2018 Italian Basketball Cup

The 2018 Italian Basketball Cup, known as the 2018 PosteMobile Final Eight for sponsorship reasons,^[2] was the 50th edition of Italy's national cup tournament. The competition is managed by the Lega Basket for LBA clubs. The tournament was played from 15 to 18 February 2018 in Florence, at the end of the first half of the 2017–18 LBA season.^[3]

2018 Italian Basketball Cup

Tournament details
Arena	Nelson Mandela Forum Florence, Italy
Dates	15–18 February 2018[1]
Final positions
Champions	Fiat Torino (1st title)
Runners-up	Germani Basket Brescia
Awards and statistics
MVP	Vander Blue
← 2017 2019 →

EA7 Emporio Armani Milano were the defending champions.^[4]

Fiat Torino went to win its first Cup ever by beating Germani Basket Brescia 69–67 in the Finals.^[5] Vander Blue was named Finals MVP of the competition.^[6]

Qualification

Qualified for the tournament were selected based on their position on the league table at the end of the first half of the 2017–18 LBA regular season.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	PF	PA	PD	Qualification
1	Sidigas Avellino	15	12	3	1248	1148	+100	Qualified as seeded teams
2	Germani Basket Brescia	15	11	4	1184	1087	+97
3	EA7 Emporio Armani Milano	15	11	4	1153	1072	+81
4	Umana Reyer Venezia	15	11	4	1227	1185	+42
5	Fiat Torino	15	10	5	1219	1186	+33	Qualified as non-seeded teams
6	Red October Cantù	15	8	7	1290	1285	+5
7	Segafredo Virtus Bologna	15	8	7	1191	1154	+37
8	Vanoli Cremona	15	8	7	1226	1199	+27

Source: LBA

Bracket

	Quarter-finals 15–16 February					Semifinals 17 February					Final 18 February
	1	Sidigas Avellino	82
	8	Vanoli Cremona	89
						8	Vanoli Cremona	87
						5	Fiat Torino	92
	4	Umana Reyer Venezia	60
	5	Fiat Torino	72
											5	Fiat Torino	69
											2	Germani Basket Brescia	67
	3	EA7 Emporio Armani Milano	87
	6	Red October Cantù	105
						6	Red October Cantù	82
						2	Germani Basket Brescia	87
	2	Germani Basket Brescia	97
	7	Segafredo Virtus Bologna	83

Quarterfinals

Sidigas Avellino vs. Vanoli Cremona

15 February 2018 Quarterfinal A	Sidigas Avellino	82–89	Vanoli Cremona	Florence
18:00 (CET)	Scoring by quarter: 22–18, 18–14, 13–19, 21–23
Eurosport RAI	Pts: Rich 30 Rebs: Fesenko 19 Asts: Leunen 5 PIR: Rich 34	Boxscore	Pts: D. Diener 19 Rebs: Sims 9 Asts: T. Diener 8 PIR: Johnson-Odom 19	Arena: Nelson Mandela Forum Referees: Tolga Sahin, Gabriele Bettini, Dario Morelli

Sidigas Avellino v Vanoli Cremona

Starters: Pts Reb Ast PG 12 Ariel Filloy 6 5 1 SG 24 Lorenzo D'Ercole 12 4 0 SG 25 Jason Rich 30 4 3 PF 10 Maarty Leunen 2 6 5 C 44 Kyrylo Fesenko 19 19 1 Reserves: F/C 0 Andrea Zerini 0 1 0 G/F 1 Dez Wells 2 1 0 PG 6 Bruno Fitipaldo 5 0 0 SF 11 Thomas Scrubb 2 0 0 C 55 Hamady N'Diaye 4 2 0 G 57 Salvatore Parlato DNP Head coach: Stefano Sacripanti

Sidigas Avellino Vanoli Cremona

Starters: Pts Reb Ast PG 10 Michele Ruzzier 5 1 1 SG 20 Darius Johnson-Odom 18 5 2 SF 2 Simone Fontecchio 5 7 0 PF 1 Kelvin Martin 11 6 1 C 14 Henry Sims 16 9 0 Reserves: PF 6 Giulio Gazzotti DNP PG 7 Travis Diener 0 3 8 F 8 Giampaolo Ricci 12 4 0 G 11 Marco Portannese DNP SG 16 Drake Diener 19 4 1 F 23 Landon Milbourne 3 2 1 Head coach: Romeo Sacchetti

Umana Reyer Venezia vs. Fiat Torino

15 February 2018 Quarterfinal B	Umana Reyer Venezia	60–72	Fiat Torino	Florence
20:45 (CET)	Scoring by quarter: 4–21, 25–23, 17–16, 14–12
Eurosport RAI	Pts: Watt 19 Rebs: Watt 11 Asts: four players 2 PIR: Watt 17	Boxscore	Pts: Garrett 17 Rebs: Boungou Colo 8 Asts: five players 2 PIR: Boungou Colo 15	Arena: Nelson Mandela Forum Referees: Maurizio Biggi, Gianluca Sardella, Evangelista Caiazza

Umana Reyer Venezia v Fiat Torino

Starters: Pts Reb Ast PG 0 MarQuez Haynes 9 2 2 SG 6 Michael Bramos 8 4 2 SF 7 Stefano Tonut 1 3 2 PF 2 Hrvoje Perić 8 8 0 C 50 Mitchell Watt 19 11 0 Reserves: SG 3 Dominique Johnson 3 1 0 F 9 Austin Daye 6 8 1 PG 10 Andrea De Nicolao 6 1 2 F/C 13 Riccardo Bolpin DNP F/C 14 Tomas Ress 0 1 0 C 19 Paul Biligha 0 1 0 G/F 30 Bruno Cerella 0 0 0 Head coach: Walter De Raffaele

Umana Reyer Venezia Fiat Torino

Starters: Pts Reb Ast PG 2 Diante Garrett 17 3 1 SG 21 Andre Jones 8 3 1 SF 17 Deron Washington 11 7 2 PF 16 Nobel Boungou Colo 9 8 2 C 32 Trevor Mbakwe 8 5 1 Reserves: PG 1 Vander Blue 4 0 2 G/F 6 Sasha Vujačić 2 3 2 PG 8 Giuseppe Poeta 4 2 2 F/C 22 Valerio Mazzola 9 7 0 PG 23 Mohamed Touré DNP G 24 Lorenzo Mittica DNP G 25 Guy Akoua DNP Head coach: Paolo Galbiati

EA7 Emporio Armani Milano vs. Red October Cantù

16 February 2018 Quarterfinal C	EA7 Emporio Armani Milano	87–105	Red October Cantù	Florence
18:00 (CET)	Scoring by quarter: 18–28, 20–29, 25–23, 24–25
Eurosport RAI	Pts: Goudelock 23 Rebs: three players 7 Asts: Theodore 6 PIR: Theodore 23	Boxscore	Pts: Smith 23 Rebs: Christian Burns 12 Asts: Smith 8 PIR: Smith 34	Arena: Nelson Mandela Forum Referees: Saverio Lanzarini, Luca Weidmann, Alessandro Vicino

EA7 Emporio Armani Milano v Red October Cantù

Starters: Pts Reb Ast PG 25 Jordan Theodore 16 7 6 SG 0 Andrew Goudelock 23 1 2 SF 5 Vladimir Micov 7 7 2 PF 19 Mindaugas Kuzminskas 10 3 0 C 22 Marco Cusin 4 7 1 Reserves: G 6 Enrico Mario Tomba DNP PF 7 Davide Pascolo 6 3 0 PG 20 Andrea Cinciarini 9 0 1 SF 23 Awudu Abass 3 2 2 SG 45 Dairis Bertāns 6 1 0 PG 55 Curtis Jerrells 0 2 0 C 77 Artūras Gudaitis 3 4 0 Head coach: Simone Pianigiani

EA7 Emporio Armani Milano Red October Cantù

Starters: Pts Reb Ast PG 2 Jaime Smith 23 0 8 SG 21 Jeremy Chappell 19 4 3 SF 5 David Cournooh 12 4 3 PF 23 Christian Burns 14 12 3 C 25 Charles Thomas 16 2 0 Reserves: C 4 Luca Pappalardo DNP G 8 Salvatore Parrillo 12 3 1 G 10 Maurizio Tassone 0 0 0 C 15 Andrea Crosariol DNP F 19 Giacomo Maspero 9 4 1 F 20 Davide Raucci 0 0 0 Head coach: Marco Sodini

Germani Basket Brescia vs. Segafredo Virtus Bologna

16 February 2018 Quarterfinal D	Germani Basket Brescia	97–83	Segafredo Virtus Bologna	Florence
20:45 (CET)	Scoring by quarter: 26–17, 20–20, 22–19, 29–27
Eurosport RAI	Pts: Moore 22 Rebs: Vitali 7 Asts: Vitali 6 PIR: Moore 25	Boxscore	Pts: Lawson 17 Rebs: Slaughter 7 Asts: Umeh 5 PIR: Lawson 18	Arena: Nelson Mandela Forum Referees: Carmelo Lo Guzzo, Lorenzo Baldini, Mark Bartoli

Germani Basket Brescia v Segafredo Virtus Bologna

Starters: Pts Reb Ast PG 7 Luca Vitali 20 7 6 SG 2 Lee Moore 22 3 2 SF 34 David Moss 6 2 3 PF 8 Marcus Landry 8 2 0 C 4 Dario Hunt 8 4 0 Reserves: G 5 Martino Mastellari DNP C 10 Benjamin Ortner 2 4 0 PG 26 Andrea Traini 10 1 0 G 31 Michele Vitali 17 2 2 F 41 Brian Sacchetti 4 4 2 Head coach: Andrea Diana

Germani Basket Brescia Segafredo Virtus Bologna

Starters: Pts Reb Ast PG 20 Oliver Lafayette 14 0 2 SG 3 Michael Umeh 11 2 5 SF 0 Alessandro Gentile 11 3 3 PF 8 Filippo Baldi Rossi 5 4 0 C 44 Marcus Slaughter 9 7 2 Reserves: PG 6 Alessandro Pajola 2 0 0 F 13 Klaudio Ndoja 12 3 0 PG 22 Stefano Gentile 2 3 4 C 23 Matteo Berti DNP C 25 Kenny Lawson 17 4 0 Head coach: Alessandro Ramagli

Semifinals

Vanoli Cremona vs. Fiat Torino

17 February 2018 Semifinal A	Vanoli Cremona	87–920(OT)	Fiat Torino	Florence
18:00 (CET)	Scoring by quarter: 22–12, 18–28, 21–15, 19–25, Overtime: 7–12
Eurosport RAI	Pts: Fontecchio 16 Rebs: Sims 7 Asts: Johnson-Odom, Ruzzier 3 PIR: Diener 12	Boxscore	Pts: Garrett 18 Rebs: Washington 13 Asts: Poeta 3 PIR: Washington 24	Arena: Nelson Mandela Forum Referees: Carmelo Paternico', Alessandro Martolini, Beniamino Manuel Attard

Vanoli Cremona v Fiat Torino

Starters: Pts Reb Ast PG 10 Michele Ruzzier 4 2 3 SG 20 Darius Johnson-Odom 14 1 3 SF 2 Simone Fontecchio 16 2 0 PF 1 Kelvin Martin 7 4 2 C 14 Henry Sims 9 7 0 Reserves: PF 6 Giulio Gazzotti DNP PG 7 Travis Diener 6 5 1 F 8 Giampaolo Ricci 9 6 0 G 11 Marco Portannese 0 2 1 SG 16 Drake Diener 11 2 2 F 23 Landon Milbourne 11 5 1 Head coach: Romeo Sacchetti

Vanoli Cremona Fiat Torino

Starters: Pts Reb Ast PG 2 Diante Garrett 18 6 2 SG 21 Andre Jones 3 3 0 SF 17 Deron Washington 13 13 1 PF 16 Nobel Boungou Colo 7 8 1 C 32 Trevor Mbakwe 3 3 0 Reserves: PG 1 Vander Blue 17 1 1 G/F 6 Sasha Vujačić 15 7 0 PG 8 Giuseppe Poeta 9 0 3 F/C 22 Valerio Mazzola 7 5 0 PG 23 Mohamed Touré DNP G 24 Lorenzo Mittica DNP G 25 Guy Akoua DNP Head coach: Paolo Galbiati

Red October Cantù vs. Germani Basket Brescia

17 February 2018 Semifinal B	Red October Cantù	82–870(OT)	Germani Basket Brescia	Florence
20:45 (CET)	Scoring by quarter: 18–20, 21–23, 17–20, 20–13, Overtime: 6–11
Eurosport RAI	Pts: Thomas 20 Rebs: Burns 14 Asts: Smith, Chappell 4 PIR: Chappell 20	Boxscore	Pts: Vitali 19 Rebs: Hunt 11 Asts: Vitali 4 PIR: Vitali 30	Arena: Nelson Mandela Forum Referees: Enrico Sabetta, Michele Rossi, Emanuele Aronne

Red October Cantù v Germani Basket Brescia

Starters: Pts Reb Ast PG 2 Jaime Smith 19 0 4 SG 21 Jeremy Chappell 17 13 4 SF 5 David Cournooh 4 3 0 PF 23 Christian Burns 11 14 2 C 25 Charles Thomas 20 4 2 Reserves: C 4 Luca Pappalardo DNP G 8 Salvatore Parrillo 11 5 0 G 10 Maurizio Tassone 0 0 0 C 15 Andrea Crosariol DNP F 19 Giacomo Maspero 0 1 0 F 20 Davide Raucci 0 0 1 Head coach: Marco Sodini

Red October Cantù Germani Basket Brescia

Starters: Pts Reb Ast PG 7 Luca Vitali 19 9 4 SG 2 Lee Moore 15 9 3 SF 34 David Moss 5 1 2 PF 8 Marcus Landry 17 5 2 C 4 Dario Hunt 9 11 1 Reserves: G 5 Martino Mastellari DNP C 10 Benjamin Ortner 4 4 0 PG 26 Andrea Traini 3 1 2 G 31 Michele Vitali 10 5 1 F 41 Brian Sacchetti 5 2 2 Head coach: Andrea Diana

