By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The 2026–27 season in Italy officially gets underway this weekend in Tortona, where four of the country’s top teams meet for the Sisal Club Supercoppa 2026. Saturday’s Semifinals feature an immediate heavyweight matchup between EuroLeague participants Virtus Bologna and Armani Olimpia Milan. For new players, the gravity of this fixture is already bringing back memories of the most intense NCAA rivalries.
Ahead of his official debut, Bologna’s new guard Wendell Moore Jr. shared that the locker room made sure he understood the weight of the matchup right away. Having played plenty of high-stake games during his time with Duke, 25-year-old Moore explained that the tension between the two clubs felt instantly familiar. He remarked that the fierce competitive energy surrounding the matchup with Milan reminds him of the iconic Duke-North Carolina rivalry.
“It’s one of the first things they said to me. I love the atmosphere of these games, playing in front of so many fans. It reminds me of the Duke-North Carolina games,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport. “We worked hard to be ready.”
On the other side of the bracket, hosts Bertram Derthona Tortona will lean on their home crowd as they face fellow BKT EuroCup outfit Umana Reyer Venice team. The winners of both matchups will advance to the Final on Sunday.
Before moving to Old Continent this summer, Moore appeared in 103 NBA games across stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and Charlotte Hornets after being drafted 26th overall in the 2022.
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