The nation's premier student basketball talent will converge on St. Petersburg this week for the decisive stage of the ASB Championship. The Superfinal semifinals are set to take place on May 9 at the Jubilee Sports Complex, featuring the strongest male and female university teams from across Russia.
The women's bracket opens the day's action with a compelling matchup. At 10:30 Moscow time, RUS GCOLIFK will face UrFU Sima-Lend. This marks a significant return for the GCOLIFK squad, which has not reached the final four since 2017. For head coach Nikolay Lapshin, this will be his first experience coaching in a Superfinal. Adding to the narrative, UrFU Sima-Lend was the team that eliminated GCOLIFK in the quarterfinals of last season's Belov League Cup.
The second women's semifinal at 13:00 pits defending Belov League Cup champions GUTID against the Kronverskiye Barsy from ITMO University. GUTID enters as the clear favorite, having finally broken their "curse" last season after losing three consecutive finals. The St. Petersburg-based team is now firmly focused on claiming the overall championship title.
Men's action begins at 15:30 with MGAFK taking on VOENMEKH. MGAFK arrives riding an impressive 15-game winning streak. This tournament also holds special significance as it will be the final competitive appearance for Valery Shchegolikhin, the reigning MVP of the Student League. Notably, the last time a Superfinal was held in St. Petersburg, the VOENMEKH team emerged victorious.
The day concludes at 18:00 with a clash between GUTID and MAI-MBA. GUTID, last season's silver medalists, have had to significantly restructure their playing style following the departure of dominant center Egor Tsehanovich. Their opponents, MAI-MBA, made an immediate impact in their debut Student League RZD season, securing bronze medals without hesitation.
Based on reporting from Чемпионат.com.