MIAMI (United States) – The Basketball Champions League Americas 2024-25 playoffs are here. Saturday will mark the start of the Quarterfinals, to be played in best-of-3 series, to earn spots in the Final 4. The first matchup features Instituto (ARG) going up against Minas Tenis Clube (BRA). The Argentinians will host the first game and then the series will head to Belo Horizonte (see calendar here). Minas (6-0), the undefeated leader of Group C, looks like a strong favorite against Instituto (3-3, second in Group D) thanks to what they did in previous round. However, things on the court could be closer than they appear. Both teams have played well collectively and are more than the sum of their parts. The difference could be in the details.
Players to watch
Minas won’t have their third best scorer and top rebounder Luis Montero, who’s been suspended by team for disciplinary reasons. Yuri Elías will also miss the series due to an ankle injury. Those are 2 important blows, but the team still has plenty of depth with Danilo Fuzaro (11.2 points per game) and Jeremy Hollowell (11.2) as leading scorers. Point guard Scott Machado (4.0 assists), big man Alexandre Paranhos (7.0 rebounds), Rafa Mineiro and Juan Arengo each add a specific dimention, while Franco Baralle and Wini Silva bring the intensity off the pine. Instituto has 4 different players scoring in double digits, led by Nicola Pomoli (13.3). He’s followed by Bautista Lugarini (10.8), Álex Negrete (10.3) and Nicolás Copello (10.0), while point guard Leandro Vildoza (8.2 points and 4.3 assists) and big man Emmitt Holt (8.0) bring stability. Guard Tomás Monacchi won’t be available due to a hand fracture, while center Javier Saiz (9.7 points), who has a key role in the paint, suffered a sprain and is doubtful.
Stats don’t lie
These are a pair of evenly matched offenses, with Minas finishing 5th in points per game (80.5) and Instituto finishing 6th (79.3). They also have similar numbers from beyond the arc, with Instituto shooting 35.5 percent and Minas 34.0. The Argentinian club led the league in assists (19.3), but Minas was better on the defensive end, dominating on the boards (42.5 vs. 36.8), steals (9.5 vs. 6.3) and blocks (2.3 vs. 1.5). Key stat: Vildoza has the second highest mark for steals in a game with 6, tied with Gui Deodato. He did in Season 4 against Peñarol of Uruguay.
Previous matchups
They have faced each other in 3 occasions at BCL Americas. All of them were in the Group Stage of the tournament’s second season. Minas is up 2-1.
They said
"Clearly we know what’s at stake. We’ll try to meet the moment. We’re aiming to make them uncomfortable and for us to find our rhythm. They’re a dangerous team so we’ll have to be focused on all their players, but we believe in ourselves.” - Nicolás Copello, Instituto point guard. In games like these, it’s important that we pay attention to the individual scouting for each player, because we’re facing teams that we’re not accustomed to. The work of our coaching staff will be key to help us, along with our individual efforts. That way we’ll be able to impose our game plan.” Alexandre Paranhos, Minas center.
FIBA