The penultimate round was potentially decisive for the placement of Montenegrin basketball players at Eurobasket.

The first requirement was for our team to win against Germany at “Morača” — a task that was evidently unrealistic.

The second condition was for Bulgaria to succumb to Sweden at home — a scenario that might have unfolded, but Saša Vezenkov had other plans, dominating his home court in Botevgrad with 40 points and 18 rebounds after 45 intense minutes. This delayed the determination of which team will travel to the European Championship until Sunday, when the final round is set to take place.

Montenegro is no closer to Eurobasket than it was two days ago, yet the tension escalates as the final 40 minutes of qualifiers loom — anything can still happen, although Boško Radović’s squad holds a realistic chance to secure one of the three spots leading to the continental competition.

– To be honest, we are not accustomed to going into a match with everything decided before the last shot or rebound – stated Radović following the decisive defeat to the Germans on Thursday.

Montenegro faced a superior team, there’s no doubt about it, even though it appeared they fell too easily to an opponent unwilling to leave anything to chance after two prior qualifying losses. This is why their formidable rival arrived in our capital with an almost “full” squad, featuring six players who were world champions in September 2023.

– Germany was supposed to be the absolute favorite in this group; had they bested Bulgaria and Sweden as expected – we would already be on our way to Eurobasket – Radović highlighted.

If they triumph over Sweden on Sunday, the Montenegrin team will book their ticket to Eurobasket. They can also advance even with a loss if the Germans defeat the Bulgarians at home. They could afford to lose in Stockholm and for Bulgaria to win in Bamberg, provided they maintain a better point difference.

Currently, Montenegro’s point difference stands at plus nine, Sweden is at minus 33, and Bulgaria at minus 32 — it’s clear why our national team is just a step away from Eurobasket.

– Now it is crucial to focus on Sweden and do everything possible to secure that victory. I expected better defensive play against Germany; I don’t think we’ve allowed anyone to score 95 points against us in a long time. I was aware that we faced offensive challenges due to the absence of all our playmakers – added Radović.

The team will be bolstered against Sweden with the return of Nikola Ivanovic, who missed the game against Germany. However, Vladimir Mihailovic, Marko Simonovic, and Luka Bogavac will not participate in the final qualifier. The Basketball Federation of Montenegro has announced that Balsa Zivanovic will play in the match in Scandinavia.

Moreover, considering that captain Bojan Dubljević was removed from the roster prior to the gathering, and that Igor Drobnjak and Charlie Moore are injured, along with Marko Todorović’s absence, it is clear the challenges Radović faced during the February FIBA “window.”

The European Championship is slated for August 27 to September 14 in Latvia, Poland, Finland, and Cyprus.

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