“TTT Rīga” International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Euroleague quarter-final home game against “Fenerbahce” will be played in Istanbul, reports “TTT Rīga”. The first two games will take place on March 8 and 10 at Metro Energy Sports Hall in Istanbul. If the third game in the series requires a third game, it will take place on March 16.
Until Wednesday, the club calculated that it would have to play in the quarterfinals of the European Cup, where the winner is determined by the sum of two games. For them, the dates set by FIBA were 10 and 17 March, and the alternative dates were 15 and 18 March. After Russia’s disqualification on Wednesday, TTT Riga entered the Euroleague quarter-finals, which are scheduled to take place on other dates – March 8, 11 and, if necessary, March 16.
The Latvian club reports that during the time allotted for the home game – on March 11 – it was not possible to play at the Rimi Olympic Center in Riga, because at 7.30 pm there will be a Pafbet Estonian-Latvian Basketball League match between VEF Rīga and Hābneme’s Viimsi teams. . In addition, this hall is reserved for many postponed games in March. In view of these circumstances, TTT Rīga agreed to Fenerbahce’s offer to play two games in Istanbul. The Turkish club is committed to paying all necessary expenses, including travel and accommodation for the referees in the city.
It has already been reported that “TTT Rīga” took sixth place in Group A of the Euroleague with 14 wins in 14 games and the season had to continue in the FIBA Eurocup. However, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIBA suspended the participation of Russian teams in the tournament, with the Latvian team stepping into fourth place. In the other pairs of the quarter-finals, the Spanish teams Salamanca “Perfumerias Avenida” and Girona “Spar”, Lata BLMA from France with “Sopron” from Hungary and Prague ZVVZ USK from the Czech Republic with Skio “Famila” from Italy will meet. The UGMK of Ekaterinburg became the champions last season, winning the “Perfumerias Avenida” of Salamanca in the final.
Last season, TTT Rīga lost all six games in the Euroleague Main Event and did not qualify for the playoffs. The tournament was held on a “bubble” basis in two runs, but this season the teams have returned to the usual format. The modest result is largely due to a lack of practice, as the team was unable to play the match from the beginning of November due to an emergency. In order to get a practice, TTT Rīga decided to play in the European Women’s Basketball League in the middle of December, where they managed to win bronze. “TTT Rīga” also won the Latvian Women’s Basketball League for the eighth time in a row and for the 20th time in the history of the club.
