MBA — CSKA, 27 January 2024

Not in the playoffs yet

“Maybe the season is not going as well as the previous one for MBA, but they are still very competitive,” CSKA head coach Emil Rajkovic said. “They have won three games this month alone, and they are keeping hopes of making it to the playoffs. The main things about our opponents are that they have many players who may lead the team on any given game and that they are playing very aggressively. We have to continue raising the level of our game with the most important part of the season just ahead of us.”

Now the MBA's top scorer is the Army Men graduate Andrei Lopatin who averages 10.5 points. No one else on the team hits double-digit scoring numbers as seven other basketball players average seven points or more.

We are waiting for perseverance

The teams met twice this season. And both meetings turned out to be difficult. In the pre-season VTB League SuperCup, the red-and-blues had to catch up after an unsuccessful first half. In the regular season game in September, everything was the other way around, and MBA had a chance to win or go to overtime but the Army Team’s defense did not allow a good shot. So we can expect a serious fight in the away game. Moreover, we meet on the road.

However, our team is no stranger to this: many meetings this season bring memorable endings. Including the previous game, the charge of adrenaline from which is still roaming through the blood vessels. Rajkovic’s players didn’t even have time to breathe out and relax: the very next day CSKA held a recovery training session in Krylatskoye and continued preparations.

Past matchups

Win/Loss Ratio: 5-0

Game of the 2023/24 season:

30-Sep-2023. CSKA – MBA: 76-72 (+4)

Brief dossier

MBA Moscow

Founded: 2011
Colors: white, red
Home arena: Basket Hall Moscow (5,000 spectators)
President: Tatyana Kocharyan
Head coach: Vasily Karasev
Website: mbabasket.pro
Achievements: vice-champion of the Major League (2014)