segafredo Bologna, capable of winning seven consecutive matches in 2017/18.
Furthermore, among the teams with four matches played, Murcia boasts the best defense in the competition for points conceded (69.3), has the best defensive rating for points conceded per 100 possessions (95.5) and is the second best for points conceded from second chances ( 7.8). Sito Alonso has built a very solid defensive system, as also seen in the first leg of the PalaEnergica match won by Bertram 78-74 only in the final stages.
But tomorrow's match will be a great challenge in an absolute sense, due to the quality of the players on the pitch and the statistics which highlight the excellent progress made by both teams up to this point of the season. The match will pit the fourth (Bertram) attack of the competition, with 87 points scored, and the eighth (Murcia), which produces 85.
The great balance on the pitch is demonstrated by the balance in various other statistical items: the total rebounds (38 to 38.5 in favor of the Spaniards), the assists in which Bertram's 22.5 on average make her the first ever in the BCL, compared to of the 20 of the Spaniards, the recovered balls (8 to 11.8 in favor of Murcia) and the overall rating (101.5 to 101.3 for the Lions) in which the two teams are respectively in third and fourth place overall.
These numbers demonstrate a great upward balance in the match that will take place tomorrow evening in Murcia, with first place in Group H up for grabs.
