The Italian Basketball Cup will start on February 12 in Turin and, as every year, it'll provide an intriguing break from the domestic league. Find out all the details about the Italian Basketball Cup, including the teams, format, and schedule.
It's that time of year again when national leagues and major European competitions stop to make room for national cups. In Italy, too, everything is ready for the Frecciarossa Final Eight, which will be held in the city of Turin from Feb. 12-16.
As always, the week of the Italian Cup Final Eight represents one of the most important moments of the season in Italy, and this year, there are teams entering the competition for the first time but with ambitions to take home the trophy.
So, we are here to provide you with all the details you may need to best follow the Final Eight in the coming days.
From the participating teams to the schedules of all the games, here you will find everything you need so as not to miss a single detail of the Italian Cup Final Eight.
What happened last season?
Last season, Napoli Basket presented a big surprise. The Campania club, as a newly promoted team in the top division, had qualified for the Final Eight as the 7th seed.
However, after that, they managed to surprise everyone, reaching the final against Olimpia Milano, which they went on to win (77-72 victory). Tyler Ennis led Napoli with a 21-point performance.
Italian Basketball Cup format
The eight teams that participate in the Final Eight are those that are placed in the top eight positions in the league at the end of the first half of the season.
There is no shortage of surprises in placements this year.
The No. 1 seed is Germani Brescia of coach Peppe Poeta, who, until last season, was one of Ettore Messina's assistants in Milan.
The last seed, number 8, on the other hand, is Bertram Derthona, a team that is participating in the Basketball Champions League.
Italian Basketball Cup teams
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Germani Brescia
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Trapani Shark
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Dolomiti Energia Trentino
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Virtus Segafredo Bologna
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EA7 Emporio Armani Milano
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Unahotels Reggio Emilia
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Pallacanestro Trieste
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Bertram Derthona
Italian Basketball Cup Schedule
The competition will kick off on Feb. 12 with the first two quarterfinals, while the other two quarterfinals will be held the following day, Feb. 13.
There will then be a break on Feb. 14, in which the focus will be on women's basketball, while the two semifinals will be held on Feb. 15.
The final is scheduled for Sunday, February 16, at 5:15 p.m. CET.
All the games will be broadcast on DMAX abroad, and the games will be available in specific European markets on EuroLeague TV.
Quarterfinals
- (1) Germani Brescia 86-79 Bertram Derthona (8) Feb 12, 18:00 CET
- (4) Virtus Segafredo Bologna 77-91 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, Feb 12, 20:45 CET
- (3) Dolomiti Energia Trentino 85-80 UNAHotels Reggio Emilia (6), Feb 13, 18:00 CET
- (2) Trapani Shark 72-74 Pallacanestro Trieste (7), Feb 13, 20:45 CET
Semifinals
- Brescia 69-74 Milan, Feb 15, 18:00 CET
- Trento/Trieste, Feb 15, 20:45 CET
Final
- The final will be played on February 16 at 17:15 CET
What to follow in Italian Basketball Cup?
One of the most interesting aspects of this Final Eight is that both Virtus and Milan did not get the highest seed and will face each other immediately in the quarterfinals, thus going on to eliminate a potential candidate to win the cup.
Both Virtus and Olimpia, in fact, have struggled in the first half of the Italian league, ending up losing more games than expected (Virtus has lost 5 so far, Milan has lost 6).
Among the eight seeds are as many as 2 newly promoted teams, Trapani and Trieste. The two teams have risen from the second division with major ambitions and are getting a lot of attention.
Trapani has an incredibly ambitious president in Valerio Antonini, who has often said that his goal is to win both the Italian Cup and the league title.
Through his investment in Trapani, Antonini has brought a Sicilian team back to the top division of the Italian league.
With an experienced coach like Jasmin Repesa at the helm of the team, the Sharks are having a really good season and are definitely one of the teams to watch in this Italian Cup.
For those looking to follow the tournament more closely, the best betting sites offer valuable insights and odds on each matchup.
Trieste, for its part, has American ownership, headed by Paul Matiasic, and an American coach, Jamion Christian, and tons of offensive talents with players such as Denzel Valentine and Markel Brown.
They won't have Colbey Ross, though, who recently suffered a hand injury and won't be available for the Italian Cup.
Trento is having a very good season in the domestic league despite the team not making it past the round in the EuroCup. Led by coach Galbiati, this is an extremely fun team to watch that always tries to keep a high pace.
Worth mentioning are two young talents, Quinn Ellis and Saliou Niang, who have already become key elements of the team, and former Golden State Warriors Anthony Lamb, one of the best players in the league.
Germani Brescia, coached by Peppe Poeta, is an experienced and solid team. Players such as Amedeo Della Valle, Miro Bilan, Maurice Ndour, and Chris Dowe make up the backbone of the team.
In the Italian league, Brescia has the second-best offense and is also one of the best teams for rebounds per game.
Derthona, coached by Walter De Raffaele, is perhaps the team that comes in the worst way to this Final Eight, not so much because of its being eighth seed but because in recent weeks it has accumulated a series of defeats that suggest the team is not in the best possible moment.
In fact, it cannot be ruled out that an addition may arrive in the backcourt to make up for some of the difficulties Coach De Raffaele's team is experiencing.
Derthona, however, remains a very intriguing project for Italian basketball, having the Gavio family as its main backer, and is the owner of a very well-structured business group both in Italy and abroad.
Reggio Emilia, in its second season with Dimitris Priftis as head coach, is confirming itself as an extremely intriguing team.
Equipped with a very well-assembled frontcourt with players such as Stephane Gombauld, prospect Mouhamed Faye, and former NBA big man Kenneth Faried, Reggio Emilia is the best team in the Italian league by number of rebounds per game.
In the backcourt, on the other hand, it can count on players with great experience and personality, such as Cassius Winston, also seen in the EuroLeague with Bayern Munich and Jamar Smith.
A team to definitely keep an eye on not only for the Italian Cup but also for the continuation of the season in the domestic league.
