To stay alive for a place in the EL quarter finals. The Turkish team never won at the NOKIA Arena. Will Solomon is fit to play. Derrick Sharp will play his 201st European game.
Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv will play tonight ( (20:45, NOKIA Arena), its second game in the Top 16 vs Ulker Istanbul, realizing that this is a must win game. To qualify for the playoff quarter finals a team needs five or at least four wins. Maccabi have already one loss, last week in Madrid, so they have to win their three home games and at least one more game on the road. Ulker made the Top 16 from fifth place in Group C with a 5-9 record. This is a team with plenty of Euroleague experienced players like Mirsad Turkcan, Verbica Stefanov, Ibrahim Kutluay and Robert Gulyas and two Americans with NBA background, Marcus B. Haislip and Jeff Trepagnier. Head coach is Ergin Ataman who led Montepaschi Siena to the Euroleague Final Four four years ago. Will Solomon, who played only a few minutes in Madrid and missed the game in Nahariya due to a hand injury, is fit to play. For captain Derrick Sharp it will be his 201st European game. Maccabi has won seven and lost three of the previous games vs Ulker.
