Zalgiris has benefited the most after the games of the EuroLeague Round 32 played on Thursday, in terms of increased chances for the Play-In.
Prior to the elite European competition Round 32, the chances for the team from the Zalgiris to advance to the next phase of the EuroLeague were meager – 0.2%. After defeating Milano in Kaunas tonight, those chances are significantly higher, although still within the realm of theory. Zalgiris defeated the Italian team by 87:73.
Mathematically, it may not seem realistic in theory, but there are five prerequisites necessary for Zalgiris to qualify for the play-in:
Possibility that four teams end up with identical records
If the mentioned scenarios occur, Zalgiris would secure a spot in the Play-In phase. The reason for this lies in the fact that they have defeated Baskonia in both of their encounters this season, resulting in a positive head-to-head record of 2-0. Consequently, if Zalgiris, Anadolu Efes, and Baskonia all end up with a 16-18 record, Zalgiris would be placed as high as ninth, with Anadolu Efes in the tenth spot, while Baskonia would miss out on the play-in.
There’s also a possibility that four teams end up with identical records of 16-18. In such a case, only the results among those teams would be considered. For instance, if the teams were Partizan, Baskonia, Anadolu Efes, and Zalgiris:
- 9. Partizan 4-2
- 10. Zalgiris 3-3
- 11. Anadolu Efes 3-3
- 12. Baskonia 2-4
Zalgiris holds a 2-0 record against Milano
Even without Partizan in this scenario, Zalgiris would still rank ninth as explained earlier. Additionally, Zalgiris holds a 2-0 record against Milano in the regular season, and the presence of Valencia in that group would not change the situation.