The Zaragoza side will face one of the teams attracting the most attention at the start of this competition. Kibirkstis Vilnius, the defending Lithuanian champions, have also made a flawless start to their domestic league, winning all five of their games and, like Casademont, remaining the only unbeaten team in the competition. Their dominance is also reflected in their points differential, with an accumulated margin of +158 after five games.
But Kibirkstis have been even more impressive in Europe. After unexpectedly overcoming the qualifying round by defeating Poland's AZS Poznan and Hungary's Sopron, the Lithuanian team began the EuroLeague regular season with two outstanding performances. First, they overwhelmed Greece's Athinaikos at home by 38 points (103-65), before confirming their credentials as a team capable of going far in Europe's top competition with a valuable away win over Basket Landes (67-73).
The Lithuanian side have won every game they have played so far. Photo: FIBA
THE PRÍNCIPE FELIPE FACTOR
Among the players standing out for the Lithuanian side are Zoe Wadoux, Nausia Woolfolk, Niyah Becker and Daugile Use. Casademont will need to pay close attention to them if it wants to extend its winning streak and overcome a Kibirkstis team that arrives in Zaragoza unbeaten this season. The Aragonese side will therefore look to make home advantage at the Príncipe Felipe count against an opponent that has shown more than enough quality to become one of the breakout teams of this season in Europe.
Moreover, the game carries importance beyond the immediate battle for first place. The results from this opening phase are carried over into the next round, in which the top three teams from each group will qualify. Winning this head-to-head encounter could therefore prove decisive in approaching the next stage of the continental competition with an advantage.
