MEGA BEMAX AGAINST SLOBODA AT THE START OF RADIVOJ KORAC CUP

Mega Bemax will meet Sloboda from Uzice in the quarterfinals of “Triglav Osiguranje Radivoj Korac Cup”, which will be held from February 13th to 16th in Nis, as it was decided at a draw held in the hall “Mediteran” in the hotel “Crowne Plaza” in Belgrade.

Mega will play their quarterfinal match on Thursday, February 13 from 7:30 pm, and if they win, in the semifinals on Saturday, February 15, from 17:00 they will play with better from duel Crvena zvezda mts – BKK Radnicki. In the second half of the bracker, the quarterfinal pairs are Partizan NIS – Borac and FMP – Dynamic VIP Pay.

Pairs on the draw were drawn by the coaches of the Serbian teams in the ABA league and after the draw was completed, Mega Bemax coach Dejan Milojevic pointed out that the Cup is a competition where anyone can surprise everyone:

– A cup is a competition where, under the radar, so called “smaller teams” stand a chance against the favorites because they play one game. It is an elimination competition and anyone can surprise anyone in that one game. Sloboda also has a chance to surprise us, and if we pass Sloboda we have a chance to surprise the Crvena zvezda. In any case, it will be interesting, as each Cup brings some surprise. I believe this will happen again this year, and in my opinion, the favorites are Zvezda and Partizan, because they play the best and are in the best shape. It would be a great surprise if these two teams did not play in the finals.

Asked by reporters about winning the Cup in 2016, Milojevic pointed out that his team deservedly celebrated at the time:

– When we won the Cup in 2016, we had a very young team. If we had played against Partizan on best of three, I believe we would not have won them because they were better than us. But in one game we managed to overcome them. We deservedly celebrated then and won the Cup,

said Milojevic.

Mega Bemax captain Edin Atic said after the draw that Mega will go step by step in the Radivoj Korac Cup:

– All teams with their quality fully deserved placement in the final tournament of the Radivoj Korac Cup. In terms of expectations, we have not given much thought to the Cup, as we have two very important ABA league games ahead. We are focused on that at the moment, and in the Cup we will go step by step, from match to match. Our first opponent is Sloboda from Uzice and in that match there should be no relaxation at any costs. Sloboda is a quality team and they are sure to look for their chance to win. However, if we play at a high level, I believe we will justify the role of favorite and advance to the semifinals,

Atic said.

Mega Bemax have played 3 times in the finals of the Radivoj Korac Cup with the trophy won in 2016.

During the Radivoj Korac Cup, the 4th BeoBasket 2020 Mini Cup for players born in 2005 and younger will be held in Nis, where U15 selections of participants of Radivoj Korac Cup will take place (Mega Bemax, Partizan NIS, Crvena zvezda mts, Dynamic VIP Pay, Borac, Sloboda) and the selection of the host city of the tournament.

The draw for the Radivoj Korac Cup was also valid for the BeoBasket 2020 Mini Cup. U15 Mega  were the winners of the Mini Cup twice, and coach Dejan Pejic’s players will play their first match against Sloboda on Friday, February 14th at Dusan Radovic Elementary School in Nis.

Photo: KSS