Barcelona grabs the last ticket for the Cup

Barcelona captured the last ticket at stake for the next Copa del Rey, from February 13 to 16 in Gran Canaria, on the last day of the first round of the League. The Barça team tied for eighth place in the standings thanks to its 97-84 victory at the Palau against Bilbao Basket and will join Unicaja, Valencia, Madrid, and Tenerife in this Tuesday’s draw (these four as seeded). , Joventut, Manresa and Gran Canaria. Casademont Zaragoza, Baskonia and UCAM Murcia were left on the shore, which still had options for the latter station. Zaragoza buried almost all their chances when they lost their visit to Granada by 97-91, and their victories against Murcia against Leyma Coruña (78-86 in Heurtel’s debut with the Galicians) and against Baskonia against the Galicians were of no use. Breogán (97-91). Manresa had qualified on Saturday by defeating Joventut 87-72.

Barcelona breathes with the cup classification with which it also closes a week with three victories at home after those achieved in the Euroleague against the champion Panathinaikos and against Efes. And his coach, Joan Peñarroya, breathes, pointed out by the results and by the fear of being left out of the Cup.

The last day of this first round closed in the wake of the colossal duel between Unicaja and Valencia in the Martín Carpena pavilion, the two teams that were fighting for a lead that remained in Malaga (94-86). The victory allows the Andalusian team to play the quarterfinals of the Cup on Thursday and thus have one more day of rest in case they qualify for the semifinals. The meeting was high voltage and reflects the great growth of these two teams that today question the duopoly of Madrid and Barcelona more than ever. Ibon Navarro directs a well-integrated machine that has maintained the block in recent seasons and that in two years has won four titles: the 2023 Cup won against Tenerife, the FIBA ​​Champions League and two crowns already this year, the Intercontinental and the Spanish Super Cup in which in September they dethroned Madrid in the final (80-90) after six consecutive laurels for the whites in the tournament. Now they are winter league champions and a great contender for the Cup title.

Valencia Basket also emerges. Pedro Martínez has resurrected the clockwork orange and the team is reminiscent of the 2017 ACB champion, led by the Catalan coach. This course has once again been the leader of the ACB for the first time in seven years and together with Unicaja represents a powerful alternative to the two big ones. The Malaga team, two years ago, is the only one that has broken the dominance of Madrid and Barcelona in the Cup since Baskonia won in 2009. The two giants of Spanish basketball have faced each other in a cup final in 10 of the last 15 editions. The next event in Gran Canaria questions more than ever whether the title will be decided in a classic.