opponent of Tours, Le Mans shines again in the elite

Tours MB (N1)
Le Mans (Betclic Elite)

Tours MB – Le Mans: the poster was already very attractive on paper for this 8^e of the Coupe de France final, allowing a recognized team of the French basketball elite to be welcomed to the Monconseil hall on Tuesday January 7.

And not only for those nostalgic for the “old” passionate derbies between Tourangeaux and Manceaux. But the latest performances of the MSB have further increased the interest of this gala meeting for the Touraine club, resident of Nationale 1.

Paris and Cholet on the MSB hunting list in December

The Sarthois in fact occupy a good 6^e place (8V, 6D) in Betclic Elite, thanks in particular to an impressive flawless performance during the last three meetings. They have thus made their mark since mid-December by attaching to their hunting list Paris Basket (84-76), which then remained intractable in France and in the Euroleague, then La Rochelle (81-71)… before defeat the leader, Cholet, at La Meilleraie please (86-92)!

Choice performances for the team led since this season by Guillaume Vizade (ex-Vichy, Pro B). “This reflects the potential of our team, explains Vincent Loriot, the valuable sports director of the Manceau club since 2012. This above all reflects the difficulty of a championship narrowed to sixteen teams with relatively homogeneous strengths, except obviously the three Euroleague teams. But against Paris, we were able to seize the opportunity of perhaps one less good day for the Parisians in the face of a busy schedule and we achieved a prestigious victory. Against Cholet, it was above all the Pays de la Loire derby. There is still a healthy but very real rivalry between the two clubs. And winning at La Meilleraie is always a performance and it is even more so since it was against the leader. So yes, ending the year 2024 with this superb performance made the little six-day break tasty…”

Ideally placed to qualify for the Leaders Cup (top 8, from February 14 to 16 in Caen), the MSB nevertheless remains cautious and measured. “We are sixth today, but we have to put things into perspective because it remains extremely fragile, adds Vincent Loriot. We know this well, having been eleventh at one point and also threatened by this fifteenth place which scares everyone. Maintenance remains the priority objective because it is the first time that we have a division with sixteen teams and this makes the competition extremely tough. »

“Tours is not there by chance”

But there is no question for the Manceaux of neglecting the Coupe de France and this 8^e final against Tours. “Qualifying for the quarter-finals is also a goal, that’s obvious,” assures the MSB sports director, also on his guard before facing the TMB.

“There are already the fourteen disbursement points (due to the two levels of difference between Tours and Le Mans) and it's a bit unusual to understand, slips Vincent Loriot. I am convinced that we will arrive on our guard but also well aware that, psychologically, starting a match at 0-14 is not easy. We experienced it in Rouen then in Toulon…”

And if the last face-to-face with the Touraine neighbor, in November 2020 in Antarès in 16^es final of the Coupe de France, had turned into a demonstration (110-54), the MSB remains vigilant. “The context is totally different and we cannot at all predict what the match will be like. If Tours is still there, it is no coincidence. »

The US leader Hudgins and the young Frenchman Penda as leaders

With a quality and very homogeneous squad, the MSB will however leave with the sign of big favorite, carried in particular by its American leader Trevor Hudgins, main offensive asset (16.8 pt, 5^e top scorer in the championship) and recent winner of the three-point contest during the LNB All Star Game. The Monconseil public will also be able to see one of the French revelations of the season at work, the young Noah Penda (19 years old), U20 European champion last summer and omnipresent in the Le Mans colors (10.1 pt , 5.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 14.3 rating in 27').

“With coach Guillaume Vizade, the graft took well but we had no doubt about it, adds Vincent Loriot. We really tried to build a formation where the strengths are balanced and the responsibilities relatively diluted. We have a group that lives well and has a relatively developed sense of sharing. »

A solid collective ready to respond to the undoubtedly increased motivation of the Tourangeaux.

Tours MB (N1) – Le Mans (Betclic Élite), Tuesday January 7 at 8 p.m., Monconseil hall.

MSB's award list: 5 French champion titles (1978, 1979, 1982, 2006, 2018), 4 Coupes de France (1964, 2004, 2009, 2019), 1 Leaders Cup (2014), 2 Semaine des As (2004, 2007), champion of France by Pro B (1990).