Final

In the final game Sasha Vujačić’s layup in the dying seconds lifted Fiat Torino to a 69-67 victory over Germani Basket Brescia for the club’s first Italian Cup. After a series of threes in the closing seconds left the game tied, Brescia had the ball for what appeared to be the final possession, however Marcus Landry and Luca Vitali each missed from downtown, Deron Washington picked up the loose ball and started a fast break that Vujacic finished with the winning layup. Diante Garrett paced Fiat with 16 points, Nobel Boungou Colo and Vander Blue added 11 points apiece and Washington scored 10 for the winners. Landry paced Brescia with 22 points and 9 rebounds and Michele Vitali added 14 points in defeat.^[7]

Fiat Torino vs. Germani Basket Brescia

18 February 2018 Final	Fiat Torino	69–67	Germani Basket Brescia	Florence
18:00 (CET)	Scoring by quarter: 11–14, 17–17, 25–25, 16–11
Eurosport RAI	Pts: Garrett 16 Rebs: Mazzola 11 Asts: Poeta 4 PIR: Mazzola 17	Boxscore	Pts: Landry 22 Rebs: Landry 9 Asts: Vitali 10 PIR: Landry 20	Arena: Nelson Mandela Forum Referees: Saverio Lanzarini, Carmelo Lo Guzzo, Lorenzo Baldini

Fiat Torino v Germani Basket Brescia

Starters: Pts Reb Ast PG 2 Diante Garrett 16 4 2 SG 1 Vander Blue 11 2 1 SF 17 Deron Washington 10 7 3 PF 16 Nobel Boungou Colo 11 2 0 C 32 Trevor Mbakwe 1 5 1 Reserves: G/F 6 Sasha Vujačić 7 4 1 PG 8 Giuseppe Poeta 7 2 4 SG 21 Andre Jones 0 0 1 F/C 22 Valerio Mazzola 6 11 0 PG 23 Mohamed Touré DNP G 24 Lorenzo Mittica DNP G 25 Guy Akoua DNP Head coach: Paolo Galbiati

Fiat Torino Germani Basket Brescia Italian Cup MVP Vander Blue Game rules Game played under FIBA rules. 2018 Italian Cup Winners Fiat Torino 1st title

Starters: Pts Reb Ast PG 7 Luca Vitali 5 6 10 SG 2 Lee Moore 2 5 0 SF 34 David Moss 2 5 2 PF 8 Marcus Landry 22 9 1 C 4 Dario Hunt 6 6 0 Reserves: G 5 Martino Mastellari DNP C 10 Benjamin Ortner 4 0 1 SG 16 Giovanni Veronesi DNP C 20 Abdel Fall DNP PG 26 Andrea Traini 0 2 1 G 31 Michele Vitali 14 3 2 F 41 Brian Sacchetti 12 2 2 Head coach: Andrea Diana

Sponsors

PosteMobile (title sponsor) Panasonic (main sponsor) Fastweb (technology partner)

Molten (official ball) MyGlass (official partner) Prozis (official nutrition partner)

Frecciarossa (official train) Timex Group (timing partner) Erreà (technical sponsor)

Eurosport (official broadcaster) Rai Sport (official broadcaster) Radio Italia (official radio)

Anthea Comune di Firenze ACF Fiorentina[8]

Source:^[9]

References

1. "PosteMobile Final Eight 2018 - Programma". Archived from the original on 2019-02-19. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
2. "Presentato l'accordo di sponsorizzazione tra LBA e PosteMobile" [The sponsorship agreement between LBA and PosteMobile has been presented]. Legabasket.it (in Italian). 22 December 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
3. "Final Eight 2018: ufficializzata Firenze come sede dell'evento 15-18 febbraio" [2018 Final Eight: Florence will host the tournament 15–18 February]. Sportando.com (in Italian). 25 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
4. "National cups roundup: February 19, 2017". euroleague.net. 19 February 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
5. "Basket, Final Eight: Torino-Brescia 69-67. Storica prima dell'Auxilium" [Basketball, Final Eight: Torino-Brescia 69-67. Historical first time for Auxilium]. gazzetta.it (in Italian). 18 February 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
6. "Vander Blue è l'MVP delle Final Eight di Firenze" [Vander Blue named MVP of the Final Eight in Florence]. Sportando.com (in Italian). 18 February 2018.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
7. "National cups roundup: February 18, 2018". euroleague.net. 18 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
8. "La Fiorentina partner della PosteMobile Final Eight" [ACF Fiorentina official partner of PosteMobile Final Eight]. Sportando.com (in Italian). 5 February 2018.
9. PosteMobile Final Eight, Partners

External links

• LBA Final Eight official website Archived 2019-02-19 at the Wayback Machine