The Spanish Cup measures the level of energy and resilience of Betis Baloncesto

This Betis Basketball He wants the Cup, but above all he has promotion between his eyebrows. It is your biggest concern. They are now far from the lead, three wins away, and to recover the lost ground the team must be much more consistent and forceful, especially away from home, where the seams that they camouflage in their pavilion are showing. The injuriesnumerous, continue to do a lot of damage and have prevented Gonzalo García from having the entire squad for many days. He won’t have it today either. It is not easy to acquire a regularity of performance, especially at home, when between two and three players are always missing. When you have to make continuous compromises in key positions and you are always undergoing medical tests. It is the reality of the green and white team.

This random factor, therefore uncontrollable, is complicating life for a team that carries a lot of pressure and responsibilityhas room for improvement in certain positions and, to date, has been much more effective in defense than in attack. Of course he has points on his hands, many, but perhaps less than imagined at the beginning of the season. Yes, as happened in Orense, on top of that his defense falls flatthe options of beating rivals from the noble zone of the First FEB away from San Pablo are reduced.

The green and white coach described the defensive level of his players at Paco Paz as “very poor”, showing himself to be self-critical, without taking refuge in the excuses of the casualties although admitting that Jelinek has accelerated his recovery, that Atencia has just arrived and that Cvetkovic, the beacon of the green and white attack in many games, is now gone. The Basque said that it was not a problem of attitude, that “perhaps there was a lack of energy.” December is testing your physical abilities. He has already played five games, he has done it every five days and today, in Pumarín, he will play his sixth. And it will not be the last one in 2024. Because On Sunday the 29th they host Naturavia CB Morón in a derby that will be historic, as it will be the first in a league competition between both clubs.

The hindrance of the free kick

Before, it is Betis Baloncesto’s turn to focus all five senses on Pumarín to heal the wounds, regain confidence and bring the best possible result for the return. That must be the mentality of Betis, which in Orense shipwrecked in almost all the measurable parameters of the game. In the most critical, without a doubt. The defense opened up and in the shooting it was a short-sighted team without a pulse: His 4/23 from the triple and his 20/30 from 4.60 demonstrate it. With the ability of many of their players to go to the personal line, the poor 71% from that luck have to raise it. Because small details become gigantic in tight games. Atencia did not look out of place in its debut, Benite He was far from his best level; Hughes did contribute what is expected of him and the same can be said of DeBisschop or Rubén López, but not like this Kasibabuwho should add much more and will now have to increase his minutes and benefits. Domenech has played little lately and must be prepared for a greater role.

Betis has distanced itself somewhat from the lead and has lost four games out of thirteen. Still up, fourth, it’s no drama, but the problem is that this Hereda project put a lot of pressure on itself due to the money invested in the summer and the express desire to get up to the ACB as soon as possible. And nothing is easy because The competition is very high this season and there are three teams that do not give up. Future moves in the squad are not ruled out, although there is a lot of confidence in the team in the club and also some reservations about disrupting the locker room ecosystem. Another thing is that injuries force it, as in the case of Atencia, a newcomer who will remain in principle until Cvetkovic recovers.

This Betis depleted of resources appears this afternoon in Pumarina small field that can be a real cauldron. Alimerka Oviedo has won two league games there and lost four. The last one, last Friday against Súper Agropal Palencia (71-91). Since the Carbayones visited San Pablo on December 6, their results account includes one victory and two setbacks.

A close precedent

The set of Javi Rodriguez They have only won four times in the Primera FEB and are at the bottom of the table, but to avoid unnecessary confidence, Betis Baloncesto would do well to remember the extent to which they suffered in the duel played in Seville. Up to fourteen points was Alimerka’s greatest advantage, which in the third quarter still led by ten and forced Gonzalo García’s team to make a spectacular defensive effort to come back (86-77) guided by an imperial Renfroe.

Oviedo put him in a difficult situation and they will surely not give him any ease this afternoon either. The Asturians raise the level on their court and, like Betis, have just lost. They are hurt. Things are not working out for them, they are fifteenth with the same wins as the penultimate and perhaps they will see in the Spanish Cup a fuse with which to light the flame of the season’s excitement.

After every fall, this Betis Baloncesto always got back up. It is a reliable team in that sense, but today he plays away from home againwhere he is having a hard time performing at the same level as in San Pablo and has a pending subject. Furthermore, until the ball starts flying it will not be seen what its actual fuel level after competing on Friday. The tute he wears is important and we must not forget that he is doing it with an incomplete squad due to injuries, in the box. The team’s biggest sporting problem at the moment